Representing toughness and resilience while performing as one of the best Division III softball players in the country this season, senior Baily Paul has been recognized with the Vern Marshall Award, given to the Linfield University athlete who demonstrates the greatest tenacity in their sport.

Paul excelled for the Wildcats in right field, leading the team in batting average at .417, on-base percentage at .547, walks with 26, stolen bases with 30, and runs scored at 50, while slugging .597 with 58 hits, 11 doubles, 4 triples, 2 home runs and 33 RBI.

She helped lead the Wildcats to the Northwest Conference regular-season championship before they won the NWC Tournament title in McMinnville and punched their ticket to the NCAA Regional Tournament.

Paul led the Northwest Conference in stolen bases and on-base percentage, while finishing among the top five in average, on-base percentage, plus slugging percentage, runs scored, hits, triples, walks and times hit by a pitch. She was also ranked in the top 10 in doubles.

She was named to the All-NWC First Team for her efforts, and excelled in the classroom as well, posting a 3.89 GPA as a sport management major, leading to her being named to the College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 8 Team.

Paul showed her tenacity this year by completing all of this impressive work while fighting through back injuries that have led to severe pain and discomfort.

Fighting through constant pain, she worked with doctors, chiropractors and trainers to remain active on the field with her teammates and contribute to winning and playing the game she loves, though it often left her mentally exhausted.

But despite the pain, she continued to show up and produce, starting every single game of the season in right field for Linfield.

This included in the NWC Tournament, which the night before, she received news that her grandfather had suffered a heart attack and would likely not survive the weekend. But Paul knew that her grandfather, a former football player, would still want her to go out and compete at her best abilities despite the circumstances, and so she did.

Paul was arguably the Wildcats' MVP through the conference tournament. In the opening game against Whitworth, Paul powered Linfield to victory with a 4-for-4 performance with a double, a career-high five RBI and two runs scored.

In Linfield's second game against George Fox, Paul showed the clutch gene when with Linfield trailing 1-0, she led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a double before being driven home by Claire Seats' walk-off home run to win it for the Wildcats and sending them to the championship round.

Paul came up big in a clutch moment for the Wildcats again in the championship game against Pacific Lutheran, showing off her base-running prowess.

With the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Paul led things off with a base hit. She then was able to successfully steal second base, before attempting to steal third. While safe at third, the throw to try and get her out on the steal attempt went wide, allowing Paul to take off for home and score the championship-winning run for Linfield.

When the chips were down, as she battled physical and emotional pain, Paul continued to excel as a Wildcat. Her tenacity shone through, exemplifying what it means to be the recipient of the Linfield Athletics Vern Marshall Award.

Paul is the 12^th Linfield softball player to win the award since it was first presented in 2003.