Nearly 600 miles separate Athens and Greenwood, Indiana. While the two towns aren’t often mentioned in the same breath, these cities have become linked together on the softball diamond thanks to Georgia freshman pitcher Brittany Gray.

Gray is one of 11 current Bulldogs players who came to the team from somewhere outside the state of Georgia. Although moving so far from family and friends may have been risky, it’s safe to say that it has worked out for all parties involved.

“I was really excited to come down here,” Gray said. “I was nervous and excited both. I was nervous that I would be homesick, but I’m really not, so that’s awesome.”

Gray has served as a constant contributor to the recent softball success in Athens, which lies nearly nine hours south of her hometown. The Bulldogs have relied heavily on Gray’s pitching performances in a season that could see the team win the Southeastern Conference regular season title for the first time since 2005.

Among her feats from her freshman campaign is starting three no-hitters, with the first coming in her debut against Coppin State.

“I was nervous going in, not going to lie, but I was excited,” Gray said about the 9-0 victory. “I knew my teammates had my back.”

The move that brought Gray from Indiana to Georgia was by no means a spontaneous one.

“Brittany had been interested in Georgia since middle school,” said Stephanie Senac, Gray’s high school coach at Greenwood. “It became real to her probably around sophomore year when she verbally committed there. This was a very exciting time for her.”

Gray’s interest in a school so far away stemmed from Georgia’s success during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The Bulldogs notched 97 wins in two years and made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Women’s College World Series. The team’s subsequent national exposure caught Gray’s attention right away.

“Seeing them in the World Series [drew me here],” Gray said. “Watching them on TV had me saying, ‘This is the type of team I want to play for.’”

Describing the moment when she first had the chance to commit to Georgia is as concise for Gray as her throwing motion in the pitcher’s circle.

“Amazing,” Gray said. “It was a big relief, and it was just awesome.”

The season-opening no-hit victory over Coppin State on Feb. 5 was just a small glimpse at Gray’s ability.

With 33 games now in the books for the Bulldogs, Gray boasts an 11-1 record with 68 strikeouts and seven complete games. Gray has frustrated opponents with a 68 mph pitch– which equates to a baseball pitcher throwing approximately 98 mph according to Bella Online — but is still working through new-student struggles involving obstacles like time management and study skills.

Gray isn’t alone in adjusting to a new educational environment. She serves as a key piece of the five-woman freshman class for Georgia that has already shown great potential in all phases of play.

“It’s very exciting because I know we’re going to be good for a long time,” freshman outfielder Cortni Emanuel said.

An important piece in explaining how Gray has excelled in 2015 boils down to the mindset she possesses each time she takes the field.

“No matter the opponent, she always wants to do her best,” Senac said. “She’s determined, locked in and will do whatever it takes for the team to win. This style of play has made her transition to college softball nearly seamless.”

Her coach at Georgia echoed similar sentiments.

“She’s a competitor,” Bulldogs head coach Lu Harris-Champer said. “She’s worked very well with our pitching coach and has developed herself.”

Gray credited fellow Georgia pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson as someone who has eased the burden of taking on something new. Wilkinson’s own success, shown by her 16-4 record this year, naturally pairs the two up as one of the toughest pitching duos in the country.

“The thing that has impressed me the most about Brittany is her demeanor on the mound,” Wilkinson said. “She fights for our team like she is an upperclassman and has done this before. She looks a lot different than other freshman pitchers we face or that are in our conference.”

Interest in Gray’s pitching resonated in central Indiana and northeastern Georgia even before games began. Thanks to her gaudy numbers, the whole nation may soon follow suit.

Batters’ inability to connect with any of Gray’s pitches puts her statistics among the nation’s elite. She ranks 14th in Division I with only 3.93 hits allowed per game. Her miniscule 1.08 ERA serves as the 16th-best among qualifying pitchers and ranks her third in the nation among freshmen.

The success of the freshman has also been noticed by the infielders who back her up — both literally and figuratively — each and every start.

“She’s a really great pitcher and she’s a competitor,” third baseman Paige Wilson said. “All she wants to do is throw strikes and do good for the team. If she keeps getting us those ground balls, we’ll be straight.”