By ROBERT CESSNA
Bailey Schroeder has been a great teammate. Her smiling face typically was the first to congratulate pitcher Megan Gibson for a big strikeout or third baseman Jamie Hinshaw for getting a clutch hit.
Her support helped the Aggies earn back-to-back Women's College World Series appearances, but her timely encouragement didn't stop the outfielder's desire to be the person receiving the high fives instead of the first out of the dugout giving them.
You can imagine the joy Schroeder felt Saturday night in Austin where she was engulfed by her teammates after her fifth-inning grand slam broke a 1-1 tie en route to a 6-1 victory over Texas. It was the biggest hit of the season for the Aggies, who would have slipped four games under .500 in Big 12 play with a loss -- a loss that would've all but ended any chance Texas A&M had at earning an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament, which in turn would've forced the Aggies to win the Big 12 Championship.
"We rewatched the game on ESPN. I'm not gonna lie," Schroeder said. "The ESPN announcers made a great point, that you have to have a short memory. It happens. It's done with. I'm just playing ball like I know how to play. It's not really anything big."
Actually, Schroeder being in the starting lineup is a big deal. The former A&M Consolidated all-state performer has been the team's fourth outfielder, designated pinch-runner and No. 1 cheerleader since the 5-foot-4, blue-eyed blonde arrived.
A&M's starting outfielders for the season opener in Schroeder's freshman season were junior Jami Lobpries, senior Sharonda McDonald and sophomore Ronda Smith -- all returning starters. Smith quit after 13 games, leaving a void in right field. Schroeder was given a chance to fill it but didn't make a compelling case to keep the starting job. She appeared in 48 games, started 28 and hit just .203 in 59 at-bats. A&M head coach Jo Evans eventually settled on senior Lisa Gorzycki as the starting right fielder, putting Schroeder back on the bench.
"I've told coach before, I want it so bad, sometimes I don't do well," Schroeder said.
Schroeder had a quiet sophomore season with Lobpries, Kelsey Spittler and Holly Ridley all having banner seasons in A&M's outfield. Schroeder started 14 games but batted only nine times.
She did her best to keep a good attitude about the lack of playing time.
"Coming in from high school, you're always playing," Schroeder said. "My parents have always been huge believers in practicing like you play and working hard every day. Never go on the field unless you're going to give 100 percent. When I got to college, my parents told me you're not going to have the starts that you used to. My parents have really stressed for me that you still have to work hard every single day. You're making your teammates better whether you're playing or not. If Holly is playing ahead of me, then me pushing her is going to help her 10 times more, which is going to help the team."
Ridley batted .288 last year with eight homers and 32 runs batted in to earn All-Big 12 honors. The left-handed hitting Spittler batted .270, giving the team speed at the top the lineup. With those two back along with incoming speedster Kelsea Orsak penciled in for center field, Schroeder seemed destined for the bench again this season.
Then a spot opened up when Ridley returned to the infield. Schroeder made the most of the opportunity going 6 for 15 in six starts with six RBIs. She ran into trouble when her aggressive play resulted in a dislocated right shoulder while sliding into second base against Bethune-Cookman at the Florida Atlantic Tournament. She also partially tore her labrum.
She missed the next four games but returned as a pinch runner to score the game-winning run in a 2-1 victory over Nebraska in A&M's Big 12 opener. She was back in the starting lineup on April 1 against Texas, getting an RBI single in a 5-3 loss.
Shortstop Macie Morrow, who was expected to be out for the season after surgery, miraculously returned to the lineup in mid-April, pushing Ridley back to right field. But Schroeder had been playing so well that she took over in left field.
She's been able to continue to play by wearing what she calls a "a big, noisy brace" on her right shoulder. She will have surgery at season's end, but right now she's enjoying inflicting pain on opposing pitchers.
"What's changed is her ability to handle the pressure," Evans said. "Her ability to get in there and not feel like it's pressure, but to feel like it's a great opportunity and have fun playing the game. In her younger years, I think it was a more stressful situation. She'd get in there and think if I don't get this done, this is my chance and I'm not going to have another one. She had enough opportunities to have success and failure and to get past it, [so] now she can settle in and play the game. She doesn't have that fear of looking over her shoulder that if I don't get this done today, I won't be playing tomorrow."
Schroeder batted with confidence upon her return, but her swing was a little rusty. Her season average had plummeted to .253 during a career-worst 0-for-13 skid as she stepped in against Texas' Brittany Barnhill. Schroeder fell behind 1-2 before lining a shot over the left field fence.
"One of the big things I've been working on is just being calm and not making a situation bigger than it really is," Schroeder said. "You know, just playing ball like you have since you were 5. I didn't really feel much pressure, because I know I've worked hard in practice from the very first day I came here. So I didn't really feel a lot like, 'Oh, no, I gotta get this done.' And [having] my teammates behind me really helped me."
Schroeder followed her Texas heroics with a sixth-inning, game-tying RBI double in a 3-2 victory over Baylor on Sunday that virtually assures the Aggies a spot in the NCAA Tournament. She earned a few more high fives for that clutch hit in allowing the Aggies to sweep the Lady Bears.
"I'm really just working and trying to do the best for the team," Schroeder said. "We've been struggling a little bit. We all know now is the end and we need to step it up a little bit. I've been working hard in practice very day, and it's just coming for me."
Schroeder is a poster child for humble persistence.
"I think a lot of younger and older players can learn a lot from her, the way she handled her situation," Evans said. "Since the day she walked on campus she's been our hardest worker and cares about what goes on. She's totally committed to the program. She's very, very unselfish.
"And I think sometimes even teammates and people outside the program took her attitude as that it doesn't matter to her if she played or not, and that couldn't be further from the truth. She does care if she plays. It just so happens she's also a fantastic teammate. She handles her disappointment of not being in the lineup better than anyone I've ever had."
Still, she didn't just accept it.
"She's earned the right to be in there," Evans said. "When Macie went down and got injured, we needed somebody to play, and Bailey stepped in, and she's done a great job -- timely hitting, big RBIs. She goes out there and tears her labrum, and misses a few games, and gets right back in the lineup. She's done an incredible job."
How can Schroeder top that at the Big 12 tournament or in the NCAA Tournament?
"Just go out there and do the best for my team, really," she said. "We need to win the Big 12 tournament, and then in the postseason, we always say [it's] whoever gets hot. This game it could be me, next game it could be Holly. Next game it could be somebody else."
When that other person comes through, you can bet Schroeder will be the first to high five her.
*
NOTES -- Schroeder is batting .261 with two homers and 15 RBIs. She is errorless in the field. ... Schroeder earned second team All-Big 12 academic honors last year. ... Schroeder's parents are Glenn and Alissa Schroeder, who both attended A&M.
A&M SOFTBALL
Big 12 tournament (single elimination), ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla.
A&M (31-19, 8-9 in Big 12 for sixth) vs. Baylor (36-19, 11-7, third), 11:30 a.m. Saturday
Next: A&M would play at 5 p.m. if it beats Baylor against Missouri, Oklahoma State or Texas Tech
Notice about comments:
TheEagle.com is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. TheEagle.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not theeagle.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.
