‘I’m living my dream’: Wellington’s Buck becomes NCAA hero for Wichita State softball
It still didn’t seem real to Ryleigh Buck in the early hours of Sunday morning after a long day of softball that a little girl from Wellington had grown up to become a postseason hero for Wichita State captured on ESPN cameras.
Given the option to play one more season for the Shockers this spring, Buck didn’t hesitate at the opportunity to return for a second try on her senior season. She knew this was it for her softball-playing career and she couldn’t resist the chance for one last round of memories.
Not even she could have conjured up what was a surreal experience on Saturday, rounding the bases twice after hitting a pair of no-doubt-about-it home runs against Oklahoma, the No. 1 softball team in the country, on the game’s biggest stage in the NCAA Regionals in front of a national television audience on ESPN2.
WSU fans in Norman erupted and fans watched on TV celebrated as they watched a life-long dream from a Kansas native play out in real time.
“It really is a dream come true,” Buck said. “Since I was little, this is what I wanted to do. I think that’s the reason why I smile so much because I’m having so much fun and I’m living my dream right now.”
Before Saturday, the Shockers thought they could beat OU. Both of Buck’s bombs on Saturday injected the confidence in the Shockers that they believe they can beat OU.
Buck’s first home run, a solo shot, gave WSU a 2-1 lead early, then her second shot, a three-run blast, trimmed OU’s lead to 7-5 and allowed the Shockers to bring the go-ahead run to the plate in the seventh inning.
Although WSU ultimately lost the game, proving to themselves they could compete with OU was vital after the Shockers were run-ruled in a 14-3 loss to the Sooners in Wichita at the start of this month.
“I think it proves a point of how good we are,” said Buck, who finished the day with five RBIs. “A lot of people disrespected us and looked past us and I think we showed up today and showed everybody what we could do.”
And now the Wichita State softball team will have another chance at the top-ranked Sooners following a 9-6 win over Texas A&M to stave off elimination and set up a rematch with OU in Sunday’s 3 p.m. regional championship. WSU will need to beat OU twice to advance to the program’s first NCAA Super Regional.
It is fitting that WSU’s senior class is leading the way to helping WSU (41-12-1) reach the 40-win plateau and a regional title game for just the second time in program history.
Madison Perrigan also hit a home run against OU, while Bailey Lange battled almost as well as anybody in the circle against the Sooners’ explosive offense and Kaylee Huecker hit a home run against Texas A&M. But no senior came up bigger than Buck on Saturday, as her three hits drove in five runs.
“All weekend our seniors have stepped up in a huge way,” WSU coach Kristi Bredbenner said. “Those kids are playing their hearts out and it’s awesome to see. Being from Kansas, Ryleigh is doing a great job of representing our state and our school. This team has a lot of heart and a lot of guts and they’re putting it all out there on the field every swing, every defensive play, every pitch.”
After a standout high school career in Wellington, where she was named the 2016 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year and also played on Team USA for women’s baseball, Buck is nearing the end of a stellar career with the Shockers.
She is a three-time all-conference player and has been a vital part to WSU’s success this season in what will be the most successful season in program history. The Shockers won their first American Athletic Conference championships, both in the regular season and postseason tournament, with Buck earning all-tournament honors after hitting a two-run home run in the tournament championship game.
On a team that has shattered offensive records, Buck ranks third on the team in home runs (11) and RBIs (42) while hitting .284 at the plate and providing a reliable glove at third base for WSU’s standout infield defense.
But when asked to reflect on her own accomplishments, Buck choose instead to focus on her teammates.
“Honestly, I feel like there’s so much love on this team and we’re all fighting for each other,” Buck said. “From the girls out on the field to the ones in the dugout, we’re all just laying it all out there on the line and giving everything we have right now.”
And what would see say to all of the little girls growing up in Wellington and other small-town Kansas girls like them?
“All I can say is to keep fighting and keep working,” Buck said. “If you put in the work, it really will pay off. Just keep going because any dream is possible if you keep your mind on it.”
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