High school softball big schools player of the year: Breanna Macha

Breanna Macha's life has been full of dreams fulfilled.

When Macha was nine years old, she served as a bat girl for the Arizona State softball team, sparking a dream of one day playing for the college powerhouse.

And when she entered high school at Mesa Red Mountain four years ago, she had the ambitious dream of winning four state championships during her time in the program.

Fast forward to the present, and one of those dreams has become reality, with the other on the horizon.

Last month Macha led Red Mountain to the Division I state title - her fourth in four years and Red Mountain's fifth straight overall. Next season, she'll don the maroon and gold for ASU.

There's one dream that never occurred to Macha - that of becoming the best softball player in the state. But that, too, has happened, with her receiving the Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year award and now, being named azcentral sports' 2014 Big Schools Player of the Year.

"I'd never thought about Player of the Year," she said. "That's not something that crossed my mind. It's kind of hard to wrap my head around, because there's so many amazing players throughout all these high schools, but the fact that I was chosen is a complete honor."

Macha is a deserving recipient, having struck out 263 batters in 192 innings and led Arizona's highest classification with a 1.02 ERA. The senior right-hander also was an accomplished hitter, batting .364 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs this season.

But the numbers only tell part of the story. Macha displayed a fierce competitiveness at Red Mountain, and her doggedness in the circle was unmatched by any player in the state.

"Bre has that sense of pride where she wants to go out and win every day," coach Rich Hamilton said. "And she expects to win every day. She expects to throw the ball and strike you out. She expects to make the perfect pitch every time. She expects to win the game every time. And you love that as a coach."

Now Macha says goodbye to the teammates that helped her win four state championships, and sets her sights on capturing a national championship at ASU.

"It's super sad, actually, because I grew up with these girls," Macha said. "I've been playing with them since I was seven years old. That was our last time playing together, and now we're all going off to play in college and do different things. We just wanted to have one more memory together, and we did it."

With the memories firmly implanted and her future fast approaching, it's hard not to wonder what she'll dream up next.