2024 • JUNIOR SEASON
Season: In her first season with the Blue & White, was one of four student-athletes to appear and start in all 55 contests split between outfield and designated player responsibilities… Finished third on the roster with 14 doubles, adding a triple and six home runs to round out her 21 extra-base hits… Recorded single-season career bests in appearances, at-bats (166), runs scored (26), hits (41), total bases (75), doubles, homers, RBI (34) and walks drawn (17)… Hit at a .247 clip with a .321 on-base percentage and a .452 slugging percentage… Finished the season with a .962 fielding percentage highlighted by 48 putouts.
Rankings: Finished seventh in the Big Ten Conference among qualified hitters with 14 doubles.
vs. Arkansas (2/10): Impressed in her first opportunity against a nationally ranked foe, going 2-for-3 with an RBI in the eventual 3-2 extra-inning Nittany Lion win… Recorded a season-high quintet of assists against the Razorbacks. vs. Ohio (2/11): Hit the first home run of her Nittany Lion career, a two-run shot over the scoreboard in right field. vs. Penn (2/25): Had one of the most impressive individual outings in PSU history, notching four hits in five at-bats with a pair of runs scored, two doubles and a home run… Logged the third-most RBI in a single game in Penn State history, batting in six against the Quakers. vs. Northwestern State (3/3): Was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and a home run against the Demons, adding a double in the process. Lehigh (3/14): Booked the first triple of her collegiate softball career, finishing the game 1-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. Cornell (3/15): Scored a season-high trio of runs in the 10-1 five-inning win over Cornell. Binghamton (3/17): Notched her second four-hit game of the season, going 4-for-4 with two runs scored, five RBI and a homer. Indiana (3/23): Cranked a two-run home run and finished 1-for-3 against the Hoosiers. at Wisconsin (4/21): Tallied a pair of hits including a double and home run, finishing with two RBI in the 10-2 victory on the road.
BEFORE PENN STATE
Arrived in Happy Valley following a two-year stint with the in-state rival Pittsburgh Panthers… Produced a 2023 campaign that saw her emerge as the team's primary right fielder, appearing in 42 contests with 36 starts… Her sophomore season saw her clock a .294 average at the plate and log an OPS of .871, the fourth-highest mark on the team among routine starters… Cranked five home runs and 13 doubles over the course of her Panther career, establishing herself as one of the roster's premier hitters while simultaneously cultivating a career .984 fielding percentage at multiple defensive positions.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Mount Pleasant Area High School… Batted .500 with seven doubles, four triples, four homers and 38 RBI her freshman season… Recorded a .368 batting average with four home runs, 15 RBI, in addition to six doubles and triples her sophomore year… Helped lead Mount Pleasant to a State Championship victory her senior year, batting .560 with 41 RBI, 22 doubles, three triples, six homers and 29 runs…Totaled a 1.668 OPS and 1.107 slugging percentage… Received multiple accolades including 4A First Team All-State laurels as a freshman and earned Cover 3 Athletics First Team All-Section and Tribune Review Terrific 10 All-County First Team honors in her freshman and sophomore year… Named team captain senior year... Named to the PGF Regional All-America Northeast Team, collected the Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, Westmoreland County All-Class Softball Player of the Year award, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 3A Player of the Year honor, Cover 3 Athletics Player of the Year award, Tribune Review 3A Player of the Year award, picked up a Tribune HSSN WPIAL All-Star selection, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette All-Area Team appearance, Cover 3 Athletics 3A First Team All-Star award, First Team All-State and First Team All-Section appearance in her senior season… In addition to softball, Brunson earned a trio of varsity letters in girls’ basketball and was named the team’s captain in her junior and senior seasons... She also earned two varsity letters in tennis... Played for the Beverly Bandits for her club commitments under the direction of coach Bill Conroy… Helped the Bandits win the Demarini Invitational… Led the organization to a fifth-place finish at PGF Nationals in 2021... Ranked 59th in the nation as a recruit by Extra Innings Softball.
PERSONAL
Born in 2003 in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, Haylie Brunson is the eldest daughter of Chris and Heather Brunson... She has two younger sisters named Krista and Kendra... Her father, Chris, played collegiate baseball at Westmoreland County Community College and at the California University of Pennsylvania... Her sister, Krista, is currently a freshman on the softball team at Pitt-Johnstown... Her grandfather, Paul Hill, her mother, Heather, and her cousin, Garrett Hill, each earned their undergraduate degrees at Penn State... At Mount Pleasant High School, Brunson was an active member of the school’s National Honor Society Chapter... She graduated high school with high honors, logging a 4.0 GPA throughout... Brunson is currently majoring in Labor and Human Resources in the Penn State College of Liberal Arts and expects to graduate in the spring of 2025... She currently participates in Penn State Christian Athletes (PSCA) and is a member of the PSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)... After the end of her playing career, Brunson hopes to begin a full-time career in collegiate coaching... In her spare time, she loves to sing, previously singing the National Anthem at multiple events earlier in her life... She continues to be an avid singer, participating in music at her church.