NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State softball added two more names to the 2027 signing class on Thursday with addition of a pair of junior college transfers.
 
Third-year head coach Jenny Fuller announced the additions of corner infielder Brelie Phillips from Copiah-Lincoln and outfielder Braylee Shields from Indian River State.
 

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Brelie Phillips – UTL – 5-4 – Jr. – R/R – Conehatta, Miss. / Newton County HS / Copiah-Lincoln CC
 
NJCAA DII National Champion (2025)
NJCAA DII World Series All-Tournament Team (2025)
NFCA NJCAA First-Team All-Region (2026)
MACCC Player of the Year (2026)
MACCC First-Team All-Conference (2026)
 
Prior to NSU
Played two seasons at Co-Lin where she won the 2025 NJCAA Division II National Championship…led the team as the freshman shortstop leadoff batter posting 12 home runs with 63 runs scored, 23 doubles and four triples…hit .380 on the season with an OPS of 1.191…named to the NJCAA DII World Series All-Tournament Team after going 10-for-20 with four doubles in the championship run…produced 20 multi-hit games as a freshman…leads the 2026 team in nine offensive categories with a .467 batting average with 22 home runs and 67 RBI…boasts a 1.024 slugging percentage and 1.569 OPS for the season…put together a 25-game hitting streak from Feb. 21 to April 3 during the season and had 21 total multi-hit games on the year…across her two seasons thus far at Co-Lin she has a .421 batting average with 34 home runs and 112 RBI, hit 45 doubles and scored 132 runs.
 
High School
Two-sport athlete in softball and volleyball at Newton County HS…reached the third of the playoffs all four years on the diamond and two of three trips in volleyball, including a state championship in 2023 as a senior, the first volleyball state title in school history…batted over .400 in all four seasons of her prep career, including a best .471 average as a junior…also earned a pair of Golden Glove awards as a sophomore and senior…member of Principal's List all four years of school, graduating with a 4.0 GPA… member of science club, Mu Alpha Theta and Wolf Pack Strong and was a Lindsey-Callahan Scholar recipient
 
Personal
Daughter of Katie and Shane Phillips…has one older sister, Lanie…both parents played diamond sports in college, mom at East Central CC and dad at Holmes CC…sister also played softball at Holmes CC…majoring in biology…plans to attend dental school… member of Mississippi Honor Choir during high school.
 
Coach Fuller on Phillips
"Brelie brings great energy, passion and a strong competitive spirit to our program," Fuller said. "She has the drive and character we value at Northwestern State, and we're excited to see her continue to develop and thrive in the Demon softball program."
 
Phillips and her Co-Lin Lady Wolves began their quest for a second straight NJCAA DII National Championship in Spartanburg, S.C. on May 19. They won a third straight MACC Championship this year and were Region 23 Champions. 
 
 

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Braylee Shields – OF – 5-5 – Jr. – L/L – Riverton, Utah / Riverton HS / Indian River State
 
FCSAA First-Team All-Conference (2025, 2026) 
 
Prior to NSU
Played two seasons at Indian River State in Fort Pierce, Fla., earning FCSAA First-Team All-Conference honors in both seasons…hit .384 across both seasons, scoring 96 runs with a .453 on-base percentage and going 80-for-88 in stolen base attempts…led the team during her sophomore season with 75 hits, 58 runs scored and 46 stolen bases…finished second on the team with a .389 batting average and .452 on-base percentage…had 22 multi-hit games during the season including 10 games with three or more hits…had more than 40 hits and scored 38 runs as a freshman with a .375 batting average and .455 on-base percentage…stole 34 bases with 10 multi-hit games.
 
High School
Three-time region and 6A state champion at Riverton HS in Utah going a combined 100-12 across her four prep seasons…named state tournament MVP during her senior season after hitting a walk-off home run in title game…batted over .450 in two of her four prep seasons…named first-team all-region and all-State…drove in 53 runs during her senior season and set the UHSSA single-game record for runs scored in a game with four.
 
Personal
Daughter of Tauni Shields and granddaughter of Deon Mcquiston…has three siblings, brothers, Kason and Tate, and sister, Ashtyn…nursing major…was a competitive cheerleader through the 10^th grade…grew up riding sheep in rodeos.
 
Coach Fuller on Shields
"Braylee is the type of competitor every program wants," Fuller said. "She brings toughness, work ethic and a relentless mindset to everything she does. We're excited for the impact she will make on and off the field as part of the Demon softball family."
 

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 Phillips and Shields bump the 2027 class to six total signees, joining a quartet of high school additions from the early signing period this past November.