Brown looking to lead Bearkats in senior season
4/1/2010 4:27:00 PM | Softball
As the Sam Houston State softball team takes the field on Friday for a double header against McNeese State, the Bearkats will lean on a senior to help the push for the Southland Conference Tournament.
Amy Brown will be graduating soon and on her way to new things in life, but her focus right now is winning on the softball field. Brown graduated from Cy-Fair High School leading her team to district title and state quarterfinals and following in her sister's footsteps by playing for Sam Houston. While the transition from high school to college may have been tough at first, Brown quickly adjusted and now is having one of the best seasons in her college career.
"My time here went by really fast, and it has been well worth all of the hard work," Brown said. "Coming in my freshman year we had a big class and won our first NCAA Division I Conference Tournament, which was very exciting. The adjustment from high school to college was not easy. There was a lot more running and lifting and softball and academics become your main focus."
Brown is a public relations major and a three-year starter at first base; holding the school record for career put outs and career fielding. In the 175 of the Bearkats' 179 games the past three, seasons she has made only 14 errors in 1,379 chances. Head coach Bob Brock is impressed by how much Brown has improved since she arrived at SHSU and how well she is doing this season.
"I first got acquainted with Amy her senior year in high school," Brock said. "She is a great player and a tremendous first baseman. She has maintained a strong academic average over the years and is off to a great start this season. While there is always room to improve, Amy is a hard worker who always gives things her best effort."
Brown has worked hard to get to where she is now. She worked with assistant coach Selena Collins on her mental game in order to develop a better sense of focus on the field. Coach Collins is excited about the impact that Brown has made on the team this year and hopes that she will continue to be successful.
"One of my main goals when practicing with Amy was to help her focus on her mental game," said Collins. "She is a great defensive player and so far this season she has done a great job of maintaining a good, solid mental game. I remember telling Amy that if she worked hard on her mental game that this could be her best year. If she continues to have a good defensive run, I believe that will help us win the conference tournament."
Brown has been a strong leader for her team. She strives to always remain optimistic and lead her team in the right direction. Her biggest motivation is that she loves playing softball and that she has supportive people in her life to help her along the way.
"Amy is a awesome leader and really exercises her leadership on the ball team," said Brock. "People respect her and she helps the team out in any way that she can. When she leaves college I hope that she takes some great relationships, a tremendous degree and all of the qualities that have built her into a great athlete with her."
When Brown graduates from SHSU she wants to do promotions for a baseball team. Her last year at Sam Houston is a bittersweet one, but she is confident that she will achieve her goals
"The hardest part about graduating is knowing that I won't be playing softball anymore and that I will be away from my team," said Brown. "I am not sure where I will go after I graduate, I might move to Dallas with my sister. I have had some great times here made some amazing friendships. I am very grateful that coach Brock gave me a scholarship and the opportunity to play for SHSU."
