Vernon Hills senior Ryley Bautista doesn’t want any breaks from sports.
Bautista participates in softball, bowling, and both sideline and competitive cheerleading, and they keep her going.
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“I grew up playing a bunch of different sports,” she said. “My schedule has always been so busy. This year, I got two weeks off from bowling to softball, and I didn’t know what to do. I like to keep busy and organized, and I like to be around a lot of people.”
Bautista’s extensive varsity experience has given her a unique perspective.
“Ryley has expectations, and she knows a lot about varsity sports and what it takes to be successful,” Vernon Hills softball coach Jan Pauly said. “She knows the grind and is very competitive, calm, cool, confident and collected.
“She is a leader on the team and works hard and is a self-starter who gets practice going with warmup drills. She has a great team attitude and just loves softball and embraces the younger kids. Ryley fits right in with them.”
Bautista is also fitting right in the lineup for the Cougars (3-2-1). Playing third base in her fourth varsity season, she’s batting .471 with a 1.112 OPS. She had seven hits in a two-game span in Alabama during spring break.
Bautista batted .271 average last season, when Vernon Hills went 11-24.
“What’s really helped me out this year is travel ball last season,” she said. “I remember my last at-bat of travel ball, when I hit a home run in the last inning, it was emotional for me with a lot of cheering. I left the season off on a good note, and it gave me a lot of confidence.”
Bautista thinks other sports have helped her in softball too.
“In cheer, you have to be perfect in those three minutes,” Bautista said. “That experience helped me on the field and at the plate to be calm.
“Bowling taught me how to move on from a mistake. If you throw a bad ball, you have to shake it off and can’t carry it to the next frame or game.”
Bautista can see the benefits.
“I’m having fun and feel less pressure this year,” she said. “I’m not jumping at every single pitch and being a very patient hitter.”
Bautista thinks cheerleading has made her a good teammate too.
“Sideline cheerleading taught me how to work with teammates better because cheer is a team-based sport and you have to trust your teammates,” Bautista said. “You have to build a lot of trust throwing people in the air.
“Competition cheer is a lot harder. The practices are tough at times, and people turn on each other. I’ve learned more about team-building stuff and how to push yourself your hardest for three minutes. There’s no redo like bowling or softball. You get a three-minute routine and practice all week for three minutes of performance.”
Vernon Hills junior first baseman/pitcher Elizabeth Tsagalis and junior infielder/pitcher Gia Gossett agree that Bautista is a positive influence.
“Ryley is a very hard worker who always puts the team before herself,” Tsagalis said. “She shows confidence through her attitude and always picks her teammates up no matter what is going on in her game.”
Bautista said the Cougars are coming together nicely.
“So far, our season has been much better than last year,” she said. “My bat is a lot better this year — I’m off to a hot start — and my teammates have really bonded.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
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