Alan Dell commentary | Former Braden River softball star Courtney Mirabella makes her homecoming special

Homecomings are always fun, especially when you have the power to script them.

Courtney Mirabella made that look like a minor detail this weekend when the former Braden River softball pitcher returned to Florida.

Now the No. 1 hurler for 23rd-ranked North Carolina State, Mirabella went the distance in both games of the Wolfpack's season-opening doubleheader Friday at the River City Leadoff in Jacksonville.

A three-time Bradenton Herald Player of The Year and Class 7A Player of The Year, Mirabella has found sometimes you have to wait for your dreams to arrive.

It wasn't easy. Her work ethic is in the Kobe Bryant mode.

Her father, Tony, remembers Courtney complaining during her high school days because she felt he didn't work her hard enough. Other kids would've screamed the opposite.

"I was trying to get her to slow down. There are times she needs to stop," Tony Mirabella said.

Mirabella is the only Braden River athlete to have her number retired, and great things were expected almost immediately when she signed with N.C. State in 2013.

But Courtney learned patience can be a virtue, though it might not be a lot of fun.

During her first two years at N.C. State, the

right-hander was the No. 2 pitcher behind Emily Weiman, a two-time first team All Atlantic Coast Conference selection.

Being a so-called backup was new to Mirabella. It took an adjustment, but she worked hard, studied the game and tried to learn as much as she could from Weiman.

It has paid off.

Wolfpack head coach Shawn Rychcik called her the headliner of this season's pitching staff and could be using her in the same way he used Weiman, who finished her career with 1,084 innings on the mound, the most of an active Division I pitcher last season.

"I am putting the weight on her shoulders. We lean on Courtney because she has thrown in the regionals and the ACC tournament and been around winning for a lot of her career," Rychcik said. "She is mentally and physically prepared, and we talked about things being different for her this year. We look for her being the leader of the staff."

You can't get by on just a fastball in college, so Mirabella developed a new change-up and added other pitches to her arsenal.

Mirabella went the full seven inning distance in both games Friday with the Wolfpack beating Coastal Carolina 5-1 and Kansas 3-1 in the season. She struck out nine in each game and allowed a combined total of six hits.

"I always love returning to my home state to play," she said. "Emily was a great role model for me the past two years and I plan on taking all the information I learned from her into the season."

Though she was No. 2 last year, Mirabella impressed a lot of people, which is why she came into this season listed as 20th in the Fastpitch News top 50 college softball pitching rankings.

Mirabella has always shown a penchant for striking out people. Last season, she struck out 130 in 105 innings with a 2.80 ERA and 7-5 record. Her 8.7 strikeouts per seven innings ranked third best in the ACC and 26th among NCAA Division I pitchers.

Being No. 1 the staff means taking more of a leadership role, and Mirabella has embraced that as she did at Braden River,

"I know that people look up to me, so I have to set a good example and keep my composure on the field," she said.

Mirabella's numbers say she is the best softball pitcher the Manatee-Sarasota area ever produced. She struck out 288 her senior year, averaging a state-best 1.97 strikeouts per inning and leading the state with a 0.24 ERA.

But she is never satisfied unless she sees herself getting better.

"The thing I am most happy about is that I kept improving," Mirabella said. "Every year (in high school), I gained something new. I gained a little speed on my pitches and was better at preparing for certain batters knowing what pitches to throw."

Alan Dell, Herald sports columnist/writer, can be reached at 941-745-7056. Follow him on Twitter @ADellSports.

This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Alan Dell commentary | Former Braden River softball star Courtney Mirabella makes her homecoming special ."