Florida Alum Francesca from Sports World to Work World

Florida Alum Francesca from Sports World to Work World

Francesca Enea Bruey, graduated from the University of Florida in 2010. Francesca holds the Florida record for RBI's and grand slams. She was on the first F

Nov 29, 2015 by Chez Sievers
Florida Alum Francesca from Sports World to Work World
Francesca Enea Bruey, graduated from the University of Florida in 2010. Francesca holds the Florida record for RBI's and grand slams. She was on the first Florida Gators team to make it to the 2008 Women's College World Series. After college, she played four years in the NPF on the USSSA Pride. She majored in Family, Youth, and Community Science. Francesca is still making her mark in the softball world. Discover how Francesca went from beast mode at the plate to Sports Marketing Manager for Fastpitch Easton. 




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What's your favorite success quote or mantra you ​try to live by? 
Control the controllables. Work as hard as you can and things will work out as they should.

What's your favorite softball memory?
I have two favorite softball memories. The first one was going to the World Series for the first time. It was cool to make history.  It was the girls that made my experience. And it was with the girls that are still my best friends to this day. The second would have to be on senior day when Christian Bruey proposed to me and I hit a homerun in the same day.

Can you remember a time when you encountered failure? If so, can you tell us about that time and what you did to move past it? What would you tell yourself knowing what you know now?
Stop putting too much pressure and expectations on yourself. I was expecting myself to be perfect and I was continuously failing. I was doing everything I knew was possible to fix my swing. I had to take a step back and realize some things in life don't work out the way you intend them to. It’s better to walk away knowing that I did everything possible. I had to be ok with it working or not working out.

After college, you played for the USSSA Pride and now you work for Easton? What been the biggest transition moving from softball to working for Easton?
I think the toughest thing is I’m so used to being the sports world. I’m used to people critiquing, praising, and getting feedback from people. But in the workplace I don’t always have that feedback. In the sports world, I'm used to getting coached up. Here’s are some positives and here are some negatives and that was a struggle for me. You may not get a “good job” everyday. I’m so used to the team atmosphere. 14 girls working together. It’s a totally different now. Just get your work done and there’s no cheer afterward. 

What are some skills or traits from softball that have transferred over into the workplace?
​Being a student athlete has set me up to be successful. I learned how to set my priorities, time management and fulfilling expectations. You know how bad it feels to let people down. I need to make sure I’m working as hard as possible. I know how to handle failure and criticisms, I know how to deal with adversity. You never know when something is going to go wrong at a event and it’s important not to freak out and solve the problem. And never be late.​