Mount Pleasant has established itself as one of the top contenders in WPIAL softball every year.

Recently, the Vikings added another name to the long list of players who have committed to play college softball, with third baseman and outfielder Krista Brunson making her commitment to Pitt-Johnstown.

Brunson’s future college coach, Niki Pecora, exuded all the characteristics Brunson was looking for in a coach.

“I love the coach there, she’s awesome. She gave me everything I wanted in a coach," Brunson said about Pecora. "I love the campus and a lot of my former teammates already go there. It kind of all put itself together for me.”

Brunson still has another year at Mt. Pleasant to compete for her current coach... her dad. Chris Brunson has coached the Vikings since 2019 and during that time he's been able to coach not just one but two daughters at the varsity level.

Krista’s older sister, Haylie, is entering her sophomore year at Pitt. She started a whopping 40 games as just a freshman last spring.

Softball runs deep in the Brunson family, and Krista has gained valuable knowledge from her sister. Haylie served as an inspiration for Krista during her college recruitment, especially when it came down to Krista’s final decision.

“Definitely that I should go not to impress other people but to do more of what I want to do,” Brunson recalled of her sisters guidance. “She’s been the biggest inspiration to me. Whenever the rules weren’t changed she committed in eighth grade, and then in 11th grade and then to Pitt in 12th grade, so she’s been through the process a lot and she gave me a lot of advice.”

Now with her college decision made, Brunson can focus on her upcoming season with the Vikings. Last year, Brunson and Mount Pleasant finished the year 10-10 overall before falling in the WPIAL quarterfinals to Avonworth 5-2.

She feels that this year’s Vikings team has unfinished business and want to make another run at a WPIAL and PIAA title in which they captured in 2021. But most importantly, Brunson also wants to make sure her and her team enjoy this year while competing for championships.

“We are all definitely very excited, we all have the same goal which is to win. But we all also want to have fun. High school softball is also about bonding, so it’s a bunch of friends playing not competing for spots.”