First-year Maria Brooks, who leads the UAA with a 1.20 ERA, has been a key addition to WashU’s strong pitching rotation. (Sam Powers | Student Life)

First-year Maria Brooks has played a vital role in the Washington University’s softball team’s hot start to the 2024 season. While Brooks sometimes plays first base, she is primarily a pitcher, and leads WashU’s team and the entire University Athletic Association (UAA) with a 1.20 Earned Run Average (ERA).  On April 13 and 14, in back-to-back conference games against No. 6 Case Western Reserve University, Brooks threw two complete games, including her third shutout of the year, to earn a crucial pair of wins and improve her record to 8-1, and was named UAA Softball Pitcher of the Week. In the 58.1 innings she has pitched, Brooks has struck 34 players out, and has only allowed 37 hits and 11 runs. Off the field, Brooks studies business and computer science. Student Life sat down with Brooks to discuss her life outside of softball, how Division III softball compares to growing up playing competitively in Florida, and how she stays calm under pressure on the mound.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

SL: What do you do when you’re not playing softball?

MB: When I’m not playing softball or doing homework, I’m probably watching TV or reading a book. If I have extra free time, I’ll watch a movie or work on a random side project like crocheting. I have a Lego set in my room that I’m waiting to complete when school is over and I’m stranded on campus with nothing to do. Our last official games are on May 9th, but if we make it to the postseason, we could be playing until June 5th. 

SL: Are you watching any good shows or reading anything interesting right now?

MB: I’m in my rereading/rewatching era, so I’m rereading Twilight and just finished watching Ozarks which was really good. I’m rewatching Hunter x Hunter right now. I’m going on a little nostalgic run watching all my old favorite shows and reading all my old favorite books.

SL: Can you tell us about your history with softball? How did you get into it and what made you decide to play in college? 

MB: I’ve played sports my entire life; my parents always put me in sports when I was little. Softball ended up being my favorite because it was the one I had the least complaints about when I was younger. I was good at tee ball when I was five and have probably been playing actual softball since I was eight. I played competitive travel ball since sixth grade so playing in college just seemed like the obvious next step. When I was younger, I wanted to play in a big SEC school and play on TV but WashU’s old head softball coach, Coach V [Michelle Venturella], saw me play in Colorado and reached out to my coach. I had no idea what WashU was but my pitching coach is from St. Louis so she knew all about WashU and convinced me to give WashU a better look. Then, I ended up loving the coaching staff and team and here I am!

SL: Are there any athletes who serve as your role model?

MB: Monica Abbott’s one of the best softball pitchers, so of course she’s the poster child for success in softball. But I also really like Rachel Garcia, who played for UCLA and pitched and hit when UCLA won the College World Series. I like the fact that she pitches and hits because, since I was young, coaches have told me that I’m a pitcher only and nothing else. I like that Garcia proves it’s possible to be really good at both.

Brooks enjoys being able to both hit and pitch on the softball diamond. (Sam Powers | Student Life)

SL: Has there been a big transition to being a DIII athlete at WashU?

MB: Yes and no at the same time. I’ve always been a student-athlete, just now it’s a lot more serious. But even in high school, I took a lot of APs and then drove an hour and a half to travel ball practice three times a week or had practice for my high school’s softball team every day, so it’s a similar routine. At WashU, there’s a little more freedom but at the same time, classes are more demanding. I feel like the most important thing is to make the most out of any free time I have, which is not something I did much in the past.

SL: I know traveling for softball is not new to you, but outside of academics, has there been anything that surprised or challenged you?

MB: We recently traveled to New York to play New York University and the one thing that kind of sucks about travel trips is that we have to leave on Thursdays, so I have to make sure to get ahead on work the week leading up to the trip. The nice thing is that we have so much downtime in the hotel, and when you’re in a hotel or airport and not really allowed to do anything because you’re there on a “business trip,” as our coaches call it, seeing the rest of the team doing their homework helps keep me from falling behind. So, I guess it’s just like getting in the mindset that you need to do damage control beforehand and taking advantage of the downtime between games. 

SL: What has enabled you to play such a key role in your first college season?

MB: Florida has better high school softball than most states, so I’ve had experience playing against good players my entire life. This has set me up well for college because I’m not caught off by anything, especially since I used to play against DI athletes. If anything, knowing that there’s not much of a difference between college and travel ball set me up well and didn’t make me feel unprepared. 

Brooks says that her self-confidence has been key to her pitching success. (Lydia Nicholson | Student Life)

SL: What do you think your role on the WashU team is?

MB: My role right now is definitely to prioritize pitching. We have six pitchers on the team so my role is to have my moment and be the best I can be both individually and on the pitching staff. If I’m starting a game, it’s to know it’s my time and prevent runs from scoring. But if I’m relief, it’s to make sure I understand what the pitcher in front of me wants from me and be ready when they need me to be. If I’m not in the game, my role is to be a positive light in the dugout, cheer as loudly as I can, and be as happy for everybody as if I were in the game. Energy goes a very long way and you can win a game solely based on how much you want to be there. My role is also to support the other girls on the team and staff when needed. 

SL: Do you have a specific mindset you try to channel when you’re pitching and how do you handle the pressure of being a pitcher as everyone’s eyes are on you? 

MB: I feel like the biggest thing that helps in general with sports is to believe you are better than your opponent, even if it’s not true. I try to tell myself, “You are a better pitcher than that girl’s a hitter or you’re a better hitter than that girl’s a pitcher.” Having the mindset that “I belong here,” “I’m better than you,” “you’re not going to get a hit off me,” etc. instead of “I don’t know if I can do this” helps me. Being confident and being able to brush things off instead of letting myself spiral also helps a lot. It’s important to have strong confidence and not weak confidence that can get destroyed by some girl getting a hit, throwing a bad pitch, walking somebody, etc. 

SL: Was there anything I didn’t ask that you think is worth mentioning?

MB: I think the hardest part about being a student-athlete is feeling alone in it and that no one understands what you’re going through or the stress you’re under. One thing that I really love about the team is that I feel the girls are very much there for me and not fake about it. They genuinely want all of us to reach out to them and succeed. Being a part of a team that has a culture of making me feel supported, heard, and safe is really nice. 

SL: This last question is a question that StudLife asks every athlete of the week. Would you rather have fish for hands or adopt a child every time you hear the song “Bohemian Rhapsody”?

MB: I’ll adopt the child every time because I’m not going to hear the song that often and it would suck to have fish for hands. I don’t even like fish either. 

2024 AOTW Tracker: Adopt a Child 5, Fish for Hands 2