OKLAHOMA CITY — Maya Brady was on the bus to her first Women's College World Series three years ago when the UCLA shortstop noticed her mother Maureen had passed her a handwritten note.
Immerse yourself in this moment, it said: you will remember it for the rest of your life.
“That was the first time I realized how special it was to play on the same field,” said Maya, who remembers crying from the back of the bus. “It was so special. One of my favorite memories with me and my mom.”
Long before Maya's uncle Tom Brady won seven Super Bowls and became the greatest quarterback in NFL history, her older sister Maureen was he star athlete of the Brady family.
During four years pitching for Hillsdale High School (San Mateo, California), Maureen was 116-9. She threw 69 shutouts, 29 no-hitters and 14 perfect games in her high school career. She graduated in 1991 and was inducted into her high school hall of fame in 1999.
Maureen then went on to play for Fresno State from 1992-1995 and twice led the Bulldogs to the WCWS.
In 1994, he became an All-American and finished the year with a 0.98 ERA. He led the nation with 36 wins and propelled Fresno State to Oklahoma City. There, he defeated UCLA in the WCWS opener with a complete-game shutout, as Fresno State scored the winning run in the final inning to take the victory. The Bulldogs, however, did not score another run that season and were eliminated two games later.
Today, Maya continues the Brady family tradition of athletic excellence. She ranks second all-time at UCLA with 71 career home runs. She is also a three-time All-American and consecutive Pac-12 Player of the Year. Maya is hitting a team-best .436 with 17 home runs in her final season with the Bruins.
“It's an honor to carry on the legacy of the Brady name,” Maya said. “My family is everything to me.”
Maya will try to extend that legacy on Saturday, when she leads the fourth-seeded Bruins into Saturday's heavyweight clash against second-ranked Oklahoma (3 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN+), the three-time defending national champions.
“I'm very happy for Maya because she will have the same experience,” Maureen told ESPN. “I remember playing on this field and what it felt like, and so I'm very grateful that she can have those same feelings, the same memories and the same experience…because it's something you never forget.”
Maya can't forget how her mom helped her get to this point. Maureen raised Maya and her younger sister, Hannah, who will soon be heading to Tom's alma mater, Michigan, to play volleyball, as a single mother.
Despite working as a traveling nurse, Maureen made sure her daughters had the same sporting opportunities that she, Tom, and her sisters, Nancy and Julie, had growing up. Nancy played softball for Cal. Julie played soccer at St. Mary's and later married Boston Red Sox World Series champion first baseman Kevin Youkilis, adding more athletic prowess to the family.
“I fell in love with softball when I was five years old,” Maureen said. “I just wanted to play softball all the time…Maya was the same way.”
Maya started playing softball before her mother, at 4 years old. As Maya grew up, Maureen would take her for more than three hours on weekends to softball games and tournaments.
“She made a lot of sacrifices and probably tried too hard at times,” Maya said. “But she really made my life and my sister's life so much better…and she didn't have to make those sacrifices.”
Those sacrifices have paid off for Maya, who has developed her own Brady brand as one of the biggest names in softball. She has NIL agreements with American Eagle, Champion and Dove, among several other companies.
After college, Maya wants to continue competing. She hopes to follow in her mother's footsteps and play for the USA Softball Team at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles; Prior to enrolling at Fresno State, Maureen played for the 1991 United States Junior Olympic team.
“Sports are a big part of our family and we are all very competitive,” Maya said. “It gives us a lot of joy. Off the field we are all very nice and sweet people. Once we get on the field, it feeds that other side of us that is super competitive.”
With her lofty goals, Maya admitted that having the last name Brady comes with immense expectations and attention. But Tom, whom she considers a “father figure,” has helped her come to terms with it all.
“I have an incredible relationship with my uncle,” he said. “And I think that takes that pressure off of me because I know that, at the end of the day, if I don't meet the standards of what people think I should do, he doesn't care. To me, that's all that matters.” .
Tom made the name Brady famous. But Maureen launched Brady's sports legacy. Three decades later, his daughter can contribute even more.
“I'm so proud and happy for her,” Maureen said. “Winning the national championship with this team would absolutely be the icing on the cake.”
