Player of the Year has Important Things to Do
If you want to know how good Brittany Bryan is as a softball player, there are plenty of people who will tell you.
She just isn't one them.
"I'm not sure."
That what you'll get if you ask about any awards she won as a high school softball player. Never mind that as a junior she was named Eastern Region Player of the Year, as well as in the Beach District. She was a 1st Team All-Tidewater, and she "thinks" she "might" have been All-State.
In fact she was.
As the top position player in the area she put up gaudy stats, and dominated the competition. What were those stats you ask? Well, don't ask Bryan.
"Oh, I don't keep track of that stuff."
"That stuff," as she calls it is a .527 average, with seven home runs and 32 RBI along with a .581 on-base percentage. She earned seven wins on the mound, and played a stellar second base with a .959 fielding percentage. "That stuff," would be good enough to get her a Division I scholarship, only she doesn't need it.
She is going to school on an academic scholarship.
"Samford is perfect for me. It's a lot like William and Mary (her second choice), but more spread out. I felt really comfortable there."
If you want a long answer to a question, try asking about her major:
"History and political science with a concentration in international affairs."
As for softball?
"I might play. I have talked to the coach, we'll see."
When it comes to her priorities, softball is far down the list after academics.
"I'm pretty sure I'm going to play, but so many college coaches were focused more on softball than school," Bryan explains eloquently. "What you do with you education will last for the rest of your life, softball is just four years."
As a person, Bryan is as humble and likeable a girl as you could ask. She just won't brag about her accomplishments.
At all.
Asked about her strengths on the diamond, you'll get, "I'm upbeat and optimistic." Never mind that a poorly placed fastball will end up over the fence faster than you can say history and political science.
OK, how about what makes her a great player. "I like to focus on the team," she says. When pressed, she expands that to "I like to make sure everyone is happy. I don't like to let my teammates or coaches down."
Asked about a monster homerun she smashed just a couple of days ago she is not that excited, but she is thrilled that the team won. Asked what it takes to hit those moon shots, she says simply, "Homeruns just happen, I don't really know why."
Polite and courteous throughout the questions, she is not shy or nervous. She is at the same time humble and confident; content and passionate.
As for her future on the diamond, all that is for sure is this; her days of terrorizing Beach District pitching are coming to an end. After that, no one can say. Whether or not she ever decides to lace up her cleats for Samford, that university will have landed one of the areas brightest talents, even if she never touches the field.
