Top hitter for Cornerstone’s softball team, Emily Brown, has just returned from spring break in Arizona for seasonal training along with the rest of the team. It was the last for the senior.

“I’m excited for us to finish this last season together,” Brown said. “I never cry, but I probably will after the last game.”

Last year, Brown was named All-WHAC and Offensive Player of the Year. She scored 29 runs, had 17 RBIs and a batting average of .423, the highest on the team.

Previous years have also yielded more achievements: Her freshman year she was nominated for Rookie of the Year, in 2007 and 2008 she was All-Conference, and in 2007 named to the NFCA [National Fastpitch Coaches Association] Second Team All-Region.

Brown said she anticipates continuing her success this season.

“Hopefully, I’ll continue at the plate,” she said. “We have a lot of [new] upcoming hitters that will definitely be helping us as well. Defensively, I’ll try to be a strong communicator on the field.”

“And it’s always fun to compete against highly skilled athletes,” Brown said of the Arizona teams. “The really high [division] schools are always fun.”

Before spring break, Brown said she looked forward to traveling to Arizona for practices and games because she “finally gets to go outside, which is what I’ve longed for.”

She also said that she owes her success to head coach Jim Farrell, of whom she said, “I probably wouldn’t be here in college” if it was not for him. She said her parents have been very supportive, as well.

“They’re the ones that got me into athletics,” she said. “They come to every game. They come even if I’m hurt. They still watch the team when I’m not there.”

Her father works at George Town United Methodist church in Jenison, and her mother works as a medical secretary in Grand Rapids. Brown said it was her mom that first got her active in sports at age 3 when she played T-ball. Her older sister, Becky, was also an influence when it came to deciding whether to play softball at the college level, and if CU was the right school.

“I was introduced to Cornerstone through my sister,” Brown said. “She graduated from here last year. She was a pitcher and also went to Zeeland, so our [high school] coach took us to games to watch her, and I got talked into it.”

She said the scholarship awards also influenced her decision.

Brown played second base until her senior year at Zeeland High School. However, she said it was the shortstop position that she had “always wanted.”

“Emily Brown is one of the best skill and effort players I’ve ever coached,” Farrell said. “By that, I mean that she has tremendous talent both offensively and defensively. Her big play ability and cannon-like arm is highly respected by everyone we play against.”

Farrell also said Brown goes into every practice with a “top-notch effort every day. She sets the example for her teammates by giving 100 percent on every play in practices and games alike.”

“She impacts the team every day through her leadership as a team captain both on and off the field,” he said. “She is highly respected by her teammates and coaches.”