Three-time national champion Alyssa Brito brings experience to UNCW coaching staff

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — From winning three straight national championships at Oklahoma to representing Team USA, Alyssa Brito has spent much of her life making an impact on the softball diamond. Now, she’s looking to do the same from the dugout as UNCW’s newest assistant coach.

“I’ve been a softball player since I was like six years old. So that’s been a huge part of my life,” Brito said.

Brito joins the Seahawks as their hitting coach while continuing her playing career with the Carolina Blaze and Team USA.

“Being on the coaching side of things has definitely been a really cool piece for me to step into,” Brito said.

While her playing career has been filled with championships and accolades, Brito said her time at Oklahoma shaped her in ways that extended far beyond softball.

Playing under Hall of Fame head coach Patty Gasso, Brito said she developed a deeper connection to her faith and gained a new perspective on the impact coaches can have on their players.

“I think Coach Gasso a huge part of who she is, is her faith and that’s what I gained from my experience at Oklahoma as well,” Brito said. “Obviously I got saved and got to know the Lord there..she got to see like so many lives change, including mine. And I think for me, I’d love to be a part of that as well for these people here.”

That experience is now influencing Brito’s approach to coaching at UNCW, where she hopes to build relationships with her players that extend beyond their performance on the field.

“I think that’s where it veered from being transactional, which I think is what we see so much in sports to being like, man, like this is a transformational time for me to impact people,” Brito said.

While stepping into her new role, Brito is also continuing to pursue her own professional softball aspirations. She said one of the biggest reasons she chose UNCW was the opportunity to join a coaching staff that supports her playing career while allowing her to help the next generation of athletes reach their goals.

“It allows me to pursue my dreams and that’s a big part of why I came here was like I had a staff that supported my dreams but knew that I was also gonna work my tail off to be able to help these girls accomplish theirs,” Brito said.

For Brito, success as a coach won’t be measured solely by wins, losses or statistics. Instead, she hopes her players leave UNCW with a stronger understanding of who they are beyond the game.

“They can walk away from, you know, this program, knowing who they are as a woman, who they are as just a person,” Brito said. “My hope is nothing of the physical of the transactional piece, the outcomes, but it’s more of just like how can they understand who they are outside of all of this.”

As Brito continues building her own legacy on the softball diamond, she’s now focused on helping the Seahawks build theirs, both on and off the field.