Vancleave star leaves softball program in a better place than she found it in 8th grade
Bryn Daughtery watched Vancleave softball transform from a middling 4A team that had not had a winning season since 2013 into a South Mississippi powerhouse.
And she was at the center of the turnaround.
Daughtery was in eighth grade when she made her first few appearances at the varsity level. That year, the Bulldogs rattled off their first 20-win season since 2010.
Since then, she’s built a strong camaraderie with her teammates over the years and its led to unprecedented levels of success for the Bulldog program.
“We’ve been really close, I think that’s our main success,” Daughtery said. “We just have good friendships. We all have a good relationship with each other.”
Since the season Daughtery made her first appearance, the Bulldogs have won 102 games in five years. For context, Vancleave won just 61 games in the previous five years.
Her sister, Erin, played a significant role in the revival of coach Donna Bragg’s program and she’s now at Pearl River Community College.
Bryn became the lone Daughtery on the roster her junior year and used her final two seasons to dominate in the circle and at the plate.
She hit .386 last season and followed up with a career-high batting average of .439 this year, including 35 RBIs and four home runs. Bryn also became a full time starter as a senior and ended the year with an impressive 1.71 ERA in 28 games.
“She’s definitely a workhorse,” Bragg said. “She can win the game for you at the plate, offense and defense.”
Bryn is set to join her sister at Peal River Community College next year, leaving Vancleave without a Daughtery for the first time in over half a decade.
The cupboard of talent is not bare, though. Bragg has developed a deep roster that will continue to compete within the Bulldogs’ district.
“I think they’re really set up for success,” Bryn said of the program’s future. “They’re going to keep the good relationships between each other. We have good middle schoolers coming up. We have a lot of young girls that are going to step up next year.”
Replacing Bryn is no easy task, but the Bulldogs do have a budding star in Brooklyn Rhodes. The sophomore missed the final stretch due to injury but has shown potential as a two-way player.
Rhodes picked up 27 hits this season and recorded a 2.52 ERA in the circle.
“The future Bulldogs will probably find themselves in the playoffs for many years to come, going for that state championship,” according to Bragg.
Vancleave exits the 2022 season with a 22-10 record.
