Brynley Erb thought she would max out at maybe five home runs as a high schooler.
Heck, she wasn’t even sure if she would start varsity as a freshman.
The first pitch Erb faced as a high schooler was a middle-in screwball against Eastern in the Panthers’ 2023 season opener.
And the freshman crushed it over the left-field wall for a solo homer.
“I was like, alright, let’s go. And I just took it,” Erb recalled.
That was a harbinger of things to come.
The 5-foot-4 Erb slugged 21 home runs in her debut campaign, then hit 15 more a year later, helping Western to the Class 3A state championship, its first in program history. With 34 additional bombs between her junior and senior seasons, she surpassed Ava Ratliff (Bedford North Lawrence) as the state’s all-time leader with 50.
“She is small in stature, but her ability to get every ounce of power out of herself is amazing,” Western coach Bart Miller said of his recently graduated utility player. “I didn’t necessarily see that her freshman year, but as the years went on, you could tell she was going to be something special, especially at the plate.”
Erb’s career statistics beyond the gaudy home run total are similarly astounding: .651 average (1.508 slugging), 241 hits, 53 doubles, 27 triples, 235 runs, 236 RBIs, 77 walks and only 16 strikeouts in 458 plate appearances.
The Kentucky signee is a four-time sectional champion, a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year recipient and was recently selected as the 2026 IndyStar Softball Player of the year.
On Saturday, the Softball Coaches Association of Indiana presented her with the white No. 1 jersey, honoring her as this year’s Indiana Miss Softball.
“I’m very excited and very proud of Brynley,” Miller said. “I’ve coached basketball and some golf through the years, and she has definitely worked the hardest of any athlete I’ve ever been around.”
A vote by the state’s coaches determined the winner, with Erb finishing ahead of Castle’s Emma Bruggenschmidt, Jennings County’s Riley Byford, Fort Wayne Carroll’s Taylor Danley, Crown Point’s Paige Liezert, Center Grove’s Brynn Meyer, Penn’s Logan Rumble and Silver Creek’s Kaitlyn Whitlock.
“I never thought it would be this big, but I’ve always wanted to have a little something to my name,” Erb told IndyStar on Monday. “I’m just grateful for it and everything that everyone’s done to help me.”
Erb’s love for softball was first inspired by her brothers — Braydon and the late Braxton Erb — both of whom played baseball at Western. She was the typical little sister, constantly following them around and “finding ways” to hang out with them, she said, recalling wiffleball games in the yard and sibling trips to the batting cages.
“Stuff like that was really what got me going,” Erb explained. “It was great (having) that and having them push me to do that. It was great to be able to bond with them.”
So were you rocking them even as a little kid?
“Sometimes, yes,” she replied, a sly smile spread across her face. “They won’t admit it, but yes.”
Erb started playing rec ball with Russiaville Little League as a seven-year old — “I never thought I would have that much fun in my life,” she said — then moved onto the travel circuit, where she soon caught the attention of “a few different” travel organizations.
The youngster didn’t fit the typical tall, lanky build most associate with power hitters, said Miller, whose daughter played little league with Erb. But she had a strong arm and a really good bat, especially for her size.
Erb began taking softball more seriously and pushing herself as an eighth grader, inspired by the offers and accolades players elsewhere in the country were receiving. “I want that to be me someday,” she told herself.
“I’m going to do something good. I have to.”
A more-relaxed Erb played with a newfound confidence as a sophomore and after a heartbreaking loss to Hanover Central in the 3A state semifinals in 2025, the Panthers jumped to 4A for her senior season. It was a welcome change, Erb said, exposing them to new competition and different style pitchers.
Those new challenges did little to slow Erb’s production: .659 average with 10 doubles, eight triples, 13 homers, 54 runs and 43 RBIs.
Before every at-bat this past season, Erb waved to her brother Braydon, a tradition she started late in her junior year.
“No matter where he was or where we were playing, I’d always give him a nice little wave, then take this nice, big ol’ breath, stare at my bat and dig in,” she smiled.
“My brothers got me to love softball and I carry them with me as I go. I do all of this for them,” Erb later added. “Everything we did for each other, I’m doing this for them. ‘You’ve always had my back and supported me. … I’m going to bring you with me and do everything I can to make you proud, to make myself proud and just do it for all of us.”
Erb’s individual success was matched by team success. Western won 106 games in her four seasons with four sectional championships, two regional crowns and the 2024 state title run.
“Brynley is one of the main reasons for the success our program’s had over the past four years,” Miller said.
“Not only is her playing ability outstanding, her leadership qualities are outstanding,” he continued. “She holds herself accountable, but she also holds her teammates accountable on how things are done and how to do things right. Not in a mean or bossy way, but she makes sure everybody is on the same page and putting in the work that needs to be done. And even though she gets all these individual accolades, I know that’s not what it’s about for her. It’s about the team and doing the best for those around her.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Kentucky commit Brynley Erb voted Indiana Miss Softball: ‘I’m just grateful’
Reporting by Brian Haenchen, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brian Haenchen, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
