Inside a park in Irvine, Calif., an 8-years-old Jennifer Brundage stood on a soccer field practicing her skills. But instead of focusing on her footwork and dribbling the ball, she couldn’t help but look over at the neighboring softball field and watch the motions of the pitcher. At a young age, the game beside Brundage enamored her, specifically the player standing in the circle.
More than 40 years of experience later, Brundage has made a lasting name for herself in the sport, contributing to greatness in every program she’s been a part of. From a national championship with UCLA to coaching Michigan’s 2005 national title run, with a quick stop at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games — where she won a gold medal — Brundage has done it all.
But it’s not necessarily the accolades that keep her going. Brundage has multiple people in her corner whose small sacrifices built one of the greatest coaches and players in the game. Above all, her ability to stay competitive, immense love for the game and willingness to seize opportunities to play at the highest level have made her into the renowned coach she is today.
***
After that initial moment on the soccer field, Brundage’s parents immediately signed her up for a local softball league, where she learned to pitch. She then spent time playing travel ball and high school softball as a pitcher. But UCLA — a school she knew she wanted to play at as soon as she stepped foot on campus for a recruiting trip — had a lot of talent in their bullpen, and it didn’t make sense for her to go to another school. So while her dream of pitching ended when she arrived at the Bruins’ program, her dream of thriving at the collegiate level didn’t.
Brundage adapted by moving to the outfield. But Brundage quickly realized that the outfield wasn’t the place for her, and she wanted a change.
“I could kind of see the writing on the wall that I really wasn’t going to pitch, and I wanted out of the outfield, and there was an opening at third base,” Brundage told The Michigan Daily. “And so I went into my coach’s office one day early in the fall of my junior year and said, ‘Look, I’m spending a lot of time before practice pitching. I’d like to spend that time working on my hitting and learning how to play third base, because I’d really like to challenge for that third base position.’ ”
She is now regarded as one of the best third basemen to ever play the position. In fact, she was the ninth Bruins softball player to be inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.
But a change in positions wasn’t the only obstacle Brundage overcame during her time in college. In Brundage’s final year at UCLA, she tore her knee. Rather than sit out due to the injury, she put on a knee brace and finished out the season. That year, she topped the NCAA softball leaderboard with a .518 batting average, broke the Bruins’ career records for home runs, RBI and doubles and finished as the top softball player by winning the Honda Award.
“Her ability to go through adversity as far as being an injured athlete and then become the best player in the country is to me a big part of her story,” UCLA coach and former Bruins player Kelly Inouye-Perez told The Daily. “… I’m just proud because when she got hurt, I was devastated. I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is not going to happen to you.’ But then she put a brace on, and even injured, continued to play and still hit ball. … She’s built so strong, and she has such a strong will that she didn’t let it stop her.”
Brundage’s dedication to the sport and playing at the highest level possible, even while injured, got her noticed. After her time at UCLA, she was selected to be a part of Team USA as an alternate for the 1996 Olympic games and as a starter for the 2000 games — where she led the team in batting average.
“It was something I didn’t know if I was good enough to play at that level, but I just went for it,” Brundage said. “… To be able to represent and be on that field in Sydney was literally a dream come true, and such an incredible experience to go to battle with these women that were several years older than me. I had looked up to them when I was younger, and here I was playing with them. … Being able to put on that USA jersey and represent my country at the highest level was just, it’s hard to describe.”
While taking home the gold medal was the cherry on top for Brundage, her Olympic experience went beyond the award, as reaching that achievement was the culmination of her community getting her to where she needed to be.
***
Four years earlier, fresh out playing with the Bruins, Brundage joined the Tennessee-Chattanooga program as a volunteer coach while rehabilitating her knee injury. She stayed with the program for a year before returning to UCLA as a volunteer coach with Inouye-Perez and current Bruins associate head coach Lisa Fernandez.
In Brundage’s senior year of college, the Bruins squared off against the Wolverines in what was Brundage’s first introduction to legendary former Michigan coach Carol Hutchins, and she remembers leaving that game with one hope: working for Hutchins. And after a year with the Bruins’ program, those hopes were realized.
“Hutch had known of Jen because we had competed against UCLA when Jen was a student athlete there, and we just really liked her style of play,” Wolverines coach Bonnie Tholl said. “Hutch had a really good rapport with the UCLA coaching staff. And so we got inside information there. We knew that she played at the highest level, was an All-American, was an Olympian, well, was an alternate at that time, but then pursuing her Olympic team status, and so it was just a really good bet.”
That “inside information” was from none other than Inouye-Perez.
“When Carol Hutchins had a job opening and I said, ‘(Brundage) can pitch, she can hit, she knows the whole game.’ ” Inouye-Perez said. “ ‘She’s a strong personality, and she’s very knowledgeable. She’s a straight A student, she’s in the band, she’s an All American. She’s excellent. There is no other.’ ”
In Brundage’s time with the Bruins, Inouye-Perez and Fernandez would help her train for the Olympics, whether it was through batting practice or fielding ground balls. Brundage refers to the two as some of her greatest mentors. And when she arrived in Ann Arbor, although she was new to the program, Hutchins and Tholl took her in and helped her train the same way Inouye-Perez and Fernandez did, adding to the layers of community that helped Brundage get to where she needed to be.
To Brundage, having Hutchins and Tholl sacrifice their free time to help her train made her first year with the program that much more meaningful. Because Brundage couldn’t practice while Michigan did, Hutchins and Tholl would navigate practice with Brundage around team practices. The pair even excused her from some recruiting duties so that she could focus on her dream of becoming an Olympian. And it’s easy to be successful when you are not only committed to playing at your best, but also when you have a community that’s dedicated to making you the best.
“It would not have been possible if they weren’t supportive of it,” Brundage said. “… They were on board from day one, and understood that this was something that I needed to pursue. … I’m just so grateful that they were willing to do that, because I would have had to choose whether I came to Michigan or whether I pursued my playing career, and I don’t know what I would have chosen.”
Their support was made worthwhile as Brundage brought home the gold in 2000. After all, everyone wants to be coached by an Olympian.
“I was really impressed and excited to be coached by an Olympian,” Duke coach and former Wolverines pitcher Marissa Young said about her first impression of Brundage. “… We’re both (from) California, so I knew what a phenomenal player she was at UCLA. And again, being an Olympian, I was really excited to have a coach with her caliber, being able to grow and develop underneath her.”
Brundage never really imagined herself as a coach. Entering college, she was interested in being a journalist, even completing the highly coveted communications major at UCLA. But after working a few softball camps her sophomore year, she realized she wanted to keep softball in her life as long as possible. At the time, professional softball opportunities were slim, so instead, she adapted once again, turning to coaching opportunities.
And throughout her 27 years with Michigan, Brundage has a lot to show for it. She coached Michigan to a national title in 2005 and more recently, helped the Wolverines clinch the Big Ten Tournament title last season. She’s coached 11 Big Ten Pitchers of the Year and two Big Ten Players of the Year, while also coaching multiple All-Americans.
“A wealth of competitive experience herself, but more so even a wealth of competitive coaching experience,” Tholl said about what Brundage brings to the program. “The reason that those pitchers were all Americans is because it’s under her tutelage. … But on top of that, it’s mentally challenging to call a game every day, and sometimes you have two games a day. … There’s a lot on her shoulders for calls that she makes, and I trust her with everything.”
Mental toughness, competitive experience and an inherent understanding of what it’s like to be a player makes Brundage the elite coach she is. And she has a lot to show for it: A national title winner as both a player and a coach, an Olympic gold medal and tons of pitchers who have found success under her teachings. And yet, Brundage is not a fan of the spotlight, even though she possesses the things that puts someone at the forefront of attention.
“What I love most about her is it’s never about her, like she doesn’t want the spotlight,” Young said. “She’s kind of the behind the scenes type of person, but she’s incredible at what she does. She makes a big impact on not just her players but the team. … Her presence and the tremendous impact on the success that Michigan softball has had over the years, and yet, she stays behind the scenes and doesn’t look for the credit.”
It’s hard to imagine the Michigan softball program without Brundage. Her lasting impact goes beyond title wins. It’s seen in all players who have come out of the Wolverines’ program. It’s seen in how she approaches the game — with the urge to play at the highest level and stay competitive — and it’s seen in everyone’s love for her.
Brundage much prefers softball stadium lights to the spotlight, as only under the former can she make an impact for every player like her who became as enamored with the game as she did when she first laid eyes on it.
