TROY, N.Y. – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athlete
Becky Bailey has been selected to the 2009 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America College Division Softball Second Team, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). This is the first Academic All-America honor for Bailey, who is a two-time Academic All-District selection.
Bailey, a junior second baseman from Rome, N.Y., is a chemical engineering major with a 3.93 cumulative GPA. An Academic All-District First Team selection, she has been on the Dean’s List every semester at Rensselaer and is a two-time Liberty League All-Academic honoree. Bailey, who is a second-year captain, is a member of numerous societies, including the Society for Women Engineers and the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.
A representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Bailey is also a member of the Professional Leadership Program, as well as the Rensselaer & Nation Chapter of American Institute of Chemical Engineers. She has held internship positions at Indium Corporation of America and also with the Air Force Research Labs.
The Holland Patent High School graduate batted .309 this season with 42 hits in 136 at-bats. As a starter in all 40 games, she scored 33 runs, drove in 13 more and was 7 for 8 on stolen base attempts.
Bailey, who was an All-Liberty League Second Team selection, finished fourth nationally in sacrifice hits per game (0.45), leading both the team and the Liberty League. She was second among the conference leaders in stolen bases and fifth in runs scored.
As a sophomore, Bailey was fourth in the nation in sacrifice hits (0.56). She also led the team with three stolen bases and was an Academic All-District Second Team selection. Bailey batted .310 as a rookie in 2007, playing in all 35 games with a team-best nine stolen bases. She was named an All-Liberty League Honorable Mention for her efforts.
The softball team concluded its 2009 season with a 26-14 record, appearing in the ECAC Upstate Tournament for the third straight season. RPI, which is led by head coach
Erika Lewis, finished as the runner-up in the six-team, double-elimination tournament.