Philip Zoppi – General Assignment Reporter
Bailey McGinnis, a junior on the Southern field hockey team, is leading the team both on and off the field this season.
McGinnis has been filling up the box score as she leads the field hockey team in goals and assists with three each. McGinnis also has 21 shots on net which is seven more than anyone else on the team.
What McGinnis is doing on the field might not even be her best asset to the team. McGinnis wanted to take on more of a leadership role this year and has done just that.
“I feel more comfortable to say things if I notice things aren’t they way they should be,” said McGinnis. “Also, our coaches always say no matter what year you are you should try to be a leader on and off the field.”
The field hockey team has had a disappointing season, winning only four of their first 13 games. McGinnis has appeared in not only every game this season but every game of her Southern career. This is something McGinnis takes great pride in.
“We get our summer workout packet and I make sure I follow that. You have to make sure you stay healthy over the summer and not do anything stupid that could injure you,” said McGinnis.
Appearing in all 49 possible games throughout a career and being consistent in those games has made McGinnis a very dependable player. Kelley Frassinelli, the head field hockey coach for Southern, thinks McGinnis’s veteran leadership and dependability really helps her team.
“We certainly hope as far as experience and being a veteran that she’s going to take on that leadership role. She already has done this to an extent, even on the field,” said Frassinelli.
McGinnis’s best year on the collegiate level was her freshmen year. In McGinnis’s freshmen year she was named to the Synapse Sports Division II All-Rookie Team. On top of that, McGinnis finished with 25 points including nine goals and seven assists.
After McGinnis’s stellar first year she ended up taking a year off from field hockey. She came back to play in her junior year academically but sophomore year for field hockey her statistics took a hit as she only recorded 13 points for the Owls’. Frassinelli has an idea why that happened.
“I think part of why that happened is she’s trying to get back into the swing of things after her year off,” said Frassinelli. “I also think that since we have a whole new group of players that she has to learn how to play with them.”
McGinnis is back on track in her third year of playing at the college level as she leads the team in many statistical categories. Trying to find a role on the team is everyone’s focus.
The field hockey team has a total of nine freshmen this year so gelling as a team is definitely something that the team is focusing on.
McGinnis and the team will try to salvage their season in their last five games. The final game they will play is on Halloween at Saint Michael’s College.
Photo Credit: SCSU Athletic Communications
