Brynn Baca enters her second season as a graduate assistant for the Lady Mulerider Softball program. Baca will continue to work with the SAU catchers and hitters in year two after being a part of a Lady Mulerider Coaching Staff that was named the NFCA's Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year following a 60-11 campaign in which Southern Arkansas finished third nationally at the Division II Women's World Series.Â
In her first season on the SAU Coaching Staff, Baca assisted a Lady Mulerider offense that exploded with GAC-leading totals in average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, RBI, home runs, total bases, and walks, while also owning the league's second-most hits at the end of the regular season. Southern Arkansas broke the Great American Conference's single-season team home run record for the second-straight year after the 2018 squad belted 98 home runs in the regular season to top the 95 that were hit by the club in 64 games in 2017.
Baca played an important role in Rachel Miller's transition from every day center fielder as a freshman in 2017 to the team's starting catcher for the 2018 season. Miller claimed All-GAC Second-Team honors following a regular season that saw her rank in the Top 5 on the team in 17 offensive categories and hold ten Top 10 offensive marks within the GAC, while also managing SAU's pitching staff. Miller recorded the GAC's second-most chances (392) and putouts (367), and also erased eight base runners.
Southern Arkansas is the first coaching stop for Baca, but the Round Rock, Texas, native brings expansive Division I playing experience to Magnolia after a standout career with Lamar of the Southland Conference. A two-time All-Southland Conference First-Team selection as a catcher, Baca concluded her career in Beaumont as the program leader in hit-by-pitch (46), and on-base percentage (.446), finished tied with the career record in steals (37) and owns the program’s third-highest career batting average (.315).
Baca appeared in 199 games in her four years as a Lady Cardinal, making 193 starts. As a senior she led the team in assists (275) and hit .313 with 33 RBI, while also setting a single-season school record with 18 HBP and finishing a game shy of the program’s reached base safely streak after successfully reaching in 25 straight games. That production helped Baca lead Lamar to a regional championship and a second-place finish at the National Invitational Softball Championships where she hit .360 in nine games, while being named to the All-Tournament Team.
Academically, Baca claimed several academic honors while at Lamar including being named a First-Team selection on the Southland Conference All-Academic Team as a junior after being named to the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll as a freshman.
In the summer of 2017, following her four-year career at Lamar, Baca was invited by USA Baseball to participate in the Women’s National Team Development Program. In 2016, Baca finished as a finalist for the 2016 US National Team that competed in the Women’s Baseball World Cup.
Â
