Father’s Memory Still Motivates Lily Pullen In The Circle

Lily Pullen's dad was the person who got her started in softball. He was right by her side as she developed a love for the sport. He coached her until he was diagnosed with stage 4 appendix cancer and the chemotherapy treatments and surgeries forced him to stop. 

Even with a chemo pump attached to his body, he would still catch for her while she practiced her pitching skills. Brian Pullen battled cancer for nearly three years before passing away in 2021 at age 51.

“He was there until the very end,” Pullen said. “He was definitely my biggest supporter and is the reason why I am where I'm at.”

Pullen has developed into a high-level Division I recruit in the 2027 class. The Oskaloosa, Kansas native has committed to play for North Carolina State. Wolfpack assistant coach Mike Bosch called the left-hander right at midnight on September 1 of her junior year and left her a voicemail.

“He said you are my first call tonight and we really would love to have you, and I would love to have a phone call with you,” Pullen said. “He talked about my dad a lot and he was like the only coach that cared about that. He asked about him and talked to me about him. I kind of just took that as a sign.”

Growing up in a small town in Kansas, Pullen played multiple sports. She eventually had to choose between softball and soccer. 

“I just got so much more joy out of pitching and striking people out when I was younger that I wanted to pursue softball instead of soccer,” said Pullen, who plays travel ball for Top Gun National 18U. “In the beginning, it was very hard to get looked at and get college coaches to look at me and to see me. But along the way, I just got on better and better teams as I went.”

Pullen still remembers the initial adrenaline rush she got when she began taking pitching seriously as a 9-year-old.

“I was probably the craziest pitcher you have ever seen in your life at that age,” she said. “I was throwing 55 miles an hour, but my accuracy was not there. I had to work on that a lot and learn my command and how to spin the ball and make it move without going crazy and going everywhere.”

Pullen endured an injury before her sophomore season in high school that required a trip to the chiropractor. During the adjustment, she suffered broken and bruised ribs and had to take three months off. She was on a pitch count when she returned.

“It actually helped me a lot not being able to throw many pitches because I wasn't overused like I was freshman year,” she said. “I performed a ton better, and I actually took my team to the state tournament, and we ended up winning, which was great because it was the first time in my high school's history to win first place at state.”

Pullen, a self-professed “country kid,” was named Pitcher of the Year in back-to-back seasons in the 2-1A and 3A divisions in Kansas. She is a two-way player in high school, but only pitches in travel ball. 

Pullen gained some international experience in 2023 when she played for the USA Softball U15 Women's National Team. She helped Team USA win three gold medals in events in Peru and Japan.

“It was cool to see how other countries play softball,” Pullen said. “Being from America, we are privileged to have what we have. Some of the girls from other countries had to share gloves or bats or helmets. Even if they lost against us, they were still so happy to even be able to meet us and to play against us. They were coming up to ask for autographs. I never experienced that before.”