The RoundHouse | 9/18/2019 3:31:00 PM

 
Bailey Lange slid into second base during practice and her coach didn't notice. 
 
Lange quietly marked the moment, admitting it caused her a little scare. Next time, it became part of the routine. 
 
That is all important news for Wichita State softball, which welcomed Lange back to practice this fall after she missed most of 2019 after tearing ligaments, breaking her ankle and fracturing the fibula in her left leg in last season's eighth game. Lange slid into second during a game against Louisiana Tech and that ended her season.
 
"Pitching is back to normal, hitting is back to normal," Lange said. "I played outfield. That was pretty normal."
 
Normal is good for Lange and the Shockers. 
 
As a junior, Lange earn All-American Athletic Conference honors and went 20-13 with a 2.90 earned run average, including two complete-game wins over Oklahoma State in an NCAA regional. She hit seven home runs and nine doubles with a batting average of .285.
 
The Shockers went 32-24, 12-9 in the American Athletic Conference last season, 27-21 without their top pitcher and one of their most dangerous bats. They return their top five hitters and all of their pitchers from last season. Lange, from Sioux Falls, S.D., started running in July and doctors cleared her for full activity in August.
 
That gives coach Kristi Bredbenner all fall to plan lineups with a star addition. Bredbenner is hopeful she can keep Lange's arm fresh by leaning on an improving group of pitchers throughout the spring. Her bat will be a constant in the lineup.
 
"She seems to be getting more comfortable doing a lot of different things," Bredbenner said. "I see the hitting part of it. She's a little rusty, which is to be expected. We did a little modified scrimmage (last week) and she ran the bases and played the outfield. She looked the part."
 
The Shockers open their eight-game fall scrimmage schedule against Southern Nazarene on Sept. 21 (1 p.m.) at Wilkins Stadium.
 
Lange watched most of last season, wearing a cast or protective boot and moving around with a scooter or crutches. She helped Erin McDonald, her roommate, grow into the role of the team's top pitcher late in the season. For those off-the-field contributions, Lange earned the team's Heart of a Shocker award.
 
"Bailey did a great job of stepping up," Bredbenner said. "Keeping the energy alive in the dugout. A lot of times you see kids who get hurt feel sorry for themselves, kind of a Debbie Downer in the dugout. She was never like that. I felt like she was a fourth coach in the dugout for us and somebody we really leaned on."
 
Lange, a redshirt senior, watched bullpen sessions, sat next to assistant coach Elizabeth Economon during games and tried to see the game as coaches do. She wants her teammates to see her recover from the injuries and do big things for the Shockers.
 
"I learned a ton," Lange said. "I feel like I took my real senior year for (granted). Now I'm trying to get back into stuff, realizing that I have a lot of work to do and I have a lot to prove this year, not just to other people, but to my teammates."
 
Pitching coach Morgan Lashley, who joined the coaching staff over the summer, is getting her first look at Lange this fall. She describes the fall as foundational for Lange, working on posture and balance. She notices Lange doing extra pitching drills in the bullpen.
 
"Even if it's just little things, it's all going to add up," Lashley said. "She wants to be perfect. Any time we're doing a drill in the bullpen, she'll stop and do it over again if she messes up a little bit. That's the sign of a great pitcher."
 
Reclaiming her leg drive, arm endurance and the ability to pitch daily is part of the goal this fall.
 
"I think she's going to be a great leader," Lashley said. "We've got a big staff, which I'm really excited about. We've got lefties, righties, speed, spin. We'll be able to keep teams off balance with the tools we have. I'm hoping her will to win and her drive will push our younger pitchers."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.