On April 29, 2017, the Mount Carmel Academy Cubs softball squad claimed the Division I state championship over Dominican. It was a four-inning, mercy rule victory for MCA, one that every high school softball player dreams of experiencing. And with a score of 15-0, it couldn't have been scripted any better for the high school in New Orleans. 

But if you go back just one year ago to the 2016 season, you'll see that the journey to this year's title wasn't as easy to travel, even though that lopsided, mercy-rule score makes it seem that way.

In retrospect, the Cubs' championship path had more than just a few obstacles.

For starters, the previous season ended in heartbreaking fashion. Not having won a state title since 2008 (they claimed runner-up in 2013), the Cubs lost to Pineville by 10 runs in the second round of the 2016 state tournament.

The end of the 2016 season also meant the graduation of several top players, including Sam Dares, a three-time all-state corners player who went on be a Nicholls State Colonel.  

The Perfect Coach -- With No Accolades

But perhaps the biggest adjustment the Cubs faced in the wake of 2016 was the adjustment to a new head coach.

Enter Katie Bailey.

Originally from Meraux, Louisiana, Bailey was most likely not the first person the MCA community thought they would want as head softball coach -- at least on paper. A true newcomer to the coaching world, Bailey had spent the past few years giving individual private lessons to girls in the area, but had never officially coached an entire team -- strike one.

She was also young in comparison to her coaching peers. On the day she was hired, she was only 24 years old. Strike two.

But perhaps the most surprising note on her resume was that she didn't play softball in college. Definitely strike three. 

Bailey, however, was never a person to shy away from a challenge or resist change. She prides herself on being able to adapt while still staying true to herself, and if you look back at her own history with the game of softball, it's easy to see why.

Bailey began her softball career in 8th grade at Archbishop Hannan High School.

"That was before Katrina," Bailey explained, time-stamping her life the way most South Louisianans do: "pre-Katrina" or "post-Katrina".

The infamous hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, forcing Katie's family to move to the Northshore (Louisiana-speak for "we moved to the other side of Lake Ponchartrain"), where she settled at St. Scholastica Academy in the city of Covington. It was there at SSA where Bailey says her fundamentals improved the most.

She returned to her home of Hannan a year later, settling in as the starting third baseman. But as many players know all too well, the circumstances of the game force you to adjust for your team.

"My senior year, our catcher broke her tibia during a game, and my coach had to throw me back there," Bailey said, chuckling. "I had never caught in my entire life -- and all of a sudden I was the starting catcher. I had no idea that I would fall in love with it, and I stayed behind the plate the rest of my career."

In fact, Bailey was recruited primarily as a catcher. Coaches liked her ability to lead and motivate her teammates. She caught the eye of several schools, but zoned in on Southeastern Louisiana University: a Division I school in Hammond, Louisiana.

Tragedy Diverts College Plans

The combination of a great education, a Division I program, and being close to home made SLU a slam-dunk decision for her. But once again, life happened, and Bailey had to adjust.

"It was always my goal to play ball in college," she said. "It was always something that I wanted to do, and I was always reaching for that goal. It wasn't until my senior year of high school when that changed. In the middle of that season, my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, and that's when reality set in."

Described by Bailey as her "second mom," Dorothy Reggio was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. "Dot" moved in with the Baileys after the hurricane hit, and they spent every day together. Dot's diagnosis forced Katie to question things.

"When she got sick, it made me think," said Bailey. "I only wanted to spend my time with her. Everything else suddenly wasn't important."

But the world of softball kept on turning. And amid her family tragedy, Southeastern Louisiana University offered Katie a full scholarship. A should-be joyous moment seemed unimportant in comparison to her grandmother's illness.

"I felt like I was in chaos," Bailey said. "Even when I got a full offer from Southeastern, the school I had wanted to play for since day one, I was conflicted. I remember thinking, 'This team wants me. They offered me a position on the team. My name is on this big white board in the coaches' office.' But everything going on in my life was too much. I felt so pressured. I lost myself."

Summer came, and Katie recalls a constant bombardment of questions from teammates and parents alike, concerned as to why she had yet to make a decision on playing softball collegiately. That chaos, however, soon came to a head.

Dot Reggio passed away on July 13, 2009. Bailey recalls this memory with a choked voice: "I remember having to leave her funeral, change into my uniform in the car, and go straight to the field for a game. I had to play like nothing happened. I didn't have time to grieve or process anything. It was just softball, softball, softball. And that's when I realized that playing in college really wasn't my dream."

Katie officially declined the offer to play softball for SLU, claiming it was "the hardest decision she ever had to make". She knew her family and friends were disappointed, but never wavered in her decision. She enrolled as a regular student that fall.

"Looking back, especially in my early 20s, I never would've guessed that I would be a coach," Bailey explained. "I would've laughed if someone would have told me that I would be at MCA winning a state championship. But God had a plan. He always does."

Love Of Softball Returns

Katie graduated with bachelor's degree in social work from SLU. She then earned a master's of the same discipline from Tulane University in New Orleans, becoming a licensed master social worker. In between giving private lessons to girls she knew, she found work at MCA as an English substitute teacher. After a few months of work, the head softball coaching position opened up; Katie knew she had to at least give it a shot. The love of softball was still in her heart; and this time, she heeded to it.

"There was probably doubt in some people's minds, I'm sure," Bailey said. "I'm young. I was new to the area and I didn't play college ball. I think that did pose the question in people's minds: 'Does she know what she's doing? Does she really know the sport?' I had to prove myself, prove that I could lead a team for a school like MCA."

Nestled on the banks of Lake Ponchartrain in New Orleans, Mount Carmel Academy is a Catholic private high school. And while the 2017 state championship is only the second softball title in school history, it boasts a decades-long history of winning in almost everything else. With the competitiveness of high school softball exponentially growing in South Louisiana, MCA wanted to take their time and make sure to find the right fit.

But Bailey knew that it would take more than her bright smile and infectious positivity to nab not only the job but the trust of the team and their parents. So, she did a bit of homework.

"When I was being considered for the job," Bailey explained, "I started going to the games and taking notes. I would take notes on everything -- fundamentals, hitting styles, communication patterns, everything. I had a leg up when I walked into the first meeting and they were impressed that I was paying attention."

The homework paid off, and Bailey was officially named head softball coach in 2016.

"I was very thankful to my principal and [athletic director]," Bailey said. "They believed in me from day one, and that made things easier. They were behind me 100 percent."

The Hard Part: Earning Trust

"There was a bit of pushback from the get-go," Bailey said. "And I think there was doubt from the girls at first. I had to prove that I have the knowledge, even though I didn't play college ball." 

On the first day of practice, Katie proved herself the only way she knew how: not by simply explaining or setting up a drill, but by actually doing a drill herself.

"Once I was able to show them things, actually do a drill right in front of them, I think they realized that, 'Okay, she does know what she's doing.' Once the girls bought in, everyone else did," Bailey said. 

The Cubs never looked back, showing prowess on both offense and defense the entire season. In early games, they recorded scores of 11-0, 23-0, 16-0.

"I knew from the get-go we were going to do well," Bailey said. "If I would suggest a new drill, they were willing to try anything to get better."

The Cubs finished undefeated in district play with six wins, and they walked into Frasch Park on championship Saturday playing their best softball.

"We had 11 out of 14 girls hit over .300 during district," Bailey said. "The girls were hungry for something. And that's what got us to the top."

The Cubs were set to face Dominican in the state finals, a team that they had already beaten that year not once, but twice. As district foes, MCA had defeated Dominican with scores of 10-0 and 5-0 during the regular season. It's a playoff system that many coaches in the league aren't too fond of, even if it allows teams to play against familiar faces in the postseason.

But sometimes, too much confidence can be detrimental, and coach Bailey didn't want her girls walking onto the field thinking this game would be handed to them.

"I told them they had something to prove, even if they didn't know it," she said. "I told them that even though we had already beaten this team twice, Dominican wasn't just going to lay down and let us win. I told them they would have to go out there and earn it."

Hard Work Comes To Fruition

On the biggest stage, the Cubs proved it -- in just four innings.

The combination of a premiere pitching performance from Shelby Wickersham (committed to play for LSU) and contagious hitting (including two homers and an eight-run third inning), the game came to it end in the fourth.

"We had bases loaded at 14-0," Bailey said. "One of our seniors, Caleigh (Foto), scored the winning run. It was a passed ball and I told her to go from third. She didn't go on to play in college, so that was the last softball game she ever played. It was so special to have her score the winning run."

The Cubs finished their run in Sulphur with a combined score of 42-5 in just three games, displaying dominance in both the circle and at the plate. And as the girls hoisted their shiny new trophy over their heads, all the sadness from last season disappeared. And as they cried tears of joy, they couldn't help but thank coach Bailey -- someone who, just a year earlier, they weren't quite sure of.

"I don't have the experience that most coaches have," Bailey said. "But I think there's more to it than that. I think it has to do with passion and drive; and that passion and drive can change lives."

Lives would certainly be changed because of Bailey. Three of her seniors signed scholarships to play at the next level -- one to UMKC, one to BRCC, and the other to Louisville. Three others are verbally committed to schools like Springhill.

But the most important thing to Bailey isn't necessarily something you find on a stat sheet or roster. It's about how she can impact her players as people.

"I can help mold these young girls into great people," said Bailey. "My job helps me provide a safe environment for them --a place where they are given the option to fail and recover, a place where they can learn and get better. I want them to leave me a better person."

*Author's note: had Katie Bailey played collegiately for Southeastern, she would've been a catcher for -- guess who -- yours truly. I was in the same signing class as Katie, pitching for SLU from 2009-2013. But life is funny sometimes, because we became friends anyway! It's been an honor to write this piece on my dear friend's success.