Mirabella makes it official: She is returning to Braden River next season

Courtney Mirabella says she will be back

Braden River softball fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Courtney Mirabella has made it official. She is coming back for her senior year.

The phenom pitcher had been debating whether to graduate school early next winter and head to North Carolina State. The coaching staff there had been urging her to enroll early and promised to put her in the pitching rotation.

After months of deliberations with her family, the right hander decided to return to Braden River. She said it was more about her pitching career than missing out on her senior year of high school and all that comes with it.

"The idea of pitching against 22 and 23 year-olds right now didn't appeal to me," Mirabella said. "I didn't feel comfortable with that and decided against it. I would also like to win a state championship next season. We didn't make it to states this year and I was disappointed."

Mirabella continued to be one of the ace strikeout pitchers in the state last season. She finished fifth with 241 strikeouts, but was first in strikeouts per inning averaging 1.96 per inning.

Courtney Mirabella thinking about skipping last season at Braden River

Has Courtney Mirabella pitched her last game for Braden River?

photo by Tiffany Tompkins-Condie.

The heralded pitcher is only a junior, but North Carolina State has been trying to persuade the right hander to graduate school early and join the Wolftpack softball team.

Her father, Tony Mirabella, says the family is discussing the matter and it is a possibility that his daughter will give up her senior season of high school and enroll at North Carolina State next winter.

 If she does it will be a big loss for the Pirates. She was the Bradenton Herald Player of The Year last season when she led Braden River to the State Final Four and continued her strong pitching this past season.

 Mirabella finished her junior year racking up an astonishing 241 strikeouts in 123.2 innings while compiling a 1.08 ERA and a 16-3 record with two saves. She walked only 19 and had a 0.70 WHIP. Offensively, she was second on the team with a .373 batting average.

 It’s becoming more popular for high school football players to leave after the first semester of their senior year to be on their college campus and ready for spring practice. Now, it appears athletes in other sports are also looking to leave early.

 N.C. State has one solid pitcher returning next year in freshman Emily Weiman, who is 14-18 with a 2.69 ERA. Its other regular pitcher Morgan Peeler is a senior.

 Tony Mirabella said the N.C. State coaching staff wants his daughter to come in and take over the other spot in the rotation so the program will have two solid young pitchers to groom.

 "We are thinking about it as a family and right now we are not sure. Courtney could take the offer and leave early. It’s something that we will decide this summer,” Tony Mirabella said.

Dereck Whittenburg remebers "the shot" at Dick Vitale Gala

The Dick Vitale Gala on Friday was a huge success with sports celebrities from all over the country in attendance to raise money for pediatric cancer research under the Jimmy V Foundation.

No one in attendance was happier than Dereck Whittenburg, who played on the the North Carolina State 1983 national championship team coached by the late Jimmy Valvano, who started the Jimmy V Foundation with ESPN.

Whittenburg is most remembered for his long shot attempt in the '83 title game that fell short but teammate Lorenzo Charles grabbed and dunked for what turned out to be the game winning shot.

"It's great being part of the Jimmy V board and I can't tell you how thrilled we are about what Dick Vitale does for us," Whittenburg said. "This is a great event and we love coming down here and importantly we are doing this all for the right reasons, which is to raise money for cancer so we can be this dreaded disease.

"What I remember most about Jimmy Valvano is that he didn't want anybody to feel sorry for him. He wanted us to raise money to raise awareness to find a cure that may not save his life, but hopefully save a family member's life or somebody you love.

"He was a player's coach, a wonderful guy to play for. I loved the man and I also coached with him as an assistant. I can't tell you how much I love the guy.

____Hey that was a pass not a shot and I will always remember that," he said with a laugh.