On a warm evening in Stillwater, Oklahoma, UTA softball took on Oklahoma State University, a nationally ranked program coming off of a sweep at Baylor University. That night, the Mavericks dominated in a 9-2 win, guided in large part by Coach Peejay Brun's infectious enthusiasm for the game and her focus on building team unity and spirit.
In Brun's first season, the Mavericks earned their second consecutive 30-win season and reached the final four of the highly competitive Sun Belt Conference championship tournament. For the first time in program history, the team advanced out of a postseason regional in the National Invitational Softball Championship.
"The big thing that was accomplished was building a strong foundation for the future," Brun says. "The winning was always nice, going further in the postseason was nice, but I knew that if we didn't build a solid foundation, future years would just crumble on me."
For UTA, the future is looking strong with a wealth of talent returning next season. National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region selections Laura Curry and Reagan Wright will lead a squad that loses just three seniors.
"The team was able to find a way to have fun but still compete," Brun says. "All of that togetherness was amazing, and it will really help us next year."
