Three Sisters Striving To Win A Championship Together

Through 19 games they combine for 77 hits, 46 RBI, and a batting average of .461. Kris has a scholarship to play softball at Marshall University, and college scouts across the country have an eye on Shae and Sam. They have a brother who plays golf, a sister who played basketball at University of Pittsburgh, a mother who played softball and volleyball, and their father still holds a high school track record.

But even though the Braxton sisters come from a pedigree of athletes, sports will always remain second to education.

A typical day for the Braxton sisters begins with the three of them and their brother crammed into one bathroom. This scenario would be a nightmare for most American households, but the Braxtons manage to get dressed each morning with minimal arguments. Shae plays the role of bus driver and usually gets the foursome to school each day on time. After school they eat dinner as a family, before their 6 p.m. practice. After practice the Braxtons complete their homework and make time for friendly competition amongst each other through either video or board games. Additional practice on evenings and weekends is mostly spontaneous and usually initiated by their father, who can't go a day without doing something related to softball.

"I would say that the reason why all three of us have such good gloves and fundamental work is because my dad would spend hours pounding balls at us in the field," said Kris. "He was there to support us when we made bad plays or when we took one in the jaw, but he was really there to push us and he helped us realize how good we could be."

When Kris was 14 years old, the reality of there being more to life than just sports came to light after she was diagnosed with a benign fibrous tumor in her left quadricep. Since the injury, Kris will usually play short stop, as opposed to pitching. She believes that the experience has been a blessing in disguise that placed her on the path of being the leader on the field that she is today.

"I really like the job at short stop," said Kris. "I feel like I really am a leader out there. I feel like I have a job and it's up to me to get it done or else the rest of the team falls apart a little bit. I feel like the captain of a ship in a way."

Kris began her high school career at Forest Park before transferring to C.D. Hylton and is the only third-year captain on the team. She's currently batting an amazing .452 average through 62 at-bats and has 28 hits on the season, but her accomplishments in softball pale in comparison to only one other: her younger sister Shae.

Shae's 10 home runs this season are the most so far in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. Additionally, she holds the team record for most home runs in a season, and during her freshman year Shae set a school record for highest batting average with .611. She's on pace to make the 500 club again this season with an average of .564 through 55 at-bats, and although Shae has superior talent and a family support group to help her succeed, she is extremely superstitious about softball.

"Before I hit my first homerun ever in my life I was listening to the Spice Girls' song 'Wannabe,' so ever since then I listen to a Spice Girls' song before every game," said Shae.

Shae also writes a bible quote in the dirt of the on-deck circle before each at-bat. Here favorites are 1 Corinthians 2:9 and Philippians 4:13.

The youngest sister, Sam, is no slouch either. As a freshman, she's batting .367 and has nine RBI.

Most young people with this caliber of talent would have aspirations to become a professional player or coach, but not the Braxtons. Not only are the sisters not particularly interested in a sports profession, they all have life goals quite different from one another.

Kris's injury has shown her the blessing of a second chance and she wants to give that same chance to others by attending medical school and becoming a pediatric doctor; Shae loves to bake and is weighing the idea of culinary school versus becoming an athletic trainer; and Sam wants to teach elementary school kids. Additionally, Kris is a poet and has written a collection that her teacher once asked to help publish, but Kris, being her own worst critic, was not comfortable with the idea.

"Academics are more important to me," added Kris. "I'm not going to play professional softball or anything, but I can be a professional doctor or professional writer. I can aspire to be something great that has nothing to do with a sport and still touch those who do play sports. The classroom is my favorite stadium."

C.D. Hylton is 15-4 this season and striving to win the Cardinal District championship, which coach Harry Bell believes is due to happen this year. The Bulldogs three-peat as champions from 2003-2005, but since then have won only on odd numbered years (2007 and 2009). With Kris graduating, this is the only chance that the Braxtons have at winning one together.

"I really want the girls who want to go to school and play softball to know that softball doesn't come first," Kris concluded. "You can hit 100 homeruns in a season, but if your GPA is low, you're not going to play any type of softball. It's a personal philosophy for me to be a student before an athlete and I hope that readers understand that you should be a student first."