The RoundHouse | 3/8/2024 9:49:00 AM
By Paul Suellentrop
Bailey Urban totaled 46 at-bats and 12 hits last season, not nearly as many as she wanted, but enough to give coach
Kristi Bredbenner a good feeling.
Those at-bats confirmed that Urban stayed in the game mentally despite irregular duty as she recovered from a knee injury that ended her 2022 season after 16 games.
"She had so many pinch-hit opportunities for us and was 100 percent ready to go," Bredbenner said. "She works her butt off."
Wichita State (9-6) opens American Athletic Conference play at 1 p.m. Saturday with a doubleheader against Florida Atlantic (18-5) at Wilkins Stadium.
Bailey Urban
Those at-bats carried into this season when Urban is starting in left field and batting fourth. She is hitting .333 with a team-leading 15 RBI, five doubles and two home runs, including a grand slam against Auburn.
"My body feels whole again, which is something I couldn't say last year," she said. "I was able to practice for a whole year and get back to feeling how I know I can play."
Urban's work in the batting cages helped her return to 2022 form, when she hit .333 with three home runs and five doubles in 13 starts before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee for a second time.
When the 2023 season started, Urban was cleared to practice, but in the early stages of a comeback. She delivered several good at-bats off the bench. A pinch-hit RBI single in the sixth inning of a 6-5 win over Nebraska in the NCAA regional. A pinch-hit home run in an 8-3 win over South Florida. A two-run single to beat Houston 5-4 after subbing into the game in the third inning.
A year later, she trusts her body and her strength and mobility are back.
"A ton of it was mental," she said. "Being able to work on myself, my approach and my swing has helped my confidence."
Teammates
Lainee Brown and
Madyson Espinosa helped her injury rehab with ice cream – red velvet and pumpkin are her favorites – and check-ins and long talks for support. They reminded her to be patient with her recovery and keep working.
"She's obsessed with ice cream," Espinosa said.
This fall, they saw Urban look like the Urban from 2022.
"We knew she was going to have a better year," Brown said.
Urban's strong start is critical for an offense that is replacing several key bats from last season. While the team's .280 batting average is below the standard of recent seasons, the Shockers are capable of big scoring games. They lead the AAC with 21 home runs despite playing the fewest games (15). All six of WSU's losses are against teams ranked in the top 25 of the NCAA's earned run average leaders.
"I always knew that we had returners who could hit the ball hard and could hit the ball out," Urban said. "I don't think that ever slowed down our mindset as an offense and our approach."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
