UCLA softball鈥檚 Maya Brady is great like her famous uncle
LOS ANGELES (BVM) 鈥� UCLA shortstop Maya Brady is one of the biggest stars in the Women鈥檚 College World Series. She got on base at a .515 clip in 2024 while also slugging .844. This was enough for her to win Pac-12 Player of the Year for the second season in a row.
She has cemented herself as a Bruin legend in her five seasons in Los Angeles and is hoping to add a cherry on top with a national title this postseason.
Maya Brady was SMOOTH with it 馃槫
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter)
But for Brady and her family, greatness is the expectation.
Maya is the niece of legendary NFL QB Tom Brady.
Maya Brady fan club 馃挋
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12)
That obviously brings more attention to Maya when she is on the field, but she makes the most of the situation, turning it into a positive.
鈥淣ot all pressure is bad pressure,鈥� Maya told in 2021. 鈥淔or me, knowing that my family is very successful, I think it puts a lot of good pressure on me, to give myself goals, to try to be the best I can be. It鈥檚 not pressure like if I lose or I strike out, I feel like my family鈥檚 not going to talk to me, or I鈥檓 going to put shame on the Brady family name. It鈥檚 just good pressure. I love bearing the last name. I鈥檓 just really proud of it.鈥�
Maya Brady comes up CLUTCH 馃挭
Bruins lead 9-7!
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network)
Maya was a hyped-up prospect out of Oaks Christian High School as she was named a PGF All-American. As a senior, she hit .558 with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs. Her play transitioned seamlessly to the college level.
UCLA won it all in 2019, a year prior to 惭补测补鈥檚 arrival, but now she would love to add one of her own.
The Bruins finished 42-10 and 17-4 in conference play this season as they head into the deepest part of the NCAA tournament. They are the No. 6 seed and matched up against Alabama on Thursday. UCLA will have to get through the Crimson Tide, Duke and Oklahoma on its side of the bracket in order to reach the championship finals.
But no matter how far Maya and her team get, she knows that she will have her uncle鈥檚 support.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very close,鈥� Maya said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a very close family in general, but I have a really special bond with Uncle Tommy, and I鈥檓 really grateful that he鈥檚 just so supportive of me, given the thousands of things he has to do.鈥�
