Nine years after falling in love with the UW softball team while watching the Huskies win the national title from her home in Ceres, Calif., Bates led Washington to the championship series in the College World Series, which the Huskies lost in two games to Florida State. But it was still a great run for the Huskies and for Bates, their sophomore shortstop. She led the Huskies in hitting (.389) and on-base percentage (.389) and was a catalyst for the offense, batting No. 2 in the order. She was an All-American and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
18 in ’18: Who were the biggest names in Seattle sports this year?
