Bonney Lake’s Nelson crushed pitching all season. She’s All-Area softball player of year

No matter the circumstance, Brynn Nelson seeks out the positive.

Even as the world has been affected negatively over the last year and change, the Bonney Lake senior found opportunity as the COVID-19 pandemic stole one softball season completely and a second post-season this spring.

“It was hard for everyone,” Nelson said. “But it did give me the gift of time. That’s a big positive.”

Nelson used the “gift” to get stronger physically. She used the time to strengthen her legs and improve her skills as a hitter and and playing second base.

That time paid off in an unbeaten season for Nelson and her Panthers teammates in the Class 3A Pierce County League in 2021. It paid off in increased power at the plate, where Nelson hit five home runs in just a dozen games, batted .714 by getting 35 hits in 49 at-bats, drove in 32 runs and had a slugging percentage that seems almost unreal at 1.265.

Those numbers led to Nelson being named the PCL’s player of the year, and now the News Tribune’s All-Area Player of the Year.

“She wasn’t much of a home run hitter until this year,” Bonney Lake coach Kate Zender said. “She did hit her first as a sophomore. But then she hits five or six in 12 games this season and just missed on several more.”

It didn’t matter what pitcher she saw, either.

“A lot of kids take advantage of weaker pitching, then they suffer when it’s a good pitcher,” Zender said. “She actually got better then, even more deadly. That’s pretty impressive.”

For several reasons, Nelson settled on Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, as her next step.

“I fell in love with the campus,” Nelson said. “They have a really good softball program. The coaches there will push me to get better, to become a better ball player. And it has a really good math program.”

The Wildcats have been one of the premier Division III programs in the country over the past two decades and won national titles in 2007 and 2011. They were runners-up in 2010 and 2012, meaning it will have been 10 years since last Linfield played for a championship by the time Nelson joins the team for next spring’s season.

It’s a different path than Nelson’s older sister, Brooke, took in college.

“I’m so proud of Brooke and everything she’s done,” Nelson said. “I think we just want different things out of college.”

Brooke Nelson currently plays at the University of Washington, one of the premier Division I programs in the country. The sisters played together for Bonney Lake in 2018 and 2019 and won the 3A state title in 2018.

“We are each other’s practice partner,” Nelson said. “I think together, we help each other. And it’s nice not to have to always go ask mom or dad to go out and play catch or whatever.”

Not that the sisters couldn’t ask if need be.

Nelson’s parents, Ed and Lori (formerly Martell) Nelson, both played ball growing up in Tacoma. Both played at Lincoln High – Ed in football and baseball (he went on to play football at Washington), Lori in volleyball and softball (she played both at TCC).

“Then they met playing slowpitch (after college),” Brynn Nelson said. “We are a softball family.”

That didn’t keep Nelson out of other athletic endeavors. She also played volleyball at Bonney Lake and basketball in youth leagues. But her time as a volleyball libero just didn’t carry the same weight for her as being at the plate or at first or second base.

“It just wasn’t the same passion as I have for softball,” Nelson said. “Every game is a new beginning, a chance to learn.”

And every practice is something to be relished and enjoyed, according to Nelson. It’s one of the reasons coaches and teammates can, at any time, expect a dance party to break out on or near the field.

“It’s just something that keeps me loose,” Nelson said. “It helps us to enjoy every practice, relax and have fun. It’s what makes every day being a Bonney Lake softball player so special.”

“She’s just the type of kid anyone wants,” Zender said. “She’s super bright, hard-working, and anyone who knows her smiles. As a freshman, she was a starter, and she’s gotten progressively better. She’s got natural talent and is one of the best power hitters in the state.”

While the state overall didn’t get to see Nelson this spring, with no playoffs beyond the league tournament, that didn’t stop Nelson from enjoying every minute.

“I always aspire to work as hard as I can,” Nelson said. “That’s what defines me the most. If you look hard enough, you can always find something positive.”

This story was originally published June 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM.