From Injury to All-American: Nya Langlais' Softball Comeback Leads to North Carolina A&T Commitment

After a serious injury sidelined her sophomore year, Georgia softball standout Nya Langlais returned stronger than ever—earning All-American honors, national rankings, and a Division I scholarship.

Nya Langlais is one of the most dominant high school pitchers in state of Georgia as well as an outstanding first baseman for the Brookwood softball team. / Augustin Langlais

When high school softball pitcher and first-baseman Nya Langlais from Lilburn, Georgia, severely strained her hip flexor, hip adductor, and hamstring performing a triple jump during her sophomore year track season at Brookwood High School, she didn’t know if she’d ever play softball again. With lots of physical therapy, hard work, support from family and teammates, as well as a positive mindset, she was able to step back on the field 5 or 6 months later with a fresh perspective and a renewed love for the game.

Fast forward to a little over a year later, and she has now been named 1st Team All-Region and Minority Softball Prospects All-American. She’s ranked No. 80 in the 2026 Extra Inning Softball Elite 100 and holds the No. 58 spot nationally in the “Line Drive Media Hot 100” list.  She also recently committed to North Carolina A & T State University.

Langlais Traded Ballet Slippers for Softball Cleats in the 2nd Grade

Langlais was just eight years old and in the 2nd grade when she was given a flyer at her elementary school about playing softball. It was different than the dance and ballet classes she had taken previously, but with her parents’ permission, she decided to give it a try, and the rest is history.  She has now played for seven different teams throughout her softball career, including The Lady Divas, All-Stars, T-Birds, The Lady Dukes, AP Gold, and Georgia Impact. These teams range from recreation and school programs to travel softball teams.

Brookwood Star's Statistics Say It All

Langlais is a rising senior at Brookwood High School, which has one of the best high school softball programs in Georgia. She had an impressive junior year, pitching 56 innings with 37 strikeouts and 2.39 earned runs. She garnered a .352 batting average with a .524 on-base percentage. For summer 2025 travel ball, she pitched 37 innings with 24 strikeouts and 3.22 earned runs. Her hitting stats were outstanding with a .474 batting average and a .524 on-base percentage. Langlais’ win percentage is 67% and she has only allowed 27 hits total in the last two years.

When she is not mowing down opposing hitters from the circle, Nya Langlais swings a dangerous bat of her own. / Kellie Stewart

Langlais says of her pitching and hitting statistics, “I’m proud of myself, but I just continue to stay working because I know I can keep improving.”   

Practice Makes Perfect for This Georgia Star

And work, she does. There isn’t a day that goes by that Langlais doesn’t play softball. She takes both pitching and hitting lessons weekly, and the days that she’s not in private sessions or at practice, she is in her garage getting in reps hitting, and doing pitching drills.

“During the summer, we have high school practice from 8 to 11 am, so I go to that, and I'll go to a pitching lesson after practice. And then on Tuesdays, I practice again from 8 to 11 am. Then I go to strength training and then hitting lessons. And then Wednesdays I have practice again, but I don't have any other training, so that’s when I do stuff at home, like pitch or hit in the garage. And then on Thursdays, I have practice in the batting cages, and then I go to strength training, and then I'll pitch. And then most of the time, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I have travel ball tournaments, so I'll be out of town for travel ball,” says Langlais about her schedule.

Langlais Has Kept Her Eye on the Prize Even During Times of Adversity

Thinking about her track injury that held Langlais from the field for 5 or 6 months over a year ago keeps her motivated to improve her game. She explains, “It gave me a better work ethic because I like wanted it more after that.  It helped me love softball more because I missed it, and it made me realize what I'm missing out on and how not everybody has the same opportunities as me to play.”

Nya Langlais has bounced back from a serious track injury to excel as a two-star on the softball diamond. / Kellie Stewart

She continues, “During that summer, it was a really big summer for softball because it was like my recruiting year. It was the summer before college coaches could talk to me, so I was really sad that I couldn't play. I was worried that I wouldn’t have any schools wanting to recruit me or talk to me.”

Dreams Do Come True

Lucky for Langlais, this was far from the truth. She recently committed to North Carolina A & T State University to pitch and play 1st base.

“I went to a camp (at North Carolina A&T) in September of my junior year (before the injury), and I did really well. I got in contact with the coach, and then he came to watch me play during high school ball during our last game at state. He saw me play. And then after that, he came to a few of my travel ball games. Then he contacted me for a visit. I went to the visit, and that was when I got my offer. And then I committed in January (2025),” says Langlais, explaining how she was recruited.

 She continues, “It felt really good (to get recruited) and I was happy. It felt like most of my hard work had finally paid off, and I was achieving one of my goals that I have had for the longest time.”

It just goes to show you that even in the face of adversity and setbacks, with a little bit of grit, hard work, support, and determination, dreams can still come true.

Langlais plans to major in chemistry at North Carolina A&T State University while playing softball. She eventually wants to study pre-med and become a dermatologist after her college softball career has ended.