Alyssa Brito Discovers New Perspective At Oklahoma

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLAMERICA.COM

When Alyssa Brito entered the transfer portal at the end of her freshman year with Oregon in 2021, she had no idea where she would end up. The unknown was nerve-wracking and she felt like she was hopelessly wandering and trying to figure out if she could land somewhere.

Then Patty Gasso came calling.

A softball program she had grown up watching and was always fond of wanted her to join it, and it was an immediate yes from Brito. The chance to play for Oklahoma wasn’t something she could pass up.

“It was actually really surprising to have Coach Gasso reach out,” Brito said. “Going through my recruiting process with travel softball, I have always wanted to go here. It was really surreal to have her contact me and say that she was interested.”

Oklahoma was in search of a player who could play multiple positions as well as bring some power to its lineup. As a utility player, Brito checked all of those boxes.

With 53 starts during her freshman season, Brito hit .299 with 10 home runs and 31 RBI. Her offensive production and defensive play shined enough for her to be selected Second Team All-Pac-12 and honored on both the league’s All-Defensive team and All-Freshman team.

Brito prides herself on being wholeheartedly dedicated to the game, and Oklahoma was just the program to feed her competitive needs. The Sooners play with a championship mindset every game and are looking to capture their sixth national title this season.

“This is something that I looked for in the recruiting process, and that was to be on a very competitive team, who has the same mindset as me,” Brito said. “I need people who are going to elevate me to be the best version of myself.”

There was slight intimidation upon Brito's arrival to Oklahoma at first, however. Walking in as a newcomer to such a successful Division I program was a lot for her to wrap her mind around, but once she met the team, all her stresses dissolved.

“(The team) was very welcoming and they were very clear on how they have standards of doing things here,” Brito said. “They always stress that we could always come to them if we had any questions, or if there were problems we ran into. Knowing that they are there to guide me took a lot of the stress away from me.”

While her time at Oklahoma is just getting started, Brito says she has grown so much as a person already. She holds advice from the coaching staff and her teammates close to her heart. Coach Gasso emphasizes the importance of learning from mistakes and those lessons have already resonated with Brito.

“I have had a lot of conversations with Coach Gasso about coming in and not seeking your identity in softball,” Brito said. “That is really big for me because when I was growing up, I was constantly consumed by how I could be the best player. It really surprised me having those conversations. You don’t have to be the absolute best and be perfect all the time.”

Brito looks up to teammates like Grace Lyons and Tiare Jennings, who have pushed her to see herself in a different light.

“As long as you are growing as a person and you are not finding your identity in what you do, you are going to enjoy so many things rather than putting all of your focus on one thing,” Brito said. “I think that has really freed me up and helped me look for a different purpose.”

Aside from posting impressive numbers during her first college season last spring, fans and opponents alike got a taste for how intense and passionate Brito can be on the field. While she wants to continue to do her best, her ultimate goal this season is to be a role model.

“I want to be that lovable person that is there for their teammates,” Brito said. “When people watch me, I want to show them how much I love the game. I think showing that passion and showing that emotion is something I can do, and this is the program to do it with.”