Alyssa Haduck May 12, 2026, 07:00 AM ET IT'S APRIL, IN the closing stretch of the regular season for the Belmont softball team, and Maya Johnson is striding toward the dugout, her cleats crunching along the rust-colored, gravel warning track lining the perimeter of the field. As the rest of the team begins Thursday morning practice, she approaches the Bruins' pitching corps, gathered near first base. "Strut, Maya," pitching coach Emlyn Knerem jokes. Johnson bashfully raises a hand to stop the teasing. "You do strut when you're out there," Knerem says, throwing a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the pitcher's mound. "I do strut when I'm out there," Johnson concedes, "because I want everyone to know I'm the boss." And it's a title she has earned. Over the past two seasons, Johnson has established herself as one of the best pitchers in college softball. With an unbeatable .66 earned run average and 381 strikeouts, the Bruins' redshirt senior sits atop the NCAA in nearly every pitching category.…