Allie Bauch

Classroom

Allie Bauch is a mathematics major with a minor in secondary education with a secondary health endorsement. Following an impressive junior campaign both in the classroom and on the field she was named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America First Team, becoming the first Illini to earn the accolade. She owns a team-leading 3.86 cumulative GPA and is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection along with being a two-time Dean’s List honoree. She is a three-time NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2014.

Character

Being a walk-on to the University of Illinois softball team, Bauch had to overcome that challenge to be where she is today, and the senior would not have it any other way as it has made her the player she is. She worked every day to give herself the best opportunity to benefit the team and took advantage of it being named a team captain for both her junior and senior seasons. Along with her work ethic, Allie has had to balance being a math major and secondary education minor with a secondary health endorsement with continuing to work hard and be there for her teammates. And with their support along with her family’s, she has been able to not only overcome these challenges, but succeed at them as well.

Community

Throughout her time at the University of Illinois, Bauch has demonstrated a willingness and enjoyment of giving back to the community that supports her. She has worked with Habitat for Humanity in building homes for those less fortunate and also put together a food drive with her teammates through which they packaged food for families in need. She also created a team of 30 members consisting of her friends and family for the Champaign Buddy Walk this past fall in honor of her cousin who has Down Syndrome. Her team raised over $1,000 for the Down Syndrome Network. Most recently, Bauch and her Illini teammates made Thanksgiving baskets for families that were less fortunate.

Competition

Following an impressive junior campaign, Bauch became the first Illini softball player in program history to earn Academic All-America honors, earning a spot on the First Team. Along with the prestigious accolade, she was named to the All-Big Ten First Team and earned NFCA All-Region honors for the second consecutive season. The starting second baseman for all 53 games as a junior, Bauch led the Illini in batting average (.399), on-base percentage (.483), runs (47), hits (71), doubles (18) and walks (29), while also slugging .702 with 12 home runs, 125 total bases and six steals. She ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 26th in the nation with 18 doubles, averaging 0.34 per game (30th in NCAA) and was in the top 15 in the Big Ten in eight offensive categories, including eighth in batting average and ninth in both hits and total bases. A double shy of the all-time Illini record, Bauch finished tied for third all time at Illinois in total bases. She posted the eighth-best single-season batting average in program history, ranking sixth in slugging percentage and on-base percentage, fifth in walks, eighth in runs and hits, and ninth in home runs. Allie was among the best in program history during Big Ten play, registering the fourth-best batting average (.425), fifth-best on-base percentage (.516) and ninth-highest slugging percentage (.738), breaking the all-time records for runs and doubles, while ranking third in hits, walks and total bases, seventh in home runs and eighth in RBIs.