The Big Lead

Maya Brady, Tom Brady's niece, makes major announcement about future plans

By J.P. Hoornstra

UCLA's Maya Brady speaks to the media during the practice and media day for the Women's College World Series at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, May, 29, 2024.
UCLA's Maya Brady speaks to the media during the practice and media day for the Women's College World Series at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, May, 29, 2024. / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Maya Brady, a three-time All-American softball player at UCLA and the niece of Tom Brady, announced she is joining Athletes Unlimited, as first reported by ESPN. The two-time Pac-12 Player of the Year is eligible to be drafted into the nascent softball league Wednesday.

The draft will stream live at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday on the ESPN app and the AUSL YouTube page.

Brady finished her college career in 2024 with a career batting average of .384 and a .464 on-base percentage. Her 71 home runs and 246 RBIs are second in Bruins program history.

"Honored to be a part of something like this let’s goooo @theAUSLofficial," Brady wrote on her Twitter/X page Tuesday.

The general managers of the four AUSL teams will assemble the inaugural rosters that will compete out of the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois. Teams will change weekly, part of a novel concept for the new league that hopes to become a pro destination for domestic softball players in the U.S.

Off the field, the athletes recruit fellow pros, create league rules, and retain equity in the league. On the field, the top four players become new captains each week and draft their teams from scratch for each week’s games.

Brady lends a bit of the star power necessary to attract attention to a league that needs it. Her mother, Maureen Brady, had 29 no-hitters and 14 perfect games in high school, then helped Fresno State reach the College World Series in 1992 and 1994. Maureen Brady's brother, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady, is a bit more famous for his seven professional championships.

Former Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng, the first female GM in Major League Baseball history, is an advisor to AUSL.

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