Carley Brown, a former Division I Nevada softball pitcher, works with the Nevada Athletics broadcast team. She serves as a play-by-play announcer, a color analyst for Nevada softball games, and steps in as an assistant producer when needed.
Outside of athletics, Brown teaches fifth grade at Incline Elementary School, balancing two worlds while staying rooted in the sport that she says shaped her into who she is today.
Brown started her softball journey at 5-years-old, playing on a Little League baseball team, but later switching to softball after her father realized there was a softball league nearby. She started as an outfield player, but was captivated by pitching; once she started pitching herself, she never looked back.
“I saw all the older girls pitching, and I was like, ‘Dad, I want to try that.’ So I got into pitching that way when I was around 8 years old,” Brown said.
As Brown got older, her devotion to the sport only grew. She joined travel ball at age 11 to truly immerse herself in competitive softball.
By eighth grade, Brown was already catching the attention of college recruiters. As a freshman in high school, she had initially committed to Arizona State University, but reopened her recruitment following an ASU coaching change.
Brown later committed to Brigham Young University, where she began her college career. Her first season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic; she returned the following year and went on to play two more years at BYU. Despite her love for the program, Brown felt she needed more opportunities to be able to apply all of the dedication she had put into the sport her entire life.
“I wanted more playing time because I wasn’t getting as much at BYU… I just wanted to play the sport I love,” Brown said..
The desire to see more time on the field ultimately led Brown to transfer to Nevada. Brown attributes head coach Linda Garza, who had previously recruited her, as the main reason for her decision to transfer. Brown and the group of new recruits who arrived at Nevada with her made an immediate impact on the team.
Before their arrival, Nevada finished the 2022 season 17-35, with a 7-17 conference play record. The year after, the team improved to a 31-19 overall record with a 10-12 Mountain West record. This was a drastic turnaround that Brown was very proud to be a part of.
“It was pretty cool to come in and turn the program around,” Brown said. “Then the next year, they won the Mountain West Championship, and they’re killing it right now. It’s pretty cool that Garza brought in a group of us, and we completely flipped the program around.”
Because of the COVID-19 eligibility extension, Brown was able to play for two full seasons at Nevada before graduating.
While softball was a central part of her college experience, she also pursued a degree in journalism with a double minor in sports management and visual communications.
During this time, she was able to make meaningful connections and intern with the Nevada Athletics broadcasting team. After fulfilling many different roles, she eventually became an assistant director and had the opportunity to commentate on a handful of Nevada Sports Net’s broadcasts.
After graduation, Brown continued to work with Nevada Athletics and grow her skills in broadcasting. Today, she commentates at Nevada softball games, utilizing her ample knowledge as a former softball player and furthering herself in the broadcasting world.
“It’s kind of one of those things where you don’t realize how much you know until you’re forced to talk about it,” Brown said. “I just know a lot more than I think. And when I get to talk about it, I think it’s just so much fun to sit there and talk about softball.”
In an interview with The Nevada Sagebrush, Brown expressed how much joy she finds in being able to tell a story that she loves without the pressure of competing in the sport itself.
“It’s just a different perspective. And it’s a lot less stressful than being out there. Getting to talk about what’s going on rather than being out there makes game days so much fun,” Brown said.
When reflecting on her experience working in a male-dominated industry, she emphasized the importance of women in sports media. She believes that women bring balance to the field, often bringing a composed energy to every game, match or meet.
She described how her calm, composed presence steadied the high-energy environment of sports production, a skill that she credits to handling the pressure of pitching for the majority of her life.
When asked what advice she would give to women athletes transitioning out of their lifelong sport, she offered encouragement rooted in her own journey. “You’re not alone in feeling that you don’t know what is next. If you have a goal, a dream, or something that you want to do, go do it, because now, when you’re done playing, you have so much time,” Brown said.
For Brown, sports broadcasting has kept her connected to the game she loves in a new and empowering way. She hopes her story serves as both an example and a reassurance to student-athletes that life after sports can be just as impactful and rewarding as the years they spent competing.
