Former East Webster standout Bailie Springfield was recently honored as the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College Pitcher of the Year.
Springfield became the Indians single season wins leader as she finished 20-5 with a 1.54 ERA and 123 strikeouts. The sophomore hit .296 with 21 RBI, 11 doubles, three triples and a pair of home runs. Springfield was the first Indian to earn National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Pitcher of the Week twice in a season and was also named MACJC Pitcher of the Week three times. She led the Lady Indians to the MACJC state championship and beat eventual national champions Jones.
Springfield signed with Delta State out of high school at East Webster but transferred to Itawamba for her sophomore season.
“Going to ICC was probably the best thing I could have done,” Springfield said. “If I had gotten hurt, it would have probably been my last year but I just had to trust in God and his plan. And I think things worked out pretty well. Delta State just wasn’t the right place for me. I knew some people at ICC and thought I could go have more fun playing.”
Springfield will continue her softball career at the University of Southern Mississippi. She is scheduled to sign with the Lady Eagles on Thursday at 2 p.m. at ICC. Springfield said she was also being recruited by Louisiana Monroe, Mississippi College, Alabama-Huntsville, William Carey and Blue Mountain.
“Southern just felt right,” Springfield said. “They want me as a position player and a pitcher. I will get the opportunity to do both. Coach (Wendy Hogue) and their staff had such good morals and are trying to build things the right way. The pitching coach’s dad was my pitching coach until I was 14-years-old. They all just made me feel like part of the family.”
Springfield said Southern Miss graduated three pitchers and is expecting her to come in and compete for a starting spot.
“With their three pitchers graduating last year, I’m coming in and will be the oldest pitcher on the staff with two incoming freshmen. I will be the one with the most experience and they are expecting me to lead the two freshmen. And I think my time at Delta State has helped me. I pitched there as a freshman and have an idea of what to expect.”
East Webster coach Lee Berryhill thinks Springfield will be fine at Southern Miss.
“Along with her talent and competitive will to win, every time she goes in the circle, she has a chance to win,” Berryhill said. “She played here for four years and we played for four straight state championships and won three of those. We knew each day that she was going to go out and compete and we just had to give her some support.”
Springfield said she is planning on majoring in speech therapy at Southern Miss.
“My mother is in that field so she can help me out,” Springfield said. “They have one of the best speech therapy schools in the country. I will probably have to go an extra year after I get through playing softball.”
