Gracie Britton earns opportunity to live out lifelong dream

ASHLAND, Mo. (KMIZ)

Southern Boone catcher Gracie Britton does not shy away from competition.

She runs to it.

"I just love to compete," Gracie Britton said. "My dad and I are some of the most competitive people that you'll meet. We hate losing. Pushing yourself to not lose is one of the most important things."

Britton's competitive drive has helped fuel a record-breaking high school career. She owns more than a dozen combined single-season and all-time school records, including hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs, walks, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. While it was never her mission to rewrite Southern Boone's record books, it was a product of her work ethic and mentality at the plate.

"See ball, hit ball," Gracie Britton said. "I like to keep it simple and look for the first good pitch I can hit. I like to hit the first pitch that I can see but also be patient at the same time."

"It's pretty crazy. Being the dad, having a front row seat to it, and then, also being the coach, just understanding what a phenomenal person, what a phenomenal player we have," Gracie's dad and Southern Boone's head coach Nick Britton said. "I think the coolest thing about it is, she's always been a student of the sport... I don't even think she's peaked, right? For high school, she's certainly one of the best to ever play it."

At the same time, she's focused on being a leader that everyone can follow.

"She's just a lot of fun, and she's uplifting. She knows the right moments whenever she can make you laugh and the right moments to sit there, give you a hug and just kind of help you through what you're thinking. She really wants to understand each person," Southern Boone infielder Brooklyn Center said.

All these attributes have stayed steady throughout her softball journey. Britton has played on some of the sport's biggest stages, taking third place at the Little League World Series with the Daniel Boone Little League All-Stars in 2021 and winning an 18U AFCS National Championship with the Kansas City-based Aces softball club.

"She was seven years old playing 12U ball. She was 10 years old playing 14U ball... She's been pushed her entire life," Nick Britton said. "She's one that wants to get every out, wants to get hit every ball. She's one that we always say wants to have the ball in her hand, so to speak."

Britton's talent, leadership and drive for success earned her the opportunity to continue her softball career at the next level. However, it wasn't just any program that extended an offer. It was her dream school.

"The emotions were high. I was beyond excited. It's something that I've worked for a really, really long time, and it's a dream that I've had ever since I was a little girl to play there," Gracie Britton said.

Last November, Britton committed to play softball at the University of Missouri under head coach Larissa Anderson.

"I grew up around Mizzou. I grew up going to games, so with it being so close to home, it was a really unreal feeling. It's something that, I still can't believe sometimes," Gracie Britton said.

"It's amazing, and it feels really good that her hard work and her ability to play this game is going to take her a long ways in life," Nick Britton said. "It's awesome. Oftentimes, I'm speechless like is this really reality?"

During the recruiting process, one of the All-State honoree's goals was to play collegiate softball close to home. MU's interest made that mission a reality, but it wasn't just her hometown school's proximity that made Mizzou a perfect fit. The program's culture also matches her own drive to be successful.

"I really like how she pushes you hard. She wants you to be the best player that you can be, but she's also someone who you can go to if you need something. She will be there for you in every stage of your life," Gracie Britton said. "I think it's really cool the culture that she's built there, and I think it's really cool how much she's like bought into Mizzou Athletics and the fan base and everything. It's unreal."

Britton is planning to graduate early from Southern Boone to join Mizzou Softball in January, but beforehand, her legacy is still being written in Ashland. The Eagles have already surpassed 70 wins over the four years that Britton has been a staple on the varsity roster. She's helped maintain a winning culture and hopes to have set an example for all the players who will follow in her footsteps.

"I hope to have left behind a culture that you can be competitive and still have fun," Gracie Britton said. "I hope to leave behind a legacy that hard work, it pays off... You can't beat competitiveness."

Since the beginning of the season, Britton and her teammates have had two goals written on a board in their home dugout: conference and district championship. The Eagles can clinch the Tri-County Conference title with a win over Osage on Monday, Oct. 13. Then, Southern Boone, who earned the No. 1 seed in the Class 3 District 5 Tournament, begins its quest for its first district crown in more than a decade on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 5 p.m. in the semifinals.