Baseball might still be America's Pastime, but the term 'boys of summer' may have to change soon if Southampton's Baily Brown has anything to say about it. Brown has been playing on the varsity team with the Mariners boys since the 8th grade and has been progressing every year since.
Going back to the 8th grade coach Zach Epley could see something special. Brown pitched just 8 innings in that season, but struck out 8 batters and opened some eyes along the way. Since then she has only gotten better. Brown pitched more than 30 innings last season as a freshman logging the second most innings on the team. This year she upped her game once again going 21 innings and pitching to a 3.80 ERA. Epley said that she was their "go to reliever" and acted as a closer in quite a few games, but she still amassed the fourth most innings on the team.
She also started 13 games at third base and her arm plays well all over the field. "She has a cannon over there," said Epley who gushed about Brown's arm, but made it a point to say the curveball was her best pitch. "She has a very good 12 to 6 curveball and great command. She knows how to pitch and hit the corners, and very importantly doesn't walk anyone" he continued. Being around the plate is a huge asset and Brown isn't just throwing, she is showing she is pitching.
When Brown came onto the team in the 8th grade there were some questions but they quickly faded once she took the field. Now, she is just one of the boys and a heck of a player. Brown has now faced every team in the league and they all know her and just look at her as a formidable opponent, and forget that she is a female. Now, in tenth grade Epley says she is as good of a person as she is a ball player, and the team accepted her right away. He says "She gets along with everyone, takes a joke, has a good personality and is right in the mix."
Most of her teammates have known her as a ballplayer first, and foremost, ever since they were much younger. She grew up playing with her travel team and played in little league with most of her team. Epely alluded to her intense dedication to the sport a few times saying she's a hard worker, and doesn't miss a workout or practice. That dedication is easy to see when you hear that one week after the season ended she has already joined a travel team to keep playing throughout the summer.
Brown's resume reads like a budding superstar, regardless of gender. She won last year's Cy Young for the team as the best pitcher and this season she won the teams 'True Grit' award. Epely tells a story about how she hurt her hand badly and it was swollen and in rough shape. Brown was back on the field 20 minutes later and ready to go. He said that would have knocked some guys out for a few days.
The next step for Brown is putting some more zip on her fastball. Coach Epley is "hoping the next two years to get more speed on the fastball". She has impressed her coach so much that he is already thinking of the Women's Major League Baseball league. He's already started to evaluate Brown against the pro's stating they throw into high 70's and she is into her 70's now. Like any good coach he puts the onus on himself to get her to the upper 70's by the time she is a senior.
Baily's brother Mick Brown just walked on to Notre Dame football and had a couple of tackles in their spring game, so the athleticism certainly is in the family, but Baily looks like she has just as bright of a future. Meanwhile, Coach Zach Epley and Southampton will be coming back with a full team next year. They made some big strides in 2024 with series wins against Mattituck and John Glenn, who they haven't won against in a few years. While Epley enjoyed talking about Brown on the diamond it's what he said of her off the field impact that really made a statement. He has two daughters, 9 and 7. He said that his daughters "look up to Baily. They see her as a role model and show that you can do anything you want. She is very inspiring."