The CT Softball Blog

TRUMBULL—Some players carve out their path at one position and stay there.

Brianna Potok built hers by proving she could handle just about all of them.

Now, the Trumbull High senior is headed to Clark University, where her versatility—and her focus on academics—made the decision feel like the right one.

“I was looking at schools originally for higher academics,” Potok said on the CT Softball Blog’s “The Inside Corner Podcast” a few weeks ago. “When I saw Clark, they had everything I wanted.”

That “everything” went beyond softball. Clark’s four-plus-one program, which allows students to earn a master’s degree in a fifth year at no additional cost, stood out immediately.

“You do the four years of normal college and then your fifth year is free,” Potok said. “That’s really helpful as a student who’s paying for college.”

It’s a practical choice, one that reflects how Potok has approached her game.

At Trumbull, she’s played shortstop, handled duties behind the plate as a catcher, and can move to the outfield when needed. That ability to shift wherever she’s needed became her calling card during the recruiting process.

“I can pretty much go anywhere,” she said. “I can also play outfield and catch. I think that was my biggest part of getting recruited—my versatility.”

At Clark, that flexibility is expected to translate primarily to an infield role, but her range gives her options—and value.

Her journey to this point didn’t follow the typical early-recruiting script.

“I started late recruiting because I was kind of on the fence if I wanted to play or not,” Potok said.

The turning point came with the encouragement of her travel coach, Softball U’s Melanie Blude, who helped her see what was possible.

“She was just the most incredible and motivating person and really made me believe that I could play in college,” Potok said. “That’s when I started to reach out to schools and found Clark.”

Once she made her decision, the pressure that comes with recruiting lifted—and what remained was appreciation, especially given the fact that three of her Trumbull teams, Maddie Pippa (Wagner), Kylie Lucia (Quinnipiac) and Maren Jones (Albertus Magnus) were all taking their games to college, as well.

“It feels really good,” she said. “Especially all four of us—we’ve been playing with each other for so long. I’m so proud of all of them because you’ve seen the work that they all put in.”

Now, with her college future set, Potok can focus on one last season at Trumbull—bringing experience, leadership, and that do-it-all mindset back to the field as the Eagles chase an FCIAC and possible state title.

At the next level, the game will get faster.

But for a player who’s already proven she can adapt to anything, that’s shouldn’t be a problem for Brianna Potok.

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