Maya Brady: From UCLA Softball Star to Professional Athlete
Maya Ann Brady-Timmons, niece of NFL legend Tom Brady, has carved her own path to athletic success. Born on June 1, 2001, she is an American professional softball player currently with the Oklahoma City Spark of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL). Brady's journey from a young softball enthusiast to a professional athlete is marked by dedication, talent, and a strong family legacy in sports.
Early Life and High School Career
Brady hails from Thousand Oaks, California, where she grew up playing softball. She attended Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California, where she excelled as a middle infielder. During her time there, she led the team to three Marmonte League titles and earned two league MVP awards. In her senior year, Brady showcased her exceptional skills with a .558 batting average, 12 home runs, and 32 runs batted in (RBI).
Her outstanding performance led to several accolades, including Marmonte League Most Valuable Player, All-CIF Southern section honors, Ventura County Star 2019 All-County Softball Player of the Year, and Los Angeles Daily News Player of the Year. She was also ranked the No. 2 recruit by Flosoftball.
College Career at UCLA
Brady made her collegiate debut for the UCLA Bruins in 2020. During the opening week of the season at the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament, Brady was 9-for-18, with four home runs, nine RBI, and nine runs scored. She was subsequently named Pac-12 Freshman and Player of the Week for the week ending February 11, 2020. During her Freshman year she finished with a .356 batting average, .699 slugging percentage and led the team with seven home runs and tying for first with 28 RBI, tied for second with seven multiple-RBI games and tied for third with seven multi-hit games, and ranked third with 22 runs scored and 11 walks.
Throughout her five-year career (2020-2024) at UCLA, Brady started in 247 of 249 games. She became the only player in school history to earn First-Team All-America honors at two different positions. Brady was one of 11 UCLA players to claim three NFCA First-Team All-America citations and collected three All-America certificates from Softball America. She also earned First-Team All-America distinction from D1Softball in 2023 and 2024. A four-time All-Pac-12 Conference honoree, Brady is one of only five players in UCLA history to win back-to-back Pac-12 Player of the Year awards (2023, 2024). She was a two-time finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award and a semifinalist for the 2023 AAU Sullivan Award.
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Brady ranks second in UCLA history for home runs (71), runs batted in (246), total bases (550), and slugging percentage (.757). She is also fourth on the school’s all-time runs scored list (229) and finished her career ranked 10th in Bruins' history with a .384 career batting average. Brady drove in 246 career runs while scoring 229 runs, collecting 101 walks, and stealing 36 bases.
Key moments and achievements during her college career:
- 2020: Named Softball America Freshman of the Year, leading UCLA with seven home runs and 28 RBIs during the COVID-shortened season.
- 2021: Started all 49 games, hitting safely in 12 consecutive games from March 3-21, posting a .535 average with five home runs and 18 RBIs.
- 2022: Started all 61 games in center field, hitting .339 with 15 home runs and 53 RBIs, earning a spot on the Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team.
- 2023: Set a school record by opening the season with a hit in 11 consecutive at-bats. She was named the NFCA National Player of the Week for the week ending February 14, 2023, after she went 13-for-16 with 14 RBI and four home runs in UCLA's season-opening Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament. She finished the 2023 regular season with a .456 batting average, 16 home runs and 56 RBIs. She led the conference in batting average, hits (72), total bases (138), extra-base hits (31), on base percentage (.519) and slugging percentage (.873).
- 2024: Led UCLA with a .418 batting average, 71 hits, 68 RBIs, 59 runs scored, 31 extra-base hits, and 137 total bases. She became the sixth player in UCLA history to hit .400 or better in back-to-back seasons.
Professional Career
In 2024, Brady was one of 15 players selected in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball College Draft. In December 2025, Brady was chosen No. 1 overall by the Oklahoma City Spark in the AUSL Expansion Draft.
During the 2025 AUSL season, Brady missed the first month of action due to a hamstring injury. She reached base in her first 10 plate appearances, going 7-for-7 with three walks. She finished the season with a .500 batting average in 22 at-bats. Brady appeared in six games for the AUSL champion Talons after being activated from the Injured List on July 16. She posted a .647 batting average with 11 hits in 17 at-bats and recorded at least one hit in all six games. Brady contributed one home run and five RBIs while also scoring five runs. She reached base safely in her first 10 plate appearances. Brady opened the season with a 2-for-2 performance against the Blaze on July 16 and followed with a 3-for-3 effort against the Blaze on July 17, hitting a home run while scoring two runs and driving in two more. She added two hits with a walk against the Blaze on July 19 and notched two hits with two RBIs against the Volts on July 22.
International Experience
Brady has also represented Team USA on the international stage. She guided Team USA to a Silver medal at the 2024 WBSC World Cup, hitting .375 (6-for-16) with two doubles and five runs batted in. She also competed for Team USA at the 2023 WBSC World Cup Stage event, driving in five runs and scoring four times. Brady went 4-for-8 at the plate for the United States during the 2022 Japan All-Star Series.
Family and Personal Life
Maya Brady is the daughter of Brian Timmons and Maureen Brady. Her mother, Maureen Brady, was an All-America softball player at Fresno State, helping lead the Bulldogs to the 1994 NCAA Women’s College World Series. She has one younger sister. Her uncle, Tom Brady, is a seven-time Super Bowl champion and one of the most decorated quarterbacks in NFL history, while another uncle, Kevin Youkilis, earned two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox.
Read also: Learn about Tom Brady's college days at Michigan
A lifelong softball player who began the sport at age 4, Brady earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from UCLA and is currently pursuing a marketing certificate. She competed in multiple sports growing up, including soccer, volleyball, golf, and flag football. She lists former travel ball coaches Mike Stith and Mark Campbell as key influences in her development. Brady considers graduating from UCLA her proudest accomplishment, fulfilling a dream she had since she was eight years old. Her hobbies include shopping, getting coffee, spending time with friends and family, and journaling. She has worn No. 7 throughout her softball career.
Brady understands the pressure that comes with being part of a successful family. In an interview with The Athletic, she said, "For me, knowing that my family is very successful, I think it puts a lot of good pressure on me. It’s not pressure like … I’m going to put shame on the Brady family name. It’s just good pressure. I love bearing the last name. I’m just really proud of it."
Brady’s mom, Maureen Brady, also played softball in college, at Fresno State and Arizona. “My mom is probably my biggest role model, honestly,” Brady said.
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