Jocelyn Briski's battle through mother's cancer diagnosis and injury made her Alabama's ace

Jocelyn Briski has always liked having the ball in her hand. In the Alabama softball circle, there is nowhere to hide. Every pitch starts with her.

The momentum of the game runs through her hand, extends to her fingertips and whooshes through the throw before it reaches anyone else. It is part of what drew Briski to pitching in the first place. She likes being in control.

She likes being relied upon. She likes knowing that, for half the game, the responsibility belongs to her. "I like the pressure situations," Briski told The Tuscaloosa News.

"I liked everyone having to rely on me. " But long before Briski was unanimously named SEC Pitcher of the Year by the USA TODAY Sports Network and a top-25 USA Softball Player of the Year finalist in her comeback junior season, life taught the player from Phoenix that control can disappear quickly. Sometimes, no amount of preparation can stop it.