

She didn’t realize how big of a deal it was until high school, when she won the starting shortstop job at Oaks Christian as a freshman.Īrticles written about her achievements featured headlines that opened with “Tom Brady’s niece Maya Brady.” Her relationship to the NFL star always came before her own name. Parents made the connection and teammates asked questions. Maya’s uncle has been a topic of whispered conversations since she was about 10. “She’s the future of UCLA softball,” Inouye-Perez said. When the redshirt freshman came to UCLA as one of the top recruits in her class, Brady told UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez of her simple goal in Westwood: I want people to know who I am. Maya is not just “Tom Brady’s niece.” Try calling her Softball America freshman of the year, UCLA’s power-hitting left-hander or a do-it-all defensive spark plug. UCLA will take on Northwestern in the Elimination Bracket on Friday at 7pm EST on ESPN2.Brady has embraced her famous last name and is starting to cast her own shadow alongside her famous uncle. The Bruins fell to the Texas Longhorns 7-2 in their first game in Oklahoma City on Thursday. That didn't come to pass, with Brady heading to Michigan and ultimately settling on a pretty impressive NFL career.
#MAYA BRADY PROFESSIONAL#
Youkilis last played in MLB in 2013 for the Yankees, but last played professionally in 2014 for the Rakuten Eagles in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league.Ĭoincidentally, TB12 was a draft pick of the Montreal Expos in 1995, with some believing he had the ceiling to be an all-star catcher.

It wasn't just Tom Brady who was blessed with some athletic prowess in the Brady family: Maya's mom, Maureen Brady, was an All-American pitcher at Fresno State.īrady was born in San Mateo, Calif., same birthplace as her uncle.Īs it turns out, Uncle Tom isn't the only famous athlete in the family: former MLB All-Star Kevin Youkilis, is married to Maya's aunt, Julie Brady. 334/.423/.644 and has mashed 34 home runs while playing solid infield defense. In her college career, Brady is slashing. In 2020, she was named the country's Freshman of the Year by Softball America, and in 2021, she earned first-team All-American honors, as well as first team All Pac-12. Maya Brady, the redshirt sophomore Bruin, is one of the nation's best softball players, as indicated by her extensive and impressive accolades. Here's what you need to know about the softball superstar: Meet Maya Brady
#MAYA BRADY SERIES#
Tom Brady shouts out his niece, Maya Brady, who’s playing in the College World Series tomorrow for UCLA 💙 #CapitalOnesTheMatch /3dOzU2qizE MORE: Women's College World Series bracketīrady - the more famous one - took a little time during a golf cart ride during The Match to send his niece some well wishes during the golf tournament:

For fans tuning in, there will be a very familiar last name taking the field.Īs it turns out, the Tom Brady and the rest of the Brady bunch are a talented group: Now in her third season, Tom Brady's niece, Maya Brady is a standout athlete in her own right as one of the nation's best softball players.

On Friday, UCLA softball takes the field to continue their quest for another College World Series victory when they take on Northwestern.
