This 2-sport star shines in the batter’s box. What’s next for Gulfport’s Brooklynn Montana?
Brooklynn Montana has terrorized opponents from the batter’s box for four years now.
Unfortunately for South Mississippi pitchers, she’s still only a junior and has another two seasons of high school softball ahead of her.
Montana began playing varsity softball for Gulfport in seventh grade. She made a name for herself early on and is beginning to garner attention from coaches at the next level.
She’s played in 90 games and has registered 114 hits in just 313 plate appearances. In her sophomore campaign, she exploded from a good player to a star in the diamond.
Montana hit her first four career home runs last year and registered career highs in nearly every batting category, including OPS at 1.224.
Now that she’s established herself as one of the Coast’s premier softball players, Montana is stepping into a new role as an upperclassmen.
The Admirals said goodbye to graduates Morgan Stiglets and Olivia Plummer last year, leaving significant leadership roles up for grabs.
“I would definitely say I’m trying to become a leader on this team,” Montana told the Sun Herald. “That’s something I’ve been trying to grow in every year. I started both of my sports when I was a seventh grader and I had people to look up to. But now it’s my turn.”
Montana is a two-sport athlete that excels on the volleyball court as well. She played a key role in the Admirals’ 23-10 season last season, leading the team in assists and finishing third in kills.
Gulfport made it to the second round of the state playoffs thanks in part to Montana’s versatile play. While helping her team in the fall, Montana was also spending her free time staying sharp for the spring.
“When I’m in that season I go hard on that sport and then at the same time I practice my other sport in my off time,” Montana said. “That way I’m always ready. I’m not losing my skills, I’m always growing as a player for each sport.”
Though she splits her time between both and has trouble picking a favorite, Montana already knows which sport she’s playing at the next level.
“I can’t really choose (a favorite),” Montana said. “I enjoy both equally. When I’m in that season I enjoy that sport a lot and vice versa. I will say I want to play college softball instead of college volleyball.”
Montana already has several scholarship offers to play softball at the collegiate level, with more coming in. She’s up to five offers, the most recent from Northwest Florida.
She’s joining a new travel ball team this year, the Louisiana Hotshots, to even further her exposure to college scouts before making a decision on where she wants to go. A choice she hopes to make by the end of the upcoming summer.
“They’re very competitive,” Montana said. “They’ve had a lot of players move on to the next level. I’m hoping that will help get me to where I need to be.”
Before summer ball, though, Montana and the Admirals have a big season ahead of them. The top five hitters from last year’s team are back along with the pitching rotation.
Gulfport has slowly found more and more success in recent years, including a dramatic 5-4 win over Coast powerhouse Harrison Central in Montana’s eighth grade year.
“It was two years ago that we finally beat (Harrison Central),” Montana said. “That was an amazing experience.”
Montana had three hits in three at-bats that game. The Admirals parlayed that moment into a playoff series victory over George County in 2021.
The second round of the postseason has been the hill Gulfport has yet to conquer, though. If Montana and company continue to improve, the Admirals may be finally sail into new waters in 2022.
