Senior Liza Bruner is an active student at Watonga High School. She is a captain of both the cheer and softball team, and vice president of Student Council. Bruner enjoys being active and involved in school in her spare time and she enjoys spending time with her friends. Liza is very outgoing, and driven for the goals she wants to achieve.
Liza has played softball since she was six-years-old. As soon as she could swing a bat, she was playing on a Little League team. Admittedly, when she started, Bruner said her parents probably put her on the team just for her to have something to do at a young age, but it’s morphed into a lot of enjoyment in the game for Bruner.
“I started out as second base in the infield, and then I moved to catcher my freshman year, but I always loved playing in the outfield,” she said. Liza is the starting left fielder for the Lady Eagles this year, and has made an impact in the field. She finds the outfield to be the most “interesting” position for her.
Her favorite part about softball are her teammates and the experiences she’s had through the years. “I really enjoy the girls, we all have a lot of good memories together, we have good times. We’re always laughing and cracking jokes and it makes it really enjoyable to be out there,” Liza said. It’s what she’ll miss most about the sport when she finally hangs up her cleats.
Her dad is definitely an influence for her playing softball. “My dad really pushes me to be the best that I can in the sport. He gives brutal criticism, but it’s helpful,” she said.
Bruner said that her grandmother, Kathy House, or as Liza likes to call her, Mimi, and her grandfather, Mike House, Pops, are by far her biggest fans. “For sure Mimi and Pops are my biggest supporters,” Bruner said. They never miss a game, and never fail to show up with a large ice chest full of fruit and water for Liza and the other girls.
“They always tell me how good I played every game even if I did not play very good that game. They just show up to pretty much everything that I do, and they always cheer me on and make special shirts for me,” Liza said.
Her Mimi can always be found at the games sporting a “Softball Grandma” shirt with Liza’s nickname on it, Liza Pearl. “They really played a big part in my life and how I grew up. With my goals and my morals, they really influenced me a lot,” she said.
This year, Liza feels as though she is held to a higher standard by herself and by others. Her challenge for this season was “rising to the occasion.” She aimed to improve her batting the most this year, as that was always her weak spot.
After high school, she plans to go to a community college and enter a radiology technology program to get her associate’s degree. Right now, her first choice is Oklahoma State University Oklahoma City (OSU-OKC).