Meet 'the Most Dominant Athlete in the Brady Family'

Maya Brady has been selected as the No. 1 pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League expansion draft, living up to her reputation as "the most dominant athlete in the Brady family." Brady, the niece of NFL legend Tom Brady, is a former star at UCLA. The shortstop/outfielder was named Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024, finished as a finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year both years, and made the NFCA First Team All-American list three times, per the New York Times. She also won the Pac-12 batting title in 2023 with a .456 average and was named Softball America's Freshman of the Year in 2020.

The 24-year-old will now join the Oklahoma City Spark, one of two new teams set to debut in the AUSL's second season next June, joining four others. Talent clearly runs in the Brady family. Maureen Brady, Maya's mother and Tom's sister, threw 29 no-hitters and 14 perfect games as a high school pitcher, the Times reports. Maya herself can "play middle infield as well as the outfield," per the Oklahoman. In fact, she "can play almost anywhere." "As a versatile defensive player with prodigious power at the plate, Brady is the prototypical player to build a franchise around," adds MLB.com. She made her professional debut with the Talons in the AUSL's inaugural season, nabbing 11 hits in 22 at-bats across eight games, with 5 RBIs.