Brenyn Ball
Elk City Softball
By Ken Hansard
The Elk City Elkettes softball team finished 31-5 last season. The 31 wins is a number to be proud of, but that fifth loss really stung, as the Elkettes finished the season just a couple games earlier than they wanted, bowing out in the first round at state. Senior centerfielder Brenyn Ball and her teammates are ready to complete some unfinished business, “I’m looking forward to battling adversity and making history with the team that has become my family.”
The Elkettes certainly should feel like family. There are at least a couple of sister acts on the team, including Brenyn and her sister, Blakely. But the Elkettes are also a closely-knit group because they have a strong core of senior leaders who want to pass on their knowledge and the team’s culture to their younger teammates. Brenyn certainly plans to fulfill her responsibility in that capacity, “My role on the team is to lead by example and encourage my teammates when they are down.”
Ball has the type of credentials that will command the attention of her charges. She received the Golden Glove award as a junior and played an errorless centerfield for all 36 games of the season. Like most accomplished athletes, she enters this season with even bigger targets on her radar, “I have big goals for this season – which first and foremost includes winning the 4A state championship.”
Goals are not achieved without hard work and sacrifice, and Brenyn has put in a lot of time in the offseason to address some shortcomings in her game, “My main weakness was the ability to watch pitches, so I worked on my mindset going into the batter’s box. Now I tell myself that it only takes one pitch and to wait for my pitch.”
Despite her love for other sports, Ball says she was born for softball and tries to keep in mind that the game is supposed to be fun. That can sometimes be difficult to do while striving to win championships, but Brenyn tries to keep focus on enjoying competition and adversity, “I look forward to every game, but I especially love the fire we carry into the post season. Challenges add to the beauty of the game, and the way that you approach those challenges is what shows true determination and resilience.”
Ball also runs track for Elk City. After graduation, she plans to continue her softball career at the collegiate level.
