Each Monday throughout the season, one of our 2024 seniors will give fans a view through their eyes as they recap the previous week. On tap this week is outfielder Bailey Welch.

Hi, Jag Nation! It's me again, Bailey Welch, senior outfielder. It has been about a month or so since you last heard from me, so I am excited to take you all along with me in a week in my life as a South Alabama student athlete. 

Monday 
Today was our day off, but nonetheless, it was a very busy day for me. It started off bright and early when I had to get ready to take pictures for the Jaguar Senior Medallion Society that both me and Liv (Olivia Lackie) were nominated for and will be awarded on the 23rd. This is a huge honor to receive, and I would just like to thank everyone who has provided opportunities for me to be eligible for a prestigious award like this. Once we were ready, we headed to the photography spot to take pictures, but there was unfortunately a mix-up and we were not able to get our pictures taken that day. When I got home, I took the time that I had to spend some quiet time with the Lord. Soon after, we got a message from the coaching staff that the bus from our trip from App State was arriving soon, so we went to the field to get all our bags and equipment off of the bus. I then went to get my nails done after unloading the bus, because I had my engagement pictures with my fiancé in Fairhope later that evening. My class was canceled, so it worked out that our engagement pictures were the same day. Once we got to Fairhope, we met up with our photographer and took pictures until dark. We then went to eat with our photographer and her husband at Ravenite pizzeria. It was overall a very fun and eventful day, and when I got home, I was ready to go to bed for the night. 

Tuesday
I woke up pretty early this morning because I have a morning class and have to enjoy some coffee before I go to class. Coffee is an everyday part of my routine and quite a love language of mine;). I then went to class, which was Medical Microbiology. We learned about wound infections. It was definitely pretty gross, but I love to learn about different diseases and how to treat them. I had a lab right after that, and it was our final lab of the semester. We had an unknown sample where we were to perform various tests to uncover what microorganism we had. I then went back home to eat some lunch before going to the field to take some pictures for our promotions this upcoming weekend. We have the annual GeauxTeal game where we support those who have been affected and raise awareness for ovarian cancer. I stayed at the field a little while longer after the photographs to get some fundamental work off of the tee. I went to the weight room after to get a lift in and got super strong and super fast. I then went to FCA on campus where we spent some time fellowshiping and learning how to share our story of how Jesus saved us with those around us. It was a great end to my night.

Wednesday 
I woke up this morning with some pretty eerie weather. I spent some time with the Lord this morning, and then came to find out that classes were canceled because of some pretty bad weather that was headed our way. We had planned on having groups earlier in the day for softball, but because of the weather, Coach (Becky Clark) had decided to hit the pause button on our groups until the weather passed. So, we all stayed put in our houses and apartments until the weather subsided. Once the weather had moved away from us, we went to the field for our groups. After groups, I went to the store to get some much-needed groceries. I ended up making salmon, broccoli and rice for dinner, and it was super yummy. That has been a staple meal for me while in college because it is so quick and easy. I ended the night with some studying since I had a makeup Medical Microbiology test from the previous week to take on Thursday. 

Thursday 
Today, I woke up a little later than usual – probably from staying up later studying. But, nonetheless, I made my coffee in a to-go cup and headed out the door for class. Our class today was about digestive system infections. These were also pretty gruesome, but like I said, I love learning about diseases and how to treat them. After my class, I went to take my makeup exam. After my makeup exam, I went home to heat up leftovers from dinner the night before heading to the field. For practice today, we hit off the machines to prepare for situational live against our pitchers. We then went to get a team lift in before our weekend series against Georgia Southern. We had an energetic and efficient lift before we all headed home to get rest for the weekend.  

Friday 
It's game day!! I started the morning off by having a discipleship group with Gabby and Sidney. We met at a local coffee shop called Rooted and Grounded, which is a Christian-based coffee shop. It is a fan favorite of mine when it comes to coffee shops – and I'm quite the coffee shop connoisseur. I then went home to get ready for the Jaguar Senior Medallion Society photographs that were rescheduled from Monday. I went and took the pictures, and then caught up with my fiancé to get lunch before the game. We went to Chick-fil-A and I got a salad and fries – and that's what I call a balanced meal;). I got to the field to get ready for the game and went out a little early to get some bunting work in. It was then Liv's senior day and we got to celebrate an incredible career that she has had here at South Alabama. It was bittersweet because me and Liv came in together freshman year and have been through it all together ever since. We won the first game against Georgia Southern, and a win is always a good thing. 

Saturday 
It's game day again! I started off today sleeping in to rest and recover from the game the night before. I made myself a big breakfast before heading to optional lift. We usually do not lift on game days, but I like to because it makes me feel fresh during the game. Don't ask me the science behind it, but it just makes me feel good for the game! I went home to take a quick shower before heading to the field to get ready for the game. It was the GeauxTeal game, so we took some time to share some important information about ovarian cancer and remember one of my former teammate Kassidy Wilcox's sister, Alex Wilcox, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2018. It was a very special moment, and I am very appreciative that we get to recognize the importance of ovarian cancer awareness. Unfortunately, we fell short to Georgia Southern after trying to rally in the seventh inning. We knew that we did not do what needed to be done to win the game. We left the day knowing that tomorrow was going to look very different for us and that we needed to lock back into our process and play as a team. I ended the night going to eat with my parents and my fiancé's parents and calling it a night. 

Sunday 
Game day Sunday! After splitting the series with Georgia Southern yesterday, we knew that we needed to come to the field ready to compete. As soon as I woke up, I made some to-go coffee and headed straight to the field. It was Mackenzie's (Brasher) Senior Day, which was also very bittersweet because she has been at South with me ever since my freshman year. She has also had an outstanding career here at South Alabama, and I am glad that we were able to celebrate her.  We had a really good warm up and I could tell that we were in a good head space for the game ahead. We strung some quality at-bats together to tie the game 1-1 going into the seventh inning. Then, Gabby (Stagner) hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to help us get the 'W for the series win! We had a lot of really good spots today that we are going to lock into those going into the week ahead of us. 

Thank you JagNation for following along for another week in my life as a student-athlete. We appreciate all of the support that you guys give us. We will be on the road for a couple of weeks, but be sure to come support us at our last home series on May 2nd through May 4th against Southern Miss. As always, GO JAGS!

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