3 El Pasoans help lead Odessa College, Trinidad JC softball teams to national tourney

For El Pasoans Mia Bailey, Mia Perez and Alexis Hamilton, the 2024 college softball season has been one to remember.

Bailey, who plays for Trinidad Junior College in Colorado, Perez, who plays at Odessa College in Texas and Hamilton, who is the pitching coach at Odessa College are all headed to Oxford, Alabama, to compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Tournament. The tournament begins Monday and the two teams play each other in the first game on Monday.

The game will reunite Perez and Bailey, who played summer travel ball together in El Paso. Perez played high school ball at Americas and Bailey played for Hanks.

"It'll be great to see Mia again. She's a great player and I'm glad she's finding success," said Bailey, who is in her first year in college and who helped Hanks reach the Sweet 16 in Class 5A last season.

Bailey slugged 15 homers, drove in 58 runs and scored 47 runs. Trinidad JC won the Region IX championship to earn the national tournament bid.

"Our team really came together and we really started to believe that making nationals could be a reality," Bailey said. "I grew a lot as a player and student. I battled an ankle injury that limited my catching duties but I stayed focused and worked hard every day."

Perez had a stellar year in the circle for Odessa in her second year with the program. She won 18 games, saved two and had 111 strikeouts for the Region V champions.

"This year, I learned a great deal," Perez said. "Our team has had a great bond and it's been a satisfying year. Seeing Mia do well has been great, she's always been a great player and competitor."

Perez teamed with fellow pitcher Avery Truss to win 39 games this year while working closely with Hamilton.

"Avery is my best friend on the team and we worked well together all season," said Perez, who was the star pitcher in 2022 when Americas reached the Final Four in Class 6A. "Coach Hamilton has been a great influence, she knows the game well."

Hamilton is in her first year coaching after a successful pitching career at Canutillo and Coronado High Schools and in college at Temple (Texas) Junior College and Colorado Christian.

"I love the sport, I have great passion for teaching and I want to give back to the game," Hamilton said. "I love how our team has progressed, our pitchers have been great to work with. Mia has really come a long way for us and has been a leader. I've learned so much in my first year here at Odessa College, I've grown in many ways."

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Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X