THSSB Cover Girl: Kennedy Bradley, Sr, 3B, Melissa

Kennedy Bradley is a Senior 3B for the 9-5A Melissa Cardinals. She has committed to the University of Florida.

As a junior, Bradley had a .500 batting average with 12 2B, 3 3B, 24 HR, 59 RBI and 68 Runs. She was named the 9-5A Co-MVP She was also selected to the Texas Girls Coaches Association All State Team and to the Texas Sports Writers Association All State Team as a 1st Team 3B.

OTHER SOFTBALL RECOGNITION
GM Sports Media DFW Offensive Player of the Year
Sports Day Player of the Year
5A Division I State All-Tournament Team
THSCA 5A Super Elite Team
2025 Max Preps All-American

INTERVIEW

When did you start playing softball?

I started playing when I was just turning nine. I was the basketball player at first made the late transition. But I fell in love with it as soon as I started playing.

When did you realize you were a really good softball player?

I’d say when I was 11 or 12, I wasn’t really on serious teams to begin with, I’ve always had the power but not the right mechanics. And then when I got into Texas Glory that first season, I just blossomed. I went from not hitting anything to being one of the better hitters and it was a great feeling. The coaching staff was amazing with Glory.

Who has been someone that has influenced you or encouraged you in your softball journey?

I’d say Shayne Williams. She was my first Texas Glory coach and still on the staff now. Just seeing the woman she is and the player she was. She always has passion for the game and I just strive to be her in any aspect of life. As a player, as a woman, all the things. And also Mariah Haygood. She’s helped me through all the mental parts of the game and just kept my head on straight through the process. They’re great people.

Talk about last year’s Melissa team with the State Championship and the talk as the best team in the nation by some,

Obviously everyone was like, oh my gosh, will they do it again? And all those things. But every day our girls showed up from the early mornings to the late evenings because we all knew what we wanted to do at the end of that. And so just being around girls that want the same thing as you is an unmatched feeling. They always have your back and you have theirs. And knowing they can always show up for you. So if you have a bad game, you shake it off, you have a roster behind you that can back you up. That just gave me chills talking about that.

Talk about the feeling of winning back to back championships.

Many didn’t think we could do it. And that last inning it got a little rocky. And so just showing up for our pitcher and backing her up, and then that last pitch went through, oh, I felt all the emotions…joy, tears. Just knowing that we did it back to back and on pace to set history is an unreal feeling. And I wouldn’t want to do it with any other team.

So you lost some key players to graduation. How do you feel about this year’s team?

I’m really confident about this year’s team. We do have to work harder in the lineup because we did just lose two big bats. On the defense side, we should be good on defense. And pitching. As long as she stays healthy, we should be all right. Our seniors have to be really consistent. But that’s really it. And I feel like we can go far in playoffs this year as well.

What do you think will be the key things to get you back to the state championship game this year?

Leaving the noise out for sure. Because sometimes when you get all into it, it’s too much. And just really backing up each other. That’s huge in this because everyone’s going to put their best game against us, and so we just have to be able to push through it and stick to our game. Like, don’t let anyone take us out of character.

How do you see your role on this year’s team?

I definitely see my role as being one of the leaders and keeping everyone uplifted. And I would say like I need to put up decent stats in the lineup for our team. But, yes, definitely just being a leader and being the voice. Being a senior and going to the SEC to play softball, everyone looks at you kind of different. So you just have to be that person for your team. You have to be the uplifter and the leader. It’s exciting.

When you finish your career at Melissa, what do you hope teammates, coaches and fans remember about Kennedy Bradley?

I want them to remember a fierce competitor and someone that always had the energy. I just want them to remember that I would do anything for my team and I sacrificed anything for myself if we could win a ball game with that group. And so I’d say those are the main things. Just that I was a team player and that I was the uplifting voice in everything. That’s like the best thing you can do in this sport.

Why Florida?

Oh, I can go on and on about this. So just as soon as I got on campus the coaches made me feel so welcomed and the atmosphere they have there is unmatched. You can tell the girls generally enjoy being there. And obviously you’re by the beach and all those things. And it’s always warm. All the people are great and you can tell like they have a set thing that they want to do and I want to win a Natty with them. It’s very exciting for sure.

PERSONAL

Parents: Jason Bradley, Ashanti Chenault
Age: 17
Siblings: Older brother
Current Favorite Group/Singer: Daniel Caesar
Favorite Restaurant: Texas Roadhouse
Go to Fast Food: Chick Fil A
Last Movie I Saw: Black Phone 2
If you could travel to any place: Balie
What do you like to do outside softball: Go on walks and bake.
Favorite Athlete: Kobe Bryant
Biggest Win Last Spring Season: Winning 5A Division 1 State Title
Summer Softball Highlight: Winning 2nd in Patriot Games in Colorado