Jan 3, 20225 min read

Young Guns: Emily McCoskey; 2023 (Right-Handed Pitcher)

Young Guns is a reoccurring article, in which we spotlight fireball pitchers who have verified game time cruising speeds of at least 60 miles per hour. Today, we are highlighting Emily McCoskey, a 2023 graduate who plays for the elite Firecrackers - Brashear team, and is considered by some to be currently the top rated uncommitted pitching prospect for the 2023 recruiting class.

Legacy & Legends Softball (L&LS) lists her as the 55th top nationally ranked player in her class and an elite graded dual pitcher. Furthermore, being a product of Coach Sean Brashear's directly coached teams, it is well-known among the college coaching community that players coming from the Firecrackers - Brashear organization, are ready from Day 1 to be able to play collegiate softball and possess the maturity and high softball IQ to be an immediate outstanding contributor.

Emily is a 5’8”, 175 pounds, right-handed pitcher and as stated previously, currently playing on the Firecrackers - Brashear team. She is a team leader that commands the circle with a variety of breaking and off-speed pitches. L&LS has watched numerous performances by Emily. When watching her in the circle three things are abundantly clear. She pitches with a lot of confidence, a passion for competing and a pure love for playing the game of softball. Emily’s head coach and club president Sean Brashear said "Emily is as tough as nails, a competitor who you want in the circle in the biggest moments". Emily has been playing on the national level since the age of 9 and now at 16 years old she is a seasoned national level pitcher playing in the biggest national tournaments annually.

"Emily is as tough as nails, a competitor who you want in the circle in the biggest moments". - Sean Brashear, Club President & Head Coach

Emily attends Diamond Ranch High School (Panthers) where she made both the varsity softball and varsity basketball team her freshman year. At Diamond Ranch High School, she plays for Head Coach Chenita Rogers/Edwards and last year as a sophomore she threw every pitch for the team, an astonishing feat which further shows her toughness/durability and capability to lead out in front. Emily finished the season with 139 innings pitched, a stellar 198 strikeouts, a WHIP of .695, an opposing batter’s average of .145 and as recorded on Max Preps Softball, Emily had the 3rd lowest ERA in California at .36. This year Emily was named the Valle Vista league Most Valuable Player (MVP) as well as leading her team to a Valle Vista league championship.

"As recorded on Max Preps Softball, Emily had the 3rd lowest ERA in California at .36"

Emily is now in her third year playing for Coach Sean Brashear and his Firecrackers travel team and like the previous two years has established herself as the team’s Ace. In July 2021, she led her team to the Triple Crown Series (TCS) Power Pool TV Championship Game with 3 complete game wins against 3 of the teams that ended up in the semifinals of the TCS power pool with 2 of those teams being named co-champions.

Later that month she was the driving force in her team’s Top 5 finish at TC Nationals. This past November Emily led her team to a 5-0 record at the Alliance Cup Stage 1, appearing in all 5 games. She pitched 16 innings with 26 strikeouts and 0 runs allowed with a WHIP of just .470, earning her a place on the All-Alliance Cup First Team.

Overall, her stats for Fall of 2021 are equally impressive pitching 59 innings with 88 strikeouts 10 base on balls, a WHIP of just .490 with opposing batters hitting just .156 and only 6 earned runs. Emily cruises at 63 mph on the radar gun but dominates with spin and location, her high school coach said "I call the pitch, she hits the spot". Emily's arsenal consists of curves, rise and screws but she kills with a dirty change up. Coach Mike Smith, one of her travel ball coaches, said, "She knows how to set up a batter".

"She pitched 16 innings with 26 strikeouts and 0 runs allowed with a WHIP of just .470, earning her a place on the All-Alliance Cup First Team."

Emily’s softball skills are not limited to the circle, Emily regularly hits in the cleanup 4-spot where she led her high school team in hits and RBI's in 2021. She’s also a highly productive run producer for Firecrackers - Brashear with power to hit dingers as well as the discipline to hit for contact, truly attesting to her being graded as a legit pitching and hitting asset.

Emily's work ethic is second to none both in training and in the class room. Emily has maintained a 4.5 GPA her entire high school career while carrying at least 4 honors classes a semester on top of playing or training for softball 5-6 days a week. Her dedication to her grades and her craft are most evident in the results as stated in the common softball quote "the game does not lie". Emily has received numerous invites to college camps this fall schools such as Minnesota, Purdue, Cal State University - Fullerton, Cal State - Fresno, George Washington, Harvard, University of Penn, Princeton, and Iowa State.

Emily is very family oriented and is a person of strong character, a strong softball IQ and a maturity not common to kids her age prompting her assistant high school varsity Coach Rob Alaan to say “Emily is the most coachable player I have ever coached".

According to Emily, she would like to play Power 5 softball in the most competitive program that she can be a part of. Her goal is to join a softball program that has a high probability of making it to the College World Series in Oklahoma every year. She understands that nothing is given and everything must be earned. She is eager to find the right team and strive towards winning championships.