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.

Mirabella among state leaders in strikeouts

Courtney Mirabella certainly gets the most out of her time on the mound, particularly when it come to striking out hitters.

With 191 strikeouts in 95 innings, the Braden River High junior is averaging 2.01 strikeouts per inning, which ranks her among the top three in the state, according to statistics published by Max Preps.

The righthander is efficient in every way possible. She has compiled a 1.12 ERA and is 13-2 for the Pirates, who head into next week's Class 7A-District-11 tournament as the top seeded team.

Braden River, which reached the State Final Four last year, opens play at home on Wednesday against the winner of the Venice-Port Charlotte game. Expect Mirabella to be on the mound.

Mirabella strikes out 17 for third highest mark in win over Manatee

Courtney Mirabella struck out 17 and tossed a three-hitter to lead Braden River to a key 3-1 Class 7A-District 11 victory over visiting Manatee on Friday night.

It was the third highest strikeout total for the Bradenton Herald reigning Player of The Year. The junior right hander's all time high is 21 strikeouts in an 11 inning game and 18 in a seven inning contest.

The Pirates are undefeated in district play and 9-1 overall with their only defeat coming to Bartow, which is ranked first in the state and third nationally by MaxPreps.

Mirabella struck out 18 against last year's Class 4A State champion Eau Gaille and had 21 against Naples Barron Collier in last year's region tournament.

Mirabella named Miracle Sports 4A Pitcher of The Year

Braden River ace Courtney Mirabella, one of the most highly touted prospects in the country, was named the Miracle Sports Class 4A Pitcher of The Year for 2010.

The righthander, who was the Bradenton Herald’s Player of The Year, finished her sophomore season with a 22-4 record and an astonishing 0.50 ERA with 313 strikeouts in 165 innings, leading the Pirates to their first state tournament appearance.

Two of Mirabella’s teammates were named to the 4A second team: Freshman shortstop Kenya Yancy (.484 batting average with 18 RBIs and 18 runs scored) and sophomore catcher Ashley Allard, who was known for her defensive prowess while hitting .360 with 19 ribbies and 20 runs scored.

Bradenton Christian outfielder Rachel Brown was named to the Class A first team. The junior, who played numerous positions, led her team with a .672 batting average.

Lakewood Ranch righthander Brittany Kilduff was selected to the 4A second team. The right hander finished her senior season with a 9-3 record and a 1.34 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 78 innings.

Braden River sophomore third baseman Jessica Cadorette and Lakewood Ranch sophomore outfielder Jennifer Trotter were named honorable mention. Cadorette batted .375 while Trotter hit .433 with 15 extra base hits.

Mirabella no-hit state champ Eau Gallie

Braden River ace pitcher Courtney Mirabella wasn't able to carry her team to the Class 4A state softball championship this week, but she has the satisfaction of knowing she beat the state champs and in big fashion.

Melbourne Eau Gallie won the Class 4A state title with a 7-2 victory over Harmony, the team that knocked out Braden River 2-1 in the state semis.

In their only meeting towards the end of the season Braden River defeated Eau Gallie 1-0 with Mirabella throwing a no-hitter and striking out 18.

The sophomore's performance was so dominate that Eau Gaillie players and fans were cheering when Harmony defeated the Pirates. The last thing they wanted was to face Mirabella again.

Computer ranks Braden River 3d best softball team in nation

The Braden River softball team is on the way up; Make that way up!!!

The Pirates, who play in the Class 4A state tournament on Monday, are rated the number three team in the country in Max-Preps latest national computer rankings.

For some reason they don’t fare as well in the Max-Preps Xcellent 25 national rankings, which are calculated by humans.

The question is which ranking is more accurate; a subjective poll done by writers and all their biases or a computer poll that just calculates the facts.

We know the answer to that so let’s just say for now Braden River (25-3) is the third best team in the nation. And with a pitcher like Courtney Mirabella, who struck out 21 in the Pirates region championship game 1-0 win over Naples Barron Collier, who can argue.

The two teams ahead of Braden River in the computer rankings are number one Tarpon Springs East Lake, which is the Class 5A State Tournament and Plantation American Heritage, whose season ended in its region title game to Miami Gulliver Prep.

Braden River ready to handle pressure in region title game

Pressure, pressure, pressure. It seems to be affecting the softball playoffs more than anything and maybe it can help Braden River Tuesday night in the region championship game at Naples Barron Collier.

In their region semifinal win over Lakewood Ranch, the Pirates handled the pressure well while the Mustangs committed three costly errors that basically cost them the game.

But Naples High, the state power that figured to be making it sixth straight trip and 10^th in the last 11 years to the region championship game, might have succumbed to the pressure even more.

Naples (25-5) was leading 1-0 over arch rival Barron Collier heading into the final inning when the Cougars erupted for six runs to take a 6-1 victory.

It was reported that Barron Collier had not beaten Naples in more than six years. In the final inning there was one out when seven straight players reached base for the Cougars and six scored.

Braden River (24-3) will go with sophomore ace Courtney Mirabella on the mound. She is expected to face senior Corrine Schaus, the top pitcher for Barron Collier (22-9).

Braden River softball lineup is packed with hitters

The Braden River softball team that is ranked 15th in the country by MaxPreps has a lot more going for itself that just ace pitcher Courtney Mirabella.

Only a sophomore, Mirabella is in a very unique class, but the Pirates have a lineup that is packed with offensive weapons.

They have four players batting over .400 led by freshman Kenya Yancy, who has a whopping team leading .545 batting average. She is followed by sophomore third baseman Jessica Cadorette (.455), senior first baseman Nicole Tira (.424) and sophomore catcher Ashley Allard (.415).

Mirabella is close behind (.366)with the rest of the regulars senior outfielder Briana Maxa (.358), senior second baseman Melissa Malanczuk (.354), sophomore Hannah Loyer (.345) and senior Jada Schopfer (.333).

Braden River Softball Team Ranked 15th In Country

The Braden River softball team has gained national prominence rising to 15 in the most recent MaxPreps National Rankings and fifth in the state.

There is quite a battle going on locally. Despite their lofty status, the Pirates (20-2) are behind Sarasota High (22-2), which is fourth in the state and 13^th nationally.

MaxPreps has Lakewood Ranch (18-4) ranked 12^th in the state and 78^th nationally. Engelwood Lemon Bay, which is undefeated in 19 games, is seventh in the state and 26^th in the country.

What separates Braden River and Sarasota is a 1-0 loss to the Sailors in the second game of the season. Still, the Pirates (other loss 2-0 to Bartow) have one of the best 1-2 pitching punches in the state with sophomores Courtney Mirabella and Hannah Loyer. Mirabella has more than 200 strikeouts and has a perfect game to her credit this season.

Lakewood Ranch also has a tough pitching combo in veteran senior Brittany Kilduff and junior Hunter Elling. The Manatee-Sarasota County area is loaded with great young arms. Sarasota features Sam Messer and Lemon Bay has Brooke Carver.