Tom Brady shouts out home run-crushing niece as 'most dominant' Brady
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Tom Brady isn't the only star athlete in the family. He counts a two-time World Series champion as an in-law and now that the next generation is growing older, they're both facing competition for domination.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl champion gave his niece, UCLA redshirt freshman Maya Brady, an honorable shout out on Twitter for what she's doing on the softball diamond.
Tom Brady shares niece Maya's home run
Maya Brady smashed her first home run of the season on Sunday for the No. 2 ranked Bruins (10-1), sending a three-run shot deep over the right-field fence. It helped UCLA to a five-inning, 14-0 victory over San Jose State.
"Maya Brady, the most dominant athlete in the Brady family...by far!" Tom Brady wrote on Twitter while sharing the blast.
Maya Brady, the most dominant athlete in the Brady family...by far! https://t.co/BUstHqAyjD
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 7, 2021
This isn't a new claim from Brady. He told the Boston Globe as much in April 2019.
“I think Maya is already the most athletic person of the family,” he said, via the Globe. “She’s just a great athlete, so competitive. And she’s been on such winning teams and she’s such a great teammate. It’s so impressive.”
Maya Brady is the oldest daughter of Maureen Brady, the oldest of three Brady sisters. Maureen was an All-American pitcher at Fresno State, where she led the nation as a junior with 26 wins from the circle.
One of Maureen Brady's other uncles is Kevin Youkilis, the two-time World Series winner with the Boston Red Sox who is married to Julie Brady. Julie starred in soccer as a child, and the fourth Brady, Nancy, was also a softball star.
Their family dodgeball games are epic shows of athleticism.
Maya Brady at start of dominant softball career
Maya Brady was named the 2020 Softball America Freshman Player of the Year after her debut season for UCLA out of Thousand Oaks, California.
The 5-foot-8 utility player led UCLA with seven home runs in the shortened season that was canceled in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic. She was fourth among Pac-12 players with 28 RBIs over 26 games and ranked fifth in the conference in homers. Brady hit .356 with a .699 slugging percentage.
She earned freshman of the week honors on Feb. 11, 2020, after hitting four home runs and bringing in nine runs over the first five games of her collegiate career. Over the course of the shortened season she reached a home run cycle by hitting two one-run home runs, two two-run homers, two three-run blasts and a grand slam in her 10th game as a Bruin. In an even bigger feat that didn't count toward official stats, she slammed a three-run shot against Team USA in an exhibition.
The Bruins are the reigning Women's College World Series winners for earning the title over Oklahoma in 2019. They are one of the most decorated softball programs in collegiate ball with 13 national titles and 12 NCAA titles. UCLA is currently ranked No. 2 by D1 softball and No. 4 by ESPN/USA Softball and USA Today/NFCA Coaches polls. The team is historically a lock to go deep in the June tournament.
After college, if Maya chooses, she'll also have the opportunity to play professionally overseas or join the new Athletes Unlimited league in the U.S. The league is based on a fantasy sports-like format and runs for about two months in the summer from one location (even without a pandemic).
She won't be making Tom Brady money, but she could add on plenty of hardware to the Brady name.
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