{"id":1000,"date":"2025-04-25T04:55:15","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T04:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/04\/25\/jennifer-brundage-is-one-of-softballs-elite\/"},"modified":"2025-04-25T04:55:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T04:55:20","slug":"jennifer-brundage-is-one-of-softballs-elite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/04\/25\/jennifer-brundage-is-one-of-softballs-elite\/","title":{"rendered":"Jennifer Brundage is one of softball&#8217;s elite"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s been a part of. From a national championship with UCLA to coaching Michigan\u2019s 2005 national title run, with a quick stop at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games \u2014 where she won a gold medal \u2014 Brundage has done it all.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">***<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>After that initial moment on the soccer field, Brundage\u2019s 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 \u2014 a school she knew she wanted to play at as soon as she stepped foot on campus for a recruiting trip \u2014 had a lot of talent in their bullpen, and it didn\u2019t make sense for her to go to another school. So while her dream of pitching ended when she arrived at the Bruins\u2019 program, her dream of thriving at the collegiate level didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Brundage adapted by moving to the outfield. But Brundage quickly realized that the outfield wasn\u2019t the place for her, and she wanted a change.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI could kind of see the writing on the wall that I really wasn\u2019t going to pitch, and I wanted out of the outfield, and there was an opening at third base,\u201d Brundage told The Michigan Daily. \u201cAnd so I went into my coach\u2019s office one day early in the fall of my junior year and said, \u2018Look, I\u2019m spending a lot of time before practice pitching. I\u2019d like to spend that time working on my hitting and learning how to play third base, because I\u2019d really like to challenge for that third base position.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p>She is now regarded as one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/story\/_\/id\/29281960\/lauren-chamberlain-jessica-mendoza-voted-espn-greatest-all-college-softball-team\">best<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of Leah Howard. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But a change in positions wasn\u2019t the only obstacle Brundage overcame during her time in college. In Brundage\u2019s 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\u2019 career records for home runs, RBI and doubles and finished as the top softball player by winning the Honda Award.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cHer 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,\u201d UCLA coach and former Bruins player Kelly Inouye-Perez told The Daily. \u201c\u2026 I\u2019m just proud because when she got hurt, I was devastated. I was like, \u2018Oh my god, this is not going to happen to you.\u2019 But then she put a brace on, and even injured, continued to play and still hit ball. \u2026 She\u2019s built so strong, and she has such a strong will that she didn\u2019t let it stop her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brundage\u2019s 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 \u2014 where she led the team in batting average.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" data-attachment-id=\"546144\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/gettyimages-1196674\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-1196674.gif?fit=2400%2C1600&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2400,1600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"GettyImages-1196674\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Courtesy of Leah Howard. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-1196674.gif?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-1196674.gif?fit=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1\" onerror=\"if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-1196674.gif?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-546144\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of Leah Howard. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt was something I didn\u2019t know if I was good enough to play at that level, but I just went for it,\u201d Brundage said. \u201c\u2026 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. \u2026 Being able to put on that USA jersey and represent my country at the highest level was just, it\u2019s hard to describe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">***<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>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.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In Brundage\u2019s senior year of college, the Bruins squared off against the Wolverines in what was Brundage\u2019s 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\u2019 program, those hopes were realized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHutch 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,\u201d Wolverines coach Bonnie Tholl said. \u201cHutch 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That \u201cinside information\u201d was from none other than Inouye-Perez.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Carol Hutchins had a job opening and I said, \u2018(Brundage) can pitch, she can hit, she knows the whole game.\u2019 \u201d Inouye-Perez said. \u201c \u2018She\u2019s a strong personality, and she\u2019s very knowledgeable. She\u2019s a straight A student, she\u2019s in the band, she\u2019s an All American. She\u2019s excellent. There is no other.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-4    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" data-attachment-id=\"546143\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/coaching-trio\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Coaching-Trio.gif?fit=2400%2C1600&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2400,1600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Coaching-Trio\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Courtesy of Leah Howard. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Coaching-Trio.gif?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Coaching-Trio.gif?fit=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1\" onerror=\"if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Coaching-Trio.gif?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-546143\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of Leah Howard. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In Brundage\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019t 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\u2019s easy to be successful when you are not only committed to playing at your best, but also when you have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/softball\/michigan-softballs-all-women-coaching-staff-and-its-decades-of-empowering-women\/\">community<\/a> that\u2019s dedicated to making you the best.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would not have been possible if they weren\u2019t supportive of it,\u201d Brundage said. \u201c\u2026 They were on board from day one, and understood that this was something that I needed to pursue. \u2026 I\u2019m 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\u2019t know what I would have chosen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their support was made worthwhile as Brundage brought home the gold in 2000. After all, everyone wants to be coached by an Olympian.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"1178\" data-attachment-id=\"546132\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/msuatumbigten_066\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MSUatUMBigTen_066.gif?fit=1600%2C2416&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,2416\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"MSUatUMBigTen_066\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Courtesy of Leah Howard. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MSUatUMBigTen_066.gif?fit=678%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MSUatUMBigTen_066.gif?fit=780%2C1178&amp;ssl=1\" onerror=\"if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MSUatUMBigTen_066.gif?resize=780%2C1178&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-546132\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of Leah Howard. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI was really impressed and excited to be coached by an Olympian,\u201d Duke coach and former Wolverines pitcher Marissa Young said about her first impression of Brundage. \u201c\u2026 We\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-5    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>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.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s coached 11 Big Ten Pitchers of the Year and two Big Ten Players of the Year, while also coaching multiple All-Americans.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA wealth of competitive experience herself, but more so even a wealth of competitive coaching experience,\u201d Tholl said about what Brundage brings to the program. \u201cThe reason that those pitchers were all Americans is because it\u2019s under her tutelage. \u2026 But on top of that, it\u2019s mentally challenging to call a game every day, and sometimes you have two games a day. \u2026 There\u2019s a lot on her shoulders for calls that she makes, and I trust her with everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"1170\" data-attachment-id=\"546131\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/fsuatum_179\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/FSUatUM_179.gif?fit=1600%2C2400&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,2400\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"FSUatUM_179\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Courtesy of Leah Howard. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/FSUatUM_179.gif?fit=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/FSUatUM_179.gif?fit=780%2C1170&amp;ssl=1\" onerror=\"if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/FSUatUM_179.gif?resize=780%2C1170&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-546131\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of Leah Howard. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mental toughness, competitive experience and an inherent understanding of what it\u2019s 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I love most about her is it\u2019s never about her, like she doesn\u2019t want the spotlight,\u201d Young said. \u201cShe\u2019s kind of the behind the scenes type of person, but she\u2019s incredible at what she does. She makes a big impact on not just her players but the team. \u2026 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\u2019t look for the credit.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-6    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>It\u2019s hard to imagine the Michigan softball program without Brundage. Her lasting impact goes beyond title wins. It\u2019s seen in all players who have come out of the Wolverines\u2019 program. It\u2019s seen in how she approaches the game \u2014 with the urge to play at the highest level and stay competitive \u2014 and it\u2019s seen in everyone\u2019s love for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related articles<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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\u2019t help but look over at the neighboring softball field and watch the motions of the pitcher. At a young age, the game beside Brundage [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[1120,1122,1119,1121],"class_list":{"0":"post-1000","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-brundage","9":"tag-elite","10":"tag-jennifer","11":"tag-softballs"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1000"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1002,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000\/revisions\/1002"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}