All About Maya Brady's Parents, Maureen Brady and Brian Timmons

Maya Brady got her athletic abilities from her mom, Maureen Brady, who also played softball in college

Maya Brady got her winning mentality from her mom, Maureen Brady — and her competitive family.

Maya, whose parents are Maureen Brady and Brian Timmons, is a star softball player for the UCLA Bruins as a shortstop and hitter who was named 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year and the Pac-12 Batting Champion.

While most might think she gets her athletic abilities from her uncle Tom Brady — her mom’s younger brother — Maureen was her predecessor in the sport because she was an accomplished college player herself. Yet Maya isn’t afraid of the expectations that come with her mother's last name.

“For me, knowing that my family is very successful, I think it puts a lot of good pressure on me,” Maya told The Athletic. “It’s not pressure like ... I’m going to put shame on the Brady family name. It’s just good pressure. I love bearing the last name. I’m just really proud of it.”

Here’s what to know about Maya Brady’s parents, Maureen Brady and Brian Timmons.

Maureen and Brian divorced when Maya was a child

Maya was born to Maureen and Brian on June 1, 2001, in San Mateo, California.

Less than a year later, Maya accompanied her mom and dad to New Orleans to watch Uncle Tom play in the 2002 Super Bowl — the first of several major match-ups for him. Before he helped the New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams, Tom's family rallied around him in support.

In a photo published in PEOPLE's Feb. 18, 2002, issue, Brian was captured celebrating his then-brother-in-law and Maureen was also spotted smiling alongside him with Maya in her arms.

The couple went on to welcome their second child together, Hannah, in 2008. When Maureen and Brian divorced in July 2010, she became a single parent to her daughters and took on the primary responsibility of raising them.

Related: All About Tom Brady's Parents, Galynn Patricia Brady and Tom Brady Sr.

Maureen is a decorated softball college athlete

When Maureen began attending Fresno State University in 1992, she had already played on the world's biggest softball stage.

At 17 years old. the softball pitcher was part of the 1991 U.S. Junior Olympic team after earning several accolades in high school, including the annual MVP award, according to Fresno State University's softball team account on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The incoming freshman continued to dominate the field, and by the end of her collegiate career in 1995, she was named an All-American softball pitcher. Before graduating, Maureen led her team to win two Women’s College World Series titles in 1992 and 1994.

Maureen is the eldest of four siblings

Maureen was born to mom Galynn and dad Tom Sr. in 1970 and she was raised in San Mateo, California, alongside her three younger siblings. Her sisters Julie and Nancy came next in 1974 and 1976, respectively, and her only brother Tom was born in 1977.

Given that all three sisters excelled at sports, Tom was first known as “Maureen Brady’s little brother” or “the Little Brady,” according to Maureen's 2008 interview with New York Daily News.

Related: Tom Brady's Siblings: Everything to Know About the Athlete's Sisters

Maureen raised Maya and her younger sister as a single mother

After she and Brian divorced in 2010, Maureen noticed Maya's natural softball talent, and she moved her and Hannah from northern to southern California. Once there, Maureen worked as a traveling nurse and ensured her daughters had every opportunity to play and excel at sports.

As a single parent, she laid out her schedule so she could take Maya and Hannah to their sports activities. Over the years, Maya witnessed her mother work hard, and it taught the aspiring softball star what it meant to succeed on her own.

"Seeing how my mom operates in life is on another level, and I genuinely don't know if anyone works harder than her," she told ESPN of her mom.

Maya continued, "She constantly reminds me of how nothing is handed to you and how hard and unforgiving life can be, so I take what she tells me and I try to apply it in my own life.”

Maureen and Maya bond through their love of softball

Having a star pitcher as a mom has helped develop Maya’s game, but the connection she shares with Maureen makes playing the sport that much more special.

“I’m so happy we both fell in love with the same sport, and it gives us something to bond over,” Maya told The Athletic. “It’s amazing to see the path she kind of cleared for me. She’s taught me so much in the sport and in life.”

Maureen's in-depth knowledge of the sports has also helped the upcoming athlete. Maya told ESPN that she developed into an accomplished hitter thanks to all the time she spent practicing with her mom. She explained that Maureen guided her "to think like a pitcher, and her telling me what she would throw me."

Maya considers “Uncle Tommy” as "a father figure”

Maya’s biggest fan is her Uncle Tom, who is always hyping her up on social media and has called her the “most athletic person” in the Brady family.

The softball player often praises her uncle for his support and told The Athletic that he’s been “like a father figure” to her.

“We’re very close,” Maya told the publication. “We’re a very close family in general, but I have a really special bond with Uncle Tommy, and I’m really grateful that he’s just so supportive of me.”

She’s also been there for her uncle — attending all his Super Bowl games — and in February 2022, she wrote him a sweet message on Instagram alongside an old picture that showed Tom holding her as a baby.

“Watching you play football has been one of the greatest joys in my life,” she wrote during Tom’s last football season. “The greatest to ever do it! I love you so much.”

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