Brianna Grice has been a member of the French Camp fast-pitch softball team for six years, beginning as a seventh grader, the year the school fielded its first team. But unless the Mississippi High School Activities Association resumes spring sports this year, when and if schools reopen, her high school career and probably her days in the sport have come to an end.
“I hate to see it end this way,” she said. “But I am thankful for the relationship I have had with the girls, even if it was only four games.” That's how many games the Lady Panthers played before the season was halted by the Coronavirus pandemic.
“I still got to have my sister catch me and I got to pitch the last game and went out very strong. I'm thankful for that.”
Maci Grice, a sophomore, has been the team's catcher this year. The final game was a 16-1 victory over Louisville.
Grice, who also played slow-pitch for six years, has decided to not attempt softball at the next level. Her plans are to attend Itawamba Community College in Fulton, then Mississippi University for Women, with a goal of becoming a pediatric nurse.
“I've always loved kids and I always wanted to do something with kids, whether it be nursing or teaching. I decided it would be nursing.”
Her father, Travis Grice, got her started in softball at a young age. “I grew up watching softball with my dad.” She played travel ball for two years before French Camp initiated its program.
“It's really cool to think about being on the first ever team,” she said. “I started in junior high because I had experience from travel ball.”
Grice began pitching as an eighth grader. In addition to the coaching she received from Sarah Skidmore, the team's coach her first four years, and head coach Todd Chesser and assistant Robert Leathers the past two years, she has had a pitching coach since the eighth grade. She receives coaching from Kristen Fancher, an assistant coach at Ethel, about once a week in and out of season,
Her best pitch is a screwball, unusual for a softball pitcher. As a right hander, the pitch breaks into a right handed batter and away from a lefty.
The grip of the ball is the same as for a fastball “but when you come by your hips, you pull your arm into your side.” That puts spin on the ball to make it curve.
“She's a heck of a player,” Chesser said. “She's a leader.”
He pointed out her versatility, playing first or second when not in the circle. “Last year, when we needed a hit, she was there to give us that hit. She's going to be missed.”
In the unlikely event that the season resumes, Grice is attempting to stay in shape. She is not allowed to receive coaching, but she has been throwing to her sister and father in the back yard.
Her father has been coaching her since travel ball. “I was pretty bad when I started, but my dad helped me.”
If it's over, what will Grice remember most fondly from her playing days? After giving the question some thought, she said “Being able to build relationships and having fun everyday with a bunch of girls who share the same interests.”
