Last month, USA Softball held its 16U Nationals in Salem, Virginia and Team North Carolina – Baylog/Tracy from Waxham, North Carolina won the tournament with an 8-1 record on the week and going 6-0 in bracket play.
Overall, 42 teams from 10 different states were represented for the National Championship that saw Team NC win it the trophy thanks to having eight players bat over .400 in the tournament including pitcher Libby Miller (2026).
“I’m proud of my team and the defense I had behind me,” she told Extra Inning Softball. “Our bats really came alive to help us win it all. Once we were in it, we put the pedal to the metal and gassed it.”
Pitcher Arabelle Shulenburger (2025) agree that her team’s support on the field was key to the team’s championship run.
“I think pitching mentally was much easier knowing I had an amazing team to support me and battling back with our offense,” she said.
In the circle the team was led by Shulenburger, who had a 2.10 ERA, Miller’s 2.84 ERA and Belmont Abbey commit Laney Wike (2025) also have at sub-3.0 ERA with 2.96.
Coach Chad Tracy agreed it was a team-wide effort.
“The girls were fun to watch this week in Salem,” he said. “Our bats were hot up and down the lineup, and our pitching kept us in every game.”
Lakyn Whitley (2026) led the way offensively going 15-23 (.652) and extending innings multiple times with five two-out hit RBIs.
She commented:
“The team was consistent throughout the tournament—our pitchers did amazing and we hit throughout the lineup. It was a great team effort bringing home the championship.”
Team NC lost its first pool game 5-4 but went undefeated the rest of the way winning eight straight games.
“I was blown away by how our team responded after losing our first game” said catcher Lexi Kirby. “It fired us up and we were determined to not let that happen again.”
Kirby did just that by batting .448 on the week with two home runs and nine RBIs in the team’s nine games.
Another hot bat was third baseman Kylie Specht (2025) who batted .458 with seven RBIs.
“We played great softball and really came together as a team,” she said. “We had some great wins, our pitchers stepped up huge, defense was as good as I’ve seen and our offense exploded! It was so great to see since we played some tough teams. We were on fire and had so much fun!”
In eight games, the team put up 71 runs and was led by the top of the order which included leadoff and 2-hole hitters Bailey Huff (.483) and Ella Tracy (.500), both 2025 grads, who scored 17 of those runs.
“We have had such a great summer competing at the highest levels and playing talented teams,” Huff explained. “Earning the USA Softball National Championship at the end was icing on the cake.”
Tray believed it was the team’s never-say-die attitude that made the difference.
“This tournament win truly shows our perseverance,” she said. “The team chemistry this team has stands out. It’s awesome to see how much we’ve grown together.”
Another big offensive contributor was Jaidyn Harris (2026) who batted .462 with three doubles.
“Every single player contributed and picked each other up,” Harris said.
First baseman Kensley Davis (2026) was 11-27 (.407) with a home run and 8 RBIs and added: “We didn’t start the way we wanted but we sure ended the way we wanted!”
Coach Baylog was extremely proud of the girls believing the team’s events leading up to the USA Nationals was key in getting them prepared.
“We played a tough summer schedule participating in the Show Me the Money event in Newberry, Florida, the Top Gun’s Maverick division in Kansas City and the TCS Fireworks power pool hoping we’d peak here in Salem, Virginia. This team is super talented and fun to watch. I am excited to see what the future holds for these young ladies.”
North Carolina USA Softball Commissioner Tim Doby was proud to have a team from state take home the trophy.
“I have been the representative for the National office in several nationals but the pride I felt in this one was at another level. Having two North Carolina teams in the final three and to top it off with Bill Baylog and Chad Tracy’s team win it all was so enjoyable.”
“I was happy to be the one to present the trophy,” he concluded. “The anticipation on the players faces waiting for me to hand them the trophy is something I’ll never forget.’
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
