'She's someone you want on your team': How Alyssa Brito became Sooners' spark in junior season

Mike Stith has developed an abundance of talent through his OC Batbusters program. 

The NCAA’s all-time home run leader Jocelyn Alo, 2023 USA Softball Player of the Year top three finalist and UCLA standout Maya Brady, and OU stars Kinzie Hansen, Nicole May and Tiare Jennings, are names highlighting his recent classes.  

Yet, through a star-studded roster, Alyssa Brito stood out.

OU’s starter at the hot corner joined the Batbusters when she was a kid. By the time she was 11-years-old, Stith’s initial scouting report of Brito included uncanny arm strength and resounding power, but something was missing. 

“When you get these kids that are exceptional, you know they have the physical attributes and the mechanics to be great players,” Stith said. “The missing piece … is their determination (and) their motivation to constantly want to get better, and those intangibles you can't really write down or see. It just takes time for them to pick that stuff up.”

Throughout her high school years, Brito’s raw talent which once highlighted her game became overshadowed by the intangibles she developed. Now, Brito has taken off during her junior year with the Sooners, slugging a team-high 15 home runs and honing a .411 batting average. As OU approaches deep postseason play, their unsung hero from the 2022 Women’s College World Series continues to spark rallies and expand her role as vocal leader.

“She just came in confident this year,” Brito's father, Brandon, said. “She's like, ‘Oh, I know I'm going to be making a difference on this team. I can't wait to be a part of it next year and try to repeat.’ She was just super excited from day one, and I think that's what propelled her this year. 

“She's having a good season. (And) mentally, she’s been in an awesome state of mind.”

Stith began to notice the change during his weekly fielding class, where Brito, along with Jennings, flexed their keen defensive skills, a testament to the grit and determination Brito had been developing.

“She never missed. Ever,” Stith said. “The motivation to constantly refine (her) skills is what made her quite unique.”

Despite her stellar performances with the Batbusters, including a .455 batting average her senior year, it’s practice moments that stuck out to Stith. When he’d throw something new at her, she adjusted. When critiqued, she’d absorb and learn from it, ultimately inspiring Stith. 

“It makes you, as a coach, want to keep coaching,” Stith said. “Because she just absorbed so much and is motivated to be so good, that you want to keep giving (her) information. And those are things that are always endearing to me.”

It’s because of those traits that, despite the success she’s seen in her second season at OU, Stith remains confident Brito hasn’t played her best softball yet. 

“I told her at one time that her best playing days are going to be after college,” Stith said. “She's driven to be better. She's always trying to refine her skills. She’s a very coachable person. She'll listen to instruction. She'll listen to criticism, intensive criticism, she'll take it and grow from it instead of being taken aback by the velocity of how hard you push her. That's not going to bother her because she wants it more than you do. 

“You know that those (players) are fearless and they want to get better. So you better give them more. The good players all want to be coached more.”

‘A player we could all rely on’

Notre Dame catcher Carlli Kloss — along with many of her teammates — remembers entering her sophomore year at Pacifica High School nervous about the upcoming season.

The loss of key seniors led to concerns about the team dynamic. Pacifica needed a vocal leader. When they turned 15 miles west to a talented player from Foothill High School, they found just what the team desired.

“(When) Alyssa came in, (she) was just the glue to the team,” Kloss said. “She came in with the energy we needed. The passion that we needed, and the fire. So she just lit up the team immediately. … She was a player we could all rely on, on and off the field. Just one of those people who everyone looks to when they need advice.”

When Tony Arduino took over as Pacifica softball coach in 2019, Brito’s senior year, he entered with 12 years experience coaching high school baseball, along with experience of travel softball, but never at the high school level.

It marked a transition for Arduino, one that was eased by his vocal team captain — Brito. When Pacifica’s outfield suffered a string of injuries her senior year, Brito approached Arduino before school one day and offered to play center field, which she did the next few games. 

It was common to peek over to the batting cages a half-hour after Pacifica’s practice had ended and see Brito doing tee work. Arduino even recalls instances in practice where Brito would approach him during a drill to offer suggestions — one’s that would be taken into deep consideration. 

“As a coach, you’d take it into consideration because … she was that good,” Arduino said. “When you're a coach, you think you know everything. And then you come across some players that you learn from. And she was definitely one of those players that helped me become a better coach.”

Arduino is no stranger to talented high school prospects. During his time with Pacifica baseball, he helped develop multiple Division 1 players and even a few MLB Draft picks such as Orioles infielder Joey Ortiz, who recently made his MLB debut on April 27.

When he thinks about the most fierce competitors he’s coached in his career, Brito’s name instantly comes to mind.

“When it comes to intensity, it doesn’t get much better than her,” Arduino said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to coach some pretty high level athletes, and she’s at the top of that list.”

While reminiscing with his current seniors, who were freshmen during Brito’s senior campaign, much of the same intensity stood out.

“(They) were just commenting on how whenever there was a player not focused in practice, she would be all over them,” Arduino said. “It was unacceptable for that to happen on her watch. And it made coaching very easy.”

Through the highlight plays or costly mistakes, Brito was there to lead.

“She was the first person I'd look to anytime I made a good play. (Even) if I made an error, she's right there with me, telling me, ‘I got you,’” Kloss said. “She's just one of those natural born leaders … and it's been like that her entire life. That's just who she is. She's someone you want on your team.”

‘She loves big moments’

The expectation for OU softball to three-peat makes present a challenging cultural adjustment for many first-year players. 

Take infield transfer Cydney Sanders, who boasted a .425 batting average en route to breaking Arizona State’s single-season home run record as a freshman last season. Until her resurgence against Texas on April 2, Sanders struggled at first with the Sooners. Even senior right-hander Alex Storako, Michigan’s ace in 2021 and 2022, dealt with some hiccups during OU’s fall intrasquad scrimmages before eventually finding her groove.

Brito was no different. After making a splash in her freshman campaign with the Ducks, leading the team with 10 home runs and collecting second-team All-Pac 12 honors, she hoped to make her mark early with the Sooners. The added pressure — mixed with limited playing time on a loaded roster — led to early struggles.

Brito eventually settled in, but had to accept a smaller role compared to her high school days. 

“Last year, I had to really just accept (being a) role player, and that was totally fine with me,” Brito said. “I was just excited to get in the lineup.”

The tides began to turn when OU competed in the Omni Hall of Fame Classic at USA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. Though it sits nearly 30 miles north of Marita Hynes Field, Brito’s performances at the 13,000-seat venue would lead many to chalk it up as a second home.

Brito entered the tournament batting .250 through 20 games before delivering a 6-for-10 weekend with nine RBIs, eclipsing her previous season total. Brito has now played nine regular season games at Hall of Fame Stadium through her two seasons with the Sooners, going 13-for-24 with 14 RBIs.

Her performance at the biggest stage the venue hosts, last year’s Women’s College World Series, is equally impressive. Brito went 4-for-9, scored twice and knocked in a pair of runs in OU’s two-game sweep against Texas in the WCWS finals. Brito broke the 2-2 stalemate in Game two with an RBI double, giving the Sooners a lead they’d take to the last pitch.

Brandon remembers it as a defining moment in her young career. What he remembers more is the lengthy, emotional embrace afterward, where hours upon hours of softball talk, practice and World Series manifestation was rewarded.

“To see it happen on the field, in big moments like that, it was incredible,” Brandon said. “(It) gives me chills right now just talking and thinking about it.”

The biggest stage. Brightest lights. Rowdy environment. Brito not only embraces playing at the venue, she thrives in it.

Now, as OU walks into the Norman Super Regional against Clemson, Brito not only approaches WCWS territory with an established track record, but also an expanded role on the Sooners.

“This year, being more of a set example on the field is what I'm striving for,” Brito said. “And to just guide the little ones and constantly be in their ear on how we can be better, not even just (with) physical things, but mental things too.”

Brito attributes a large part of the change to her move back to third base, citing how it allows her to build a stronger connection with her pitchers, something she strongly values. In return, the Sooners have seen their infielder not only thrive herself, but act as the spark to the team, much like her Pacifica High tenure.

“She was just someone who gels with every single person on the team,” Kloss said. “She's going to be loud talking to her pitcher, talking to her outfield and her fellow infield as well. You could always hear her. It was never quiet because of her. She was cheering everyone on in the dugout when they're up to bat. You can hear her from everywhere. All positivity. All the time.”

In her most recent trip to Hall of Fame stadium for the Big 12 Championship, Brito roped a two-run double in the first inning of the semifinals before smacking third base out of excitement and flexing both her arms toward the OU dugout. In the fourth inning of the Big 12 title game the next day, Brito ended a rare stagnant offensive start from the Sooners with a double, bringing designated hitter Haley Lee around from first to score and break the tie. OU rallied for three runs in the inning and shut down the Longhorns to claim the Big 12 title.

Haley almost had it (out after review). We'll take another pair of runs, though 😁 @alyss_33B1 | OU 3, ISU 0 | 📺 ESPNEWS pic.twitter.com/OEuDLCoy5p

— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) May 12, 2023

Hall of Fame is 𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍' 🔋B4 | OU 2, UT 1 | @alyss_33 pic.twitter.com/mZqKglkFbv

— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) May 13, 2023

The raucous yell. The flex. The likely bruise Gasso received from her emphatic high-five. All of it was present. And all of it has become a staple of Brito’s game.

“(She) loves big moments,” Gasso said. “(She) loves to come through for her team. And she takes practice super serious as well. If she is not executing in practice, she's very unhappy with that. (She) holds herself to a different standard, and you can see it on a daily basis. 

“And that's what you would hope every player on your team would be like.”

With a pair of wins in the Super Regional, OU would return to the coveted venue for yet another WCWS appearance. Honing an expanded role, starting rallies, and having already proved herself on the biggest stage, it’s clear what Brito can be — the spark to the Sooners, and a recipe for disaster to opposing teams.

“When Alyssa is out on the field, you can tell she's a professional,” Stith said. “They play at a different level. They out prepared everybody else. But what's interesting at Oklahoma is the ceiling is much higher there. The level of competition amongst the team is so much higher that it allows that person with defined skills (who) can just really get after it … to never stop growing and never stop competing. And Alyssa fits well in that environment. 

“If you don't compete (at OU), you're not going to play. But those that do compete, the sky's the limit. And that's what's happening (to Alyssa).”

This story was edited by Colton Sulley and Nick Coppola.