Rani Balakrishna '25 grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts and played baseball for five years before turning to softball. After graduating from Winsor High School in 2021, Balakrishna walked on to the Brandeis softball team as a first-year. Now, as a senior, she is looking forward to her final season at Brandeis. Balakrishna expresses her gratitude to her coach, Dani Bishop, and credits her for the chance to extend her collegiate athletic career. Balakrishna says, “she took a chance on me and I’d like to think it really paid off.” 

As the first senior to be highlighted by The Justice, Balakrishna has impressed and inspired the Brandeis community. She has not only contributed her talents as a catcher on the Brandeis softball team, but also serves as the current Student Union President, was the co-founder of the Student-Athletes of Color club and was the former Sports Editor for The Justice. She won the Athletic Director’s Award in 2023, which highlighted her contribution to the Brandeis community as a voice for equal treatment under Title IX. 

As an underdog herself walking on to the softball team as a first-year, Balakrishna says that her favorite part of the sport is “how many chances there are for underdogs to win.” Softball is an auspicious environment for taking risks and she affirms that “anyone can have a comeback.” 

Balakrishna raves that her team is “upbeat, positive, and supportive,” and says that to her, “a team has your back and has loyalty, determination, group goals and balance.” Her favorite pre-competition ritual emulates this, as she enjoys listening to music — especially “Big Dawgs” by Humankind — in the locker room with her teammates before games. On a similar thread, Balakrishna says she finds her personal motivation in others: her team, her coach, her family and her friends. 

Sharing a proud moment, Balakrishna recalls her first official hit last spring in a game against rival University Athletic Association team, New York University. As a reserve catcher, Balakrishna rarely goes up to bat, but she earned a technical 1.000 batting average with her true show of versatility last spring. 

Versatile is a theme of Balakrishna’s career at Brandeis, which is even more evident in her fun fact: she also plays guitar! 

Finally, Balakrishna has wise words to share for all Brandeis students: her mantra is “bit by bit, take everything little by little and you will get through it.” Balakrishna and the Brandeis softball team will take to the pitch again this upcoming spring, hoping to improve on last year’s 18-19 record.