Mollie Bailey, prairie legend. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
Mollie Bailey didn’t really need me.
Rising up from the prairie dirt as a fully-formed rural myth, capable of entertaining herself and others while achieving great feats, she was fully capable of building her own legend without an unpaid PR man to hype her.
But she let me hang around, and write about her for many years, so she’s got that going for her, which is nice.
Along the way, she morphed from a little girl with braids, chucking the ball at the hoop alongside Logan Martin during countless basketball halftimes, into a strong, confident young woman who soared in the classroom and on the softball diamond.
She was a terror swinging a bat, yet equally brilliant with a stack of books in front of her.
Mollie followed in the large footsteps of older sisters McKayla and McKenzie, warrior queens in their own right, but the youngest child always (I said always!) carved her own path.
Staring down the world from behind shades, she bopped along to a drummer’s beat, which is appropriate, as that’s the instrument she plays.
“Let’s get this party started!”
It’s easy, too easy sometimes, to compare people to Hollywood heartthrob Matthew McConaughey, the master of laid-back cool, but with Mollie it really feels right.
On the soccer pitch, on the basketball court, and, especially, on the softball diamond, she never betrayed any nervousness, never looked flustered or lost.
So maybe she was more like Jeff Bridges as The Dude in The Big Lebowski — always abiding.
Others walk, or run, but Mollie?
She cruised along, slow-nodding to her hyperventilating fan section when she felt like it, delivering one-liners out of the side of her mouth while crafting memorable moments.
As a sophomore, she was a key contributor to a Coupeville High School softball squad which went to state, then made considerable noise while at the big dance.
The pandemic ripped her junior diamond season from her grasp, but Mollie was back as a senior, Covid mask in place, going absolutely bonkers at the plate.
Hitting in the cleanup spot, the Wolf catcher put together an often-astounding final campaign, bashing the snot out of the ball.
She hit at well over a .500 clip, raining down double after booming double with a gentle flick of her powerful wrists, kick-starting a CHS offense which outscored foes 154-41 during a 12-0 season.
Smashing the crud out of the softball — it’s kind of her thing.
As hot at the plate as she was — and there were times when the bat threatened to melt as Mollie merrily mashed — she was also a calming influence while clad in her catcher’s gear.
Wolf hurler Izzy Wells was rarely in trouble this spring, but the few times other teams threatened to make a run, it was Mollie, laconic and rarely-ruffled, who promptly settled her team down.
Her athletic success carried over to other sports, as well, as she patrolled goal for the CHS soccer squad, and popped her share of shots from outside during her time on the basketball hardwood.
Through it all, she kept her family’s tradition alive, always (I said always!) knowing where the camera was.
But Mollie, like McKayla and McKenzie before her, is much more than just an athlete.
She claimed valedictorian honors, earned a staggering number of scholarships, and is headed to the University of Washington, where she’s been directly admitted to the College of Engineering.
Brilliance — a family trademark.
Mollie is the product of a union between two long-time prairie families — Bailey and Engle — and is likely related to 74.3% of people in Coupeville, many of whom have been great athletes and/or students.
Hanging out with a small portion of her large fan club.
It would have been easy for her to coast along, go under the radar.
Instead, she’s boldly carved out her own path to success, and will remain as one of the enduring legends from my time writing about life on the prairie.
Today, Mollie joins her sisters in receiving an honor which is both fake and real, all at the same time — induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.
After this, you can find her hanging out up at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab.
Being the coolest cat in the club, and doing it her way.
Always.
Read Full Post »
