One of the best hitters at one of Louisiana’s premier softball programs will make her way to Northwestern State for the 2024 softball season.
On Monday, head coach Donald Pickett announced the signing of slugger Bailey Henderson from Pineville as the latest edition to the talented incoming freshman signing class.
Henderson is a career .500-plus hitter for the Rebels who has earned first-team all-district honors in a stacked District 2-5A in each of the past two seasons, with a third expected following the 2023 season.
During her sophomore season, Henderson set the Pineville record for single-season home runs with 16, adding 14 doubles, on the way to a .552 batting average for the season. She picked up her first all-district, all-CenLa and all-state honors after the season.
Perhaps one of the most impressive offensive seasons in the state came during her junior year where Henderson batted an astounding .608 for the year with a .680 on-base percentage. She had double-digit home runs and doubles for the second straight season, and the third straight season with 10 or more doubles.
Henderson was named All-CenLA MVP following the 2022 season along with her second straight first-team selections in the district, area and state as she helped lead the nationally-ranked Rebels to a 31-2 record and number one ranking in the 5A state playoffs.
This year Henderson is batting .426 with seven long balls and 18 doubles and a .521 on-base percentage. During a four-game stretch late in the season, Henderson went 12-for-15 (.800) at the plate with five doubles out of the leadoff spot in the lineup.
In more than 450 career at-bats thus far across her four year prep career, Henderson has struck out just 12 times.
Henderson and the No. 4 seed Rebels made their third straight trip to the quarterfinals this year.
