Bailey Oetting joined the Hillsdale College softball program as its lead assistant coach in the fall of 2021, looking to help a program that has made the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four seasons continue its upward ascent in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and the Midwest Region.

A former catcher at Division I Arizona State University, Oetting brings a wealth of softball experience as both a player and a coach to the position. She arrives at Hillsdale after two seasons as a graduate assistant at Division II Southern Arkansas, helping the Muleriders to the No. 1 ranking in Division II in 2020 and a 29-10 record and NCAA Central Region Tournament appearance in 2021.

Originally from Sterling, Illinois, Oetting began her coaching career in 2018 as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with Arizona Christian University, an NAIA School in Phoenix, and also spent a year as the head coach at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, Illinois in the spring of 2019 before taking the job with Southern Arkansas.

“I’ve played and coached at a lot of different levels, and that’s given me perspective about softball in general, and about the differences and similarities between each level of competition,” Oetting said. “During my career I’ve gotten to be around several excellent coaches, to learn from them and to find my own style as a coach.

"I think those experiences are what makes me ready for this opportunity and I can't wait to get to work here at Hillsdale."

As a player, Oetting was a contributor on a 2017 Sun Devils team that won 32 games and reached the NCAA Division I tournament, appearing in 11 games for Arizona State.

Prior to Arizona State, Oetting played at Muscatine Community College in Iowa for two seasons, serving as the team’s primary catcher and hitting .286 with six doubles, a home run and 16 RBIs in 33 games in 2015.