BELTON-In the bottom of the second inning in a must-win NCAA regional duel with Berry College last spring, UMHB’s Bailey Eggleston read the ball off Lauren Cothern’s bat and immediately began charging towards the fence in left field.
As the ball sailed through the air and fell just short of the scoreboard beyond the wall, Eggleston’s outstretched glove caught it in stride and her momentum took her straight into the fence itself. It was, no doubt, a memorable hustle play that came at the perfect time.
It saved a double at the very least, and a sure run too, with a runner already on first base. As it turned out, the final score was 8-7 in favor of The Cru, and Eggleston’s key out on a well-hit ball only rose in its significance.
“If a pitcher is up there working hard, then I’m going to do my job and do what I can to back them up,” Eggleston told True To The Cru.
She has certainly done plenty of that, now in her fourth season at UMHB, having been a reliable—and consistent—name in the lineup since her arrival in Belton. In this case, her catch helped contribute to pitcher Grason Long’s 18th victory of the season, and it is one of many instances, both as an outfielder and at the plate, in which Eggleston has come up with the right play at the right time.
“A lot of that [mentality] comes from the select team I played for growing up,” Eggleston added. “They were not very big on stats and numbers, but more of how you played and the impact you made on the game. I think I brought a lot of that to college. I love having good numbers, but that doesn’t necessarily define the player that I am.”
That mentality has produced solid numbers, nonetheless, and it was evident from the get-go. Her freshman year came during the tumultuous 2021 season, in which the Covid pandemic put up plenty of roadblocks on the path to success for UMHB softball.
That included playing their season opener without fans in the stands at Southwestern University and dealing with protocols that made normal practice just a little more challenging. Yet, none of it seemed to show up in Eggleston’s performance, even as she made the significant jump from the high school level to the college ranks.
“I’m really grateful for [that first year],” Eggleston said recently. “It was one of those things where I didn’t realize the little things like being named First-Team All-ASC until it actually happened. I just remember throughout the season I was focused on the team’s success, so I didn’t realize the full impact of my individual success until afterwards.”
Her efforts, along with the leadership and contributions of plenty of others, helped UMHB to a 27-14 record in head coach Melissa Mojica’s first year at the helm of the program, as the Crusaders finished as ASC Tournament Runners-Up.
And individually, she was stellar, leading the team in hits (50), doubles (9), total bases (66), and stolen bases 13). Not to mention being named First-Team All-ASC in addition to an Academic All-ASC selection and starting in all 41 games.
“My mentality coming in was just, ‘Whatever my role is, I want to be good at that role,’” Eggleston noted.
She had been well-prepared, furthering her talents at Klein Oak High School alongside a slew of future collegiate standouts. Houston’s Paige Hulsey, who started all 50 games in center field for the Cougars a year ago was a year ahead of Eggleston, and so was Lacy Ornleas, who started in 33 games for D2 Ouachita Baptist last season. She also played with Texas State’s Makayla Hall and Sam Houston State’s Allie Saville during her time at Klein Oak.
Needless to say, practice was competitive day-in and day-out.
“My high school softball career was a lot of fun,” she said. “We did play a lot of great competition, and also had a really good team. The majority of my four years at Klein Oak we had players that went D1. So playing with them and getting that experience of playing at that level, and our competition being at that level as well was really enjoyable.”
When it came time to make a decision on where to continue her career, UMHB won out, in large part because of the relationship built with former head coach Larry Hennig and Mojica, who was the program’s assistant coach at the time. The Sport Management program at UMHB had a notable influence in her commitment as well.
“A lot of it was the feeling I had when I got on campus,” Eggleston said of her decision to join The Cru. “I was finishing up my four years of high school and was still uncommitted. I came to a few camps here and loved it. I love Coach Hennig and Coach Mojica, and felt very welcome. They showed a lot of support in that they believed in me. And they had Sport Management, which is what I wanted to major in. It all fell into place.”
Eggleston’s career has had success stacked upon success, but perhaps an even more notable testament to her character came two seasons ago, in 2022. On the heels of a breakout freshman year, Eggleston saw her batting average drop from .377 to .245. She went from eight extra-base hits to two. And to start the season, recorded just two hits in her first 15 at-bats.
“I went into my sophomore year trying to have the same success I had my freshman year,” Eggleston said. “When those numbers weren’t happening, I got really frustrated and in my head. It was really just getting back to that mentality of staying consistent, doing what I love to do, and not necessarily looking at the numbers but how I am helping my team. Staying true to how I play was a big factor going into my junior year [last season].”
What followed was a .351 batting average, 40 hits, a career-high seven doubles, and an on-base percentage of .392 last season as UMHB made a run to an NCAA Regional Final. Eggleston’s approach and maturity continues to produce success, and in her senior year, she is leading the Crusaders as an experienced upperclassman. She has contributed greatly to the team chemistry that makes UMHB both fun to watch and consistently successful, with each player committed to her role within the program.
“Obviously we have the talent every single year to make it to the world series, but having that team chemistry has really been the No. 1 factor in the success we have on the field,” Eggleston said. “That’s definitely really important and something I’m very glad we’ve had in the four years that I’ve been here.”
With 15 newcomers on the roster, the 2024 squad has a number of new faces, but the same commitment to a high standard. The home opener is set for Friday against Southwestern at 5 p.m., and Eggleston is excited for what is ahead in her senior season.
“There are a lot of new faces to our team this year, but they’re great additions,” she added. “A big part of, especially the beginning of this season, is learning how we all work together. We’re getting all the pieces together and once we do, we will be just as good [as last year], if not better.”
