The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Former Jackrabbits Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
Long Beach Poly is known as the Home for Scholars and Champions, and Bailey Holder is adding her name to a long list of other star Jackrabbits to come out of 1600 Atlantic.
The junior softball star recently announced her commitment to play Division I softball at the University of Washington to further her athletic and academic career.
“It was such a relief after I found out Washington was calling because they were honestly my No. 1 going into September 1st,” Bailey Holder said. “I knew Washington was where I wanted to go, and as soon as they called me and I knew I had the opportunity to play there, I just took it because I knew it was going to be a mistake if I didn’t.”
Holder was quick to make her commitment after Sept. 1, saying she knew UW was home and the decision was simple. In fact, this decision was one that felt right for the entire Holder family.
“It checked all the boxes and it all just felt very natural,” Ed Holder, Bailey’s dad, said. “You really want that fit, and it felt like that to her, and it felt like that to us once we all got there.”
Holder has been an asset for Long Beach Poly softball. In her sophomore season, she posted a .409 batting average with 27 hits, 19 runs and 16 RBIs in 18 games. This impressive performance comes right after winning the program’s first-ever CIF-SS Championship as a freshman.
Entering into her junior year, Holder owns a .428 batting average, .454 OBP and 1.020 OPS at the varsity level, collecting 62 hits, 40 runs and 28 RBIs through 40 high school games.
But all these results come after years of hard work poured into the sport. Holder, who grew up the youngest in a family of five, started playing on the baseball diamond with her siblings before making the switch to softball in middle school.
“We’re proud of her commitment and the work,” Ed Holder said. “There’s a lot you don’t see that goes on behind the scenes. You have moments, like this, that are really cool to celebrate, but it reflects so many hours of failure and success. She figured a lot of things out but put a lot of time in to get there. So to see that work pay off for her in this way is really satisfying for us as parents.”
Although baseball and softball are very similar sports by nature, Holder said the adjustment between the games was a difficult one. Softball is much quicker, so Holder focused on shortening her swing and getting faster.
“I had to adjust to it, and honestly, that’s what it was for the first two years,” Holder said. “It was just putting in a bunch of hours during the week knowing it was going to be worth it in the end.”
Holder still has two more years of softball to play in Long Beach before she goes up north to chase her dreams. While she has her future planned out, the junior is planning to continue living in the moment and soak up the last two seasons she has.
“I still have two more years to prove something,” Holder said. “My worth ethic will only get better knowing that I have something waiting for me at the end.”
Even as she prepares to move up to the PNW, Holder said she will always hold the LBC in her heart. As she focuses on living in the moment for the next two years, Holder will stay rooted at home no matter where she plays.
“Whenever someone asks me where I’m from, it’s always loud and proud, ‘I’m from Long Beach,’ and a bunch of people respect it,” Holder said.
