Emily Bausher

Classroom

Emily Bausher has excelled in the classroom, posting a 3.59 grade-point average in Lehigh’s Earth and Environmental Science program, while minoring in psychology. A three-year member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, Bausher has also received numerous Lehigh Faculty Athletics Council Academic Awards for posting semester GPAs of 3.20 or better. She also has made Lehigh’s Dean’s List (GPA of 3.60 or better) in four of her first seven semesters. Bausher was voted to the Academic All-Patriot League softball team following the 2013 and 2014 seasons and has been recognized on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Academic Team. She is applying to graduate schools and plans to pursue a master’s degree in hydrogeology.

Character

Bausher is so well-respected by her teammates that she was voted a captain prior to both her junior and senior seasons, but her on-field success did not come without overcoming hardship. As a junior in 2014, Bausher battled through an arm injury that limited her ability to pitch on consecutive days and also forced her to miss several key regular season games. She was limited to just 118 innings in her junior season but managed to strike out 105 batters and pitch a 2.14 ERA. Bausher was named Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, after posting an impressive 9-0 record with a 0.89 ERA in nine league appearances. She also focused more on her hitting, and had her best season at the plate (.267, 4 HR, 21 RBI). Bausher missed Lehigh’s fall season in 2014 while recovering from surgery but displayed strong leadership and character from the sidelines.

In addition to her softball captain duties, Bausher has been heavily involved in Lehigh’s athletic department. She has participated in Lehigh’s chapter of Student-Athletes Leading Social Change and serves as a co-captain for SALSC in the 2014-15 academic year. In Lehigh’s Leadership Academy, Bausher graduated from the Emerging Leaders program, where she learned how to be an effective vocal and leader by example on her team and within the Lehigh community, and the Leadership Legacies program, where she learned how to interact with coaches and teammates in order to effectively lead a team as a captain.

Community

Bausher has been heavily involved in Lehigh’s award-winning community outreach C.O.A.C.H. (Community Outreach by Athletes who Care about Helping) program. She has been part of groups that visited local schools to talk to children about the importance of leadership, responsibility and education.

The C.O.A.C.H. program does numerous presentations to student groups in settings ranging from team meetings to school assemblies to sports banquets. They also run sports clinics with an educational theme, group outings to Lehigh athletic events and more. One special event, which Bausher and the C.O.A.C.H. program have coordinated, is the annual Adopt-a-Family initiative during the holidays. Each Lehigh Athletics team adopts an underprivileged family. They then raise money throughout the semester to purchase holiday presents for their adopted family. The event wraps up with an event at which all the student-athletes present the gifts to the families. Last year, the Lehigh student-athletes raised more than $30,000.

Competition

Bausher already is a three-time All-Patriot League selection and a two-time Second-Team NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region selection. In three seasons, Bausher owns a 45-25 record with a 1.81 ERA with 463 strikeouts in 444 innings of work. She won 17 games as a freshman and struck out 195, the fourth-highest single-season total in Lehigh history. Bausher ranks fifth in school history in career ERA and stands third in career strikeouts.

As a freshman, Bausher received Lehigh’s John S. Steckbeck award, given to the Athletic Department’s top first year female athlete. In 2012 Bausher had a hand in 10 shutouts, including a no-hitter, and led the Patriot League in ERA, strikeouts per game and opponents’ batting average. She also registered a career-high 15 strikeouts in a game against Binghamton and was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week six times. Bausher’s pitching helped Lehigh to the 2012 Patriot League Championship and the program’s seventh league title and NCAA appearance in nine years. As a sophomore, Bausher led the Patriot League with a 1.60 ERA and seven shutouts, and was a two-time league Pitcher of the Week. Last season, Bausher was a two-time Pitcher of the Week and a one-time Player of the Week. In addition to her pitching prowess, Bausher also tied for second on the Mountain Hawks with four home runs.

Most importantly, Bausher has helped her team win games. Lehigh is 107-55-1 (.660) in Bausher’s three seasons, with three Patriot League regular season titles and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012.