Since the postseason ended, Braegger is putting in extra hours with her pitching instructor, Tiffany Jackson, tweaking and perfecting her changeup between routine road trips with Jackson and her competitive squad, Mountain West softball, throughout a busy summer.

Braegger bolstered the Bees, who finished 28-5 overall in Brian Merrill’s sixth season as head coach, as the pitcher allowed 19 runs and struck out 38 across 25 2/3 innings of playoff pitching. Box Elder dropped two bracket play matchups with Salem Hills, including a hard-earned rematch in the state semifinals that swayed 9-5 to the Skyhawks.

A 17-2 record and 144 total strikeouts (nearly four times her sophomore strikeout tally of 37) with a 2.53 ERA marked Braegger’s junior campaign in the circle for Box Elder. For those numbers, one doesn’t treat summer as a holiday.

Braegger is the 2025 Standard-Examiner All-Area Softball Player of the Year.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

“She takes the competition and turns the competition into every day,” Merrill said. “It’s a really good skill to watch as she pushes herself to be better. … She sets the bar high and lives up to it.”

This past winter, Braegger set out to correct self-described “mechanical issues” after a 3-2 effort and 1.64 ERA in nine appearances as a sophomore. She’d get the nod in Box Elder’s home opener with Green Canyon, allowing just three hits in a 12-0 shutout on March 7.

Through a 14-2 start, Braegger shared the circle with fellow All-Area pitcher Kennadie Blackmer leading up to the sophomore teammate’s April setback of a foot injury. In a midseason adjustment, Braegger picked up overtime as the No. 1 on the Bees’ pitching staff.

In their second season together, Braegger and Blackmer were used to feeding off one another’s performances. With only half that power available, Braegger looked to her teammate, and perhaps her biggest on-field support system, a bit differently than before.

“She would always give me tips on what the umpires are calling, what the batters are doing and just always be there for me when she couldn’t play,” Braegger said.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

Blackmer would eventually return in time for the postseason, finishing her second prep season rivaling Braegger with 131 total strikeouts. Despite an aggravating situation, she’d continue powering Box Elder at the plate with 19 home runs and a staggering 61 RBIs.

Sharing the struggle, Merrill said, is where Braegger and Blackmer set themselves apart, not just as rotating starters, but as blue-chip teammates.

“They were just each other’s best (fan),” Merrill said. “When one had to come out and one had to come in, they were never cantankerous with each other. They were picking each other up, they were instantly ready for that next girl to do well, and that’s what shows.”

This summer, Braegger’s latest endeavor involves replicating the changeup of Sam Landry, the former Oklahoma Sooner and first overall selection in the 2025 AUSL College Draft. Landry posted a 2.12 ERA, 18-4 record and 147 strikeouts during her senior season this spring.

In between a busy summer club schedule, Braegger studies and inches closer to Landry’s pitch.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

“Her changeup is insane,” Braegger said. “This summer, I’ve been working on trying to throw my changeup to make it work like she does. … When I go to pitching lessons, I just really work on throwing my changeup and another part of it is throwing it in a game. You’re going to miss your sport sometimes but it’s about putting in your best effort to get it there.”

Such an investment is Braegger’s choosing, too. Her competitive summer club recently returned from a lengthy tournament in Florida, where Braegger tested her changeup first-hand against a field of competition unavailable during the high school season.

While sport specialization, or an athlete’s commitment to a “primary sport,” is a point of contention amongst sport administrators, Merrill argues that summer club teams, such as Braegger’s, are where Box Elder’s profited the most in recent seasons.

“The comp programs across the state are very effective for the high school program,” Merrill said. “They get the girls exposure, they get the girls to play different areas of the field, and you’re playing in different states. … Lucy’s getting her innings in and that’s the key, it doesn’t matter who she throws for as long as she’s getting her work in.”

A pitcher, in Merrill’s coaching view, has an intricate relationship with the game, separate from the experience of any other player on the field.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

“It’s a lot like fencing,” Merrill said. “It’s a team sport with the spotlight on one person at a time. Every pitch, it’s a spotlight between a pitcher and a batter. It’s just each of them going up to do their very best. The fastest, best hand work, the best spin work, that’s the one that usually wins.”

“I like being part of every single play,” Braegger added.

A two-sport athlete, Braegger plays volleyball in the fall and spends the remainder of her school year and subsequent summer break focusing on softball. Describing the dynamic, Braegger said her investment in softball has an indirect relationship with her academics and eligibility for high school sports.

Braegger’s desire to compete week-to-week ultimately means retaining the required GPA.

“I think it teaches you how to work hard,” Braegger said. “Brian does grade checks every Friday, so it helps us understand that softball’s a big part of our life and that we also need to be working on academic stuff and getting our homework done so we can keep playing.”

The opportunity to do so, however, is credited to her parents, Braegger said.

“My parents are my biggest supporters,” Braegger said. “They are always at every game. They do so much for me to be able to travel everywhere and it just means so much to me that they’re willing to put all of their work in for me to get to do what I love.”

Connect with reporter Conner Becker via cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.