Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame
A case could be made for Brittany (Miller) Towe for the title as the most dominant pitcher in Linfield softball history.
The 2019 Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame inductee holds nearly every single-season and career pitching record and was part of an amazing run of success that helped establish the program as a national contender for years to come.
Towe was a four-time first team all-Northwest Conference pitcher and twice was singled out as the NWC Pitcher of the Year. She earned two All-America citations from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, starting with second team honors in 2008 and first team recognition as a senior in 2009.
“When she was ‘on,’ Brittany had the ability to dominate opponents with her ability to strike people out,” said Linfield softball coach Jackson Vaughan. “That made it easy on us defensively.”
Towe was instrumental in Linfield’s 2007 run to the NCAA Division III national championship, as well as spearheading deep playoff runs in 2008 and 2009.
“The 2007 team was super well-rounded and very good offensively,” said Vaughan. “But there were always games where we faced a really good pitcher and we needed to have great pitching in return. Brittany gave us that dimension.”
As a freshman in 2006, she recorded 111 strikeouts and seven shutouts to help Linfield overcome a spate of injuries and occasional misfortune to advance to the NCAA Finals for the first time in program history. Linfield placed fourth overall that year, setting the table for a successful run to the championship the following season.
Towe’s name is sprinkled throughout the Linfield record book. She set career standards for pitching victories (71), saves (6), games started (82), shutouts (26), innings pitched (537) and strikeouts (632). She holds single-season records for wins (24) and strikeouts (184), and is the only Linfield pitcher to record more than 100 strikeouts in four straight seasons.
“Brittany’s ability to throw out, up and off-speed pitches kept hitters off balance,” said Vaughan, recalling his star pitcher who won 84 percent of her games. “Throughout her career, she battled through injuries and health issues but she kept after it. Her pitching gave us a chance to win a lot of games.”
Today, Towe is a financial investigator for a regional bank. She and her husband, Chris Towe, a former Linfield golfer, reside in Tacoma where they are raising their 5-year-old son, Mason, and 2-year-old daughter, Austin.
