Haylie Brunson got it right the second time around. At least that’s the way Penn State softball coach Clarisa Crowell sees it.
Crowell was in her first season in charge of the Nittany Lions four years ago when she watched Mt. Pleasant play for the PIAA championship at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. Brunson caught her eye, and Crowell said she asked herself, “Why isn’t this kid coming to Penn State?”
By the time Crowell had been hired, Brunson already was committed to play at Pitt.
Her selection came as a bit of a surprise considering her family had many ties at Penn State. Her mother, Heather, a grandfather and a cousin earned degrees at Penn State. But Brunson said she liked the idea of being able to play close to home and competing against powerful ACC programs.
She spent two seasons at Pitt, hitting .261 with five homers and 30 RBIs over 82 games with the Panthers. One of those games, during her freshman season, was at Penn State. The Panthers got only three hits in that 1-0 loss, but Brunson had two of them, including a double.
When Pitt had a coaching change at the end of the 2023 season, Brunson went into the transfer portal. The first call she got was from Crowell.
“I grew up going to Penn State games, watching some Penn State softball games,” said Brunson, a senior outfielder. “It also helped that the state championship was held there, and even when I wasn’t competing in the championship here, I watched some of my friends.
“So there was a familiarity there. But with any school, there’s going to be some sort of transition and change, so I just kind of had to figure out how everything was operated here. But I think it was pretty smooth.”
Now in her second season with the Nittany Lions, Brunson is performing like she did when Crowell saw her as a high school player. Through 30 games — all of which Brunson has started in right field — she was hitting .374 with seven homers and 28 RBIs.
The homer total already is her personal best as a collegian, and she needs only seven more RBIs to set another personal mark. She also has 11 doubles and has scored 23 runs.
Her overall numbers are a marked improvement from her first season at Penn State. After hitting .294 in her second season at Pitt, she hit only .247 last season in Happy Valley. The bulk of her struggles came when facing Big Ten competition, against which she hit .179.
The drop in her average was attributable to a number of things, she said. First, it was adjusting to seeing new opponents in the Big Ten after spending two years in the ACC. She also battled shin injuries during the middle and latter portions of the season, when conference games make up the bulk of the schedule.
As the discomfort and the struggles continued to mount, Brunson tried to force the issue.
“I think where I get into trouble is I press a little bit, trying too hard sometimes,” she said. “So I think I was just going to surrender the outcome this year, and whatever happens happens. Just enjoy my last year.
“And I think surrendering the outcome just helps me play more free, and I’m really enjoying my teammates and everyone I’m around. It just makes everything feel lighter.”
Crowell never doubted Brunson’s ability. She knew, with Brunson being the daughter of a coach — Chris Brunson has coached college baseball, Mt. Pleasant softball and is in his first season at the helm of Waynesburg University’s softball team — her IQ for the game was high.
Crowell said Brunson’s big improvement this season mostly is the product of maturity and experience in the college game.
“She’s a worker. She’s in here hitting on her own, putting in extra hours,” Crowell said. “I think pitch selection has gotten a lot better. She’s hitting the ball everywhere now.
“The biggest thing is just swinging at balls in the zone. It’s something that sounds so easy, but it’s one of the hardest things to do in hitting.”
Penn State entered the weekend at 14-16 overall and 2-5 in the Big Ten. The team suffered a huge blow when sophomore pitcher Bridget Nemeth, who won 23 games last year and was the first freshman All-American in program history, was lost to an injury after just one game.
The rest of the Nittany Lions are trying to pick up the slack. Brunson has done her part, hitting .500 with three homers, nine RBIs and eight runs through the first seven conference games.
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Penn State will jump back into Big Ten play April 4, when it has its conference home opener against Rutgers. Sprinkled into the April schedule are a couple of nonconference games with in-state foes Saint Francis and Pitt. It will be Brunson’s first game against her former school after last season’s scheduled meeting was canceled.
But Brunson isn’t putting any pressure on herself for that or any other game. Her only goal is to relax and enjoy her final year of competitive softball as much as she can before following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a college coach.
She has been interning with Crowell and the coaching staff, getting a behind-the-curtain look at the inner workings of the college program she came to “late.” But, as far as Crowell is concerned, it’s better than never.
“I think going into every year, you have goals you kind of set for yourself,” Brunson said. “But I think this year I’ve kind of put that on the back burner a little bit, and I think that’s why I’ve been able to play so freely.
“I’m trying to be the best Haylie Brunson I can be for my team.”