Tis the season for top recruits to finalize their college choices and one of the top high school juniors in the nation, Marisa Bryson, a middle infielder for the Firecrackers-Leles club team and a student at Pioneer High in Woodland, Calif. recently made her choice.

Color her Cardinal… as in a future Stanford attendee.

Marisa had also made visits to Boise State, Michigan State, Minnesota and Purdue. She’s a two-sport standout who also shines in volleyball and has been named 1^st Team Golden Empire All-League in both sports.

On the softball field this year (2024), she shined offensively with a .554 batting average, a .641 on-base percentage, a 1.145 slugging percentage and drilled 13 home runs, knocked in 45 RBIs and scored 47 runs.

Marissa also stole 13 bases and was impressive on defense with a .980 fielding percentage.

And, as you’d expect with her having interest from Stanford, she’s pretty strong academically too with a 4.29 GPA.

Line Drive’s Brentt Eads caught up with Marisa this week to recap her recruiting journey… here’s what she had to say about her finalizing her college choice…

*****

Line Drive Softball: Tell us how you gave Stanford the happy news… was it in person? On a call? Email or text?
Marisa Bryson: I called Coach (Jessica) Merchant, who happened to be with Coach (Jessica) Allister at the time, a couple days before Thanksgiving. I told her “I’m in, I want to play for you and Coach Allister at Stanford!” Coach Merchant responded by saying how excited she was and that I had made her whole week. After I got off the phone with Coach Merchant, all three of the other coaches—Coach Allister, Coach Tooly (Danielle O’Toole-Trejo) and Coach G (Sara Groenewegen)— reached out to me and welcomed me to the Cardinal family! 

LDS: How far timewise and miles-wise are you living now from the Stanford campus?
MB: Stanford is 88 miles away and a two-hour drive from Woodland.

LDS: Any idea what you’d like to study/major in once there?
MB: I’d like to major in Forensic Science/Criminology.

LDS: Tell us… and feel free to brag!… about your academic achievements to get Stanford’s interest! Seriously, what academic and athletic achievements are you proud of to have on your resume?
MB: Here are what I feel are some of my top accomplishments on and off the field:

Academic Achievements: 

• • Current GPA: 4.67 (cumulative: 4.4)
  • AP Courses taken: 6
  • Principles Honor Roll
  • Student Leadership (ASB)
  • President of Nonprofit: Full Bloom Flowers
    

Athletic Achievements: 

• • 2024 PGF All American Futures Game Regional Finalist
  • 2024 Sacramento Bee Player of the YreaFinalist
  • 2024 West Coast Preps Player of the Year Finalist (Ranked #4 overall player in NorCal)
  • 2024 Max Preps All San Joaquin Section 1st Team
  • 2024 Sacramento Bee All Metro 1st Team
  • Pioneer High School two-time MVP
  • 2024 CalHi Sports All-State Team

LDS: I’m asking this as a parent of college students myself: How fired up are your parents that you’re going to Stanford?
MB: My parents were both very excited when I chose to commit to Stanford. They couldn’t be happier that both my sister and I are going to earn degrees from two of the distinguished top 15 universities in the world (Lauren is at Santa Clara University). My parents feel Stanford is the best combination of athletics and academics, allowing me to earn a prestigious degree while playing softball at the highest level. They both believe that Coach Allister and Merchant are great teachers of the game and can elevate me to my highest potential. The idea of having me close to home where they can come watch me compete for four years was a big plus as well.

LDS: Athletic-based question: is it strange now to think of Stanford and Cal being in the ACC now after such strong histories in the Pac 8, Pac 10 and Pac 12 Conferences?
MB: It is strange to think about how there won’t be Pac-12 softball this year, considering how most of Stanford’s competition is going to be on the East Coast now. I think it’s going to be fun to travel and compete against different universities. The ACC has a rich history of academics and athletics, which fits right into Stanford’s persona.

LDS: A fun question I like to ask: Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know…
MB: I really enjoy baking/cooking in my spare time. Some of my favorites are banana bread, fried rice, and cake pops. During COVID, my mom bought me a wok so I could cook new recipes.

LDS: Finally, have you set any goals for yourself in 2025?
MB: Yes, I want to continue to get stronger, faster, and more explosive through my strength and conditioning classes.