CLERMONT COUNTY – While she might be the next best thing to local high school softball, Olivia Bricker has been sharing a dugout with the boys for as long as she can remember.
Instead of softball, Bricker has suited up for the Clermont Northeastern Rockets boys baseball team, splitting time between the varsity and varsity last season as a sophomore.
“Most of the people I've played with, I've grown,” he said. “They honestly treat me like one of the guys. It's so nice that they accept me so much. If they didn't accept me, it wouldn't be as much fun.”
Olivia Bricker plays baseball
Scott Springer with CNE left-hander Olivia Bricker who made the US Women's Development Team
The Enquirer/Scott Springer
Now she has a shot at a bigger field and a different uniform after her experience with the 2017 USA Baseball Women's National Team Development Program. The program allows athletes like Bricker to develop their skills with an eye on the Women's National Team of 2018. Only 30 young women from 11 states were selected.
In early August, Bricker was with the team at the Washington Youth Baseball Academy, where they faced a similar team from Canada. The Americans took four of the seven games overall, with some games being separate team efforts.
In the final contest, Bricker started on the mound and pitched a pair of scoreless innings as the Stars beat the Leafs 9-3. The ultimate goal now is the selection for the National team for 2018.
On the local scene, Olivia Bricker is a left-handed pitcher who throws three pitches for strikes and will be looking for a spot in the CNE Rockets outfield next spring.
“He's had a handful of starts in the outfield and he's been pitching,” CNE coach Don Gullett Jr. said. “I like having her on the team because she's a baseball kid. There might be guys who are better athletes than her, but she's smarter than most of them.”
Being a baseball kid comes naturally as her father, Mike Bricker, runs the Champions Baseball Academy off Kellogg Road near Coney Island. Mike is a former scout with the Cubs and White Sox and played and coached at the University of South Carolina.
“She was the only girl from Ohio,” Mike Bricker said of his daughter's choice. “There were a lot of California and Florida-type girls. She was one of the youngest girls there at 16.”
Thanks to her upbringing, she's been in the Champions almost as long as her father and the employees.
“He grew up in a baseball academy,” Mike Bricker said. “He had a swing at the baseball academy. He had to be there because I was working. As the years went by, he was catching and throwing and hitting the baseball.”
The training served Olivia well as she competed against kids in baseball and now has softball offers from colleges based on her baseball background. Played a little softball the summer before that end of summer baseball.
“I grew up playing baseball,” Olivia Bricker said. “My dad influenced me by having a baseball academy. Softball really is a whole different game. You can't even compare them.”
Olivia Bricker just got off a summer baseball run and actually squeezed in some girl softball. With both in the same spring school season, he's stuck with baseball at the CNE with the kids.
“It's always at the Champions or wherever I am,” Gullett said. “She works as hard as anyone. I wouldn't put anything past her. She's a sponge, she wants to learn more. Even when she struggles, she'll bounce back the next day.”
Bricker is now training with her fall team at Champions and will look to fool more high school athletes with her southpaw arsenal. In minor leagues, many teams get confused when the pitcher with the pony tail is at bat.
“I personally know that I'm not going to give it away from anybody,” Oliva Bricker said. “I shuffle in and out of pitches and try to be a smart pitcher. Asking my dad questions helps. I like to shuffle in and out of the zone, up and down. It just throws the hitter.”
Her baseball IQ is evident along with her attention to detail. Last year she was on a similar program with the Women's National Team and hopes to continue her development with other elite players.
Closer to home, she'd like to crack the starting lineup for the CNE Rockets, but faces some challenges from a talented young returning outside linebacker. In the rotation, he should be in the mix against Southern Buckeye Conference competition that featured tough teams like New Richmond and Batavia last season.
“I don't think this kid backs down from challenges,” Gullett said. “Either way, it will be a joy to watch.
