Novato's Bailey a Winner When it Comes to Losing

They don’t study fun-to-win ratios in economics class at Novato High, but if they did, surely would be an “A” student.

Nobody has made more from less in her high school sports career than Bailey, the starting center fielder on the Hornets’ last-place softball team.

The senior finds herself surrounded by underclassmen and engulfed in losses this season, but that hasn’t stopped her from smiling through yet another trying spring.

“Yeah, it’s hard,” Bailey said before Thursday’s 12th consecutive Marin County Athletic League loss. “I’ve been on teams in the past that have lost a lot of games, so it’s nothing new to me.”

Of the 16 players on the Novato team, nine are freshmen. Six others are sophomores and juniors.

And then there’s Bailey.

“Her attitude has been really great,” gushed first-year Novato coach . “She understands that we're full of young kids. She has taken on a role of a tutor to assist and teach the ladies.”

Bailey’s message is simple: Enjoy the sport, not the score.

“We’re losing a lot, but we’re making the most of it,” the team captain assured. “We’re having fun, and that’s what I always try to do no matter how my team is doing.

“It’s not fun losing, but I’m used to losing, so I’m pretty good at brushing it off. I just like softball. It’s my favorite sport.”

She likes the sport so much, she’s never seriously considered quitting. Not after three consecutive losing seasons at Novato. And not during what already assuredly will be a fourth.

Bailey will enroll at the University of Nevada in the fall. She watched the Wolf Pack play last weekend and came away convinced she could crack the roster as a walk-on next season.

“I thought it was going to be a lot different,” she noted. “But they made some of the same mistakes we make, so that made me feel good.”

One advantage of having faced some tough competition in the MCAL is that Bailey believes she’s well prepared to hit against college-level pitching.

“I’ve faced some real good pitchers. That’s definitely good,” she claimed. “The pitching (she witnessed last weekend) was a little better, but not that much.”

For now, Bailey will concentrate on helping her young teammates finish the season with a positive attitude. Having watched her sister Sarah, a sixth-grader, play quite a bit, she believes a bright future lies ahead for the Hornets.

“I try to be a good role model. I want them to have fun, to keep playing,” she said. “After their first year, they’ll be like, ‘I don’t want to play.’ But the team will get better. There are a lot of middle-school girls who are very good. If they go to Novato, the team will get a lot better.”

And if so, Bailey will feel a whole lot better about her four-year contribution to the program.

“I can’t wait to see it,” she assured.

NOVATO SOFTBALL UPDATE

Recent results: Lost to Tam, 16-0; lost to Terra Linda, 13-0.

Novato’s record: 0-12 in MCAL, 2-12 overall.

Highlights: Freshman Jackie Gocobashi has been the team’s top hitter this season. She leads the team in RBIs (eight), doubles (four) and is tied with in hits (12). She also has the team’s only home run … Silvestri, a sophomore, is tops on the team in runs scored (11) … Junior has 10 hits, three doubles and six RBIs.

Coach Don Smith’s comments: “In the San Rafael game, the ball went all the way to the fence. My outfielder went all the way back. Her legs were shaking. The ball went in her glove. It was a fairy-tale type deal. It's moments like that that makes this all worthwhile.”

“My goal is this: If those young ladies show improvement in learning the game, then I'll call my coaching a success. I’m hoping that by next year, I'll have players who know the game. Yeah, they’re a little shell-shocked this season, but basically it’s an age difference rather than an ability difference. I do see improvement. Some of the young ladies who never played the game, now they're making outs (in the field).

Upcoming schedule: Monday vs. Branson at College of Marin, 4:30 p.m.; Thursday at home vs. San Marin, 4:30 p.m.