Often out-of-state students find the trek from home to Tuscaloosa can be a hard one. It can be long, difficult and just too far from home. But for Kayla Braud, a Eugene, Ore., native and recent graduate, home was the Alabama softball team.

Braud started in all but one game her freshman year and had a .505 batting average. After her freshman year, Braud continued to start in almost every game, compiling a career batting average of .438.

Braud’s success story continues beyond her freshman year and The University of Alabama. At the end of the 2013 season, Braud was ranked No. 3 in the country for her batting average of .438 and holds the all-time Alabama record for batting average.

Furthermore, Braud was recently named an All-American for the third consecutive year, as well as earning All-Southeastern Conference honors.

Softball head coach Patrick Murphy said Braud has accepted the awards with maturity and humility.

“She was one of the best players ever,” Murphy said. “She was one of the most mature kids we’ve had in the program. Anything that came her way, she dealt with it in a very mature fashion.”

Braud said she never felt a sense of entitlement and credits Murphy as an influence on her attitude in the game.

“It was a great experience to know that the game is on the line when you’re at the plate,” Braud said. “It’s really incredible. I was able to succeed because you don’t always have these high expectations. You just want to play.”

She said her junior year was her worst year, statistcally, but she helped her team win the first softball national championship in program history. She said her worst statistical year was her best personal growth year.

“I learned so much from my junior year, because when everything is great and you’re successful, you don’t really learn that much. But when you struggle, you learn the most about yourself,” Braud said. “You have to dig yourself out of a hole and learn how strong you actually are.”

At the end of it all, Braud racked up not only awards, but also many career-high averages. She had a total of 271 runs, 344 hits and 182 stolen bases. She also had a .512 on-base percentage, leaving her ranked No. 2 in Alabama history.

Having graduated from the University with a degree in public relations and a total GPA of 3.78, Braud will now intern at Nike in Portland, Ore.