Gwen Baker’s introduction to college softball came into the game to protect a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh, with bases loaded and no outs.
It was a stressful situation to navigate for the former Milton Red Hawk ace, Baker secured a fly out for out No. 1 as a run scored. On the same play a runner was called out at second for out No. 2. And Baker got the final out with a strike out swinging.
Baker earned the save, and the Butler Bulldogs earned a 5-4 win.
“It felt like I was in the Kaukauna game all over again,†Baker said this summer, recalling the experience. “I was very shaky, nervous and tense. But after that was over, it was kind of just smooth sailing from there.â€
That strikeout instilled confidence in Baker. Confidence that she would carry into the rest of her freshman season at Butler.
“I was like wow, I really can do this. I really can play at this level,†she said.
At Milton, Baker was a four-year starter and the catalyst for the Red Hawks’ 2024 state championship run where she anchored the team’s 5-3 win over Kaukauna in the state semifinals which ended the Galloping Ghosts 108-game winning streak.
Baker’s high school career was filled with accolades. She set a state record with 18 strikeouts in a state tournament game, earned All-State First Team and All-District First Team horrors, and made multiple All-Conference Teams, and recorded 295 strikeouts with a 0.66 ERA her senior year.
She labeled her freshman season at Butler a success.
In 26 appearances, she recorded a 3.60 ERA, went 11-5 as a starter and earned two saves. In 97 1/3 innings pitched, she gave up 50 earned runs and recorded 69 strikeouts, walking 56.
The biggest adjustment she had to make was figuring out the batters.
“There were no batters who were easy,†she said, “There were no breaks in the lineup. It was just power, power, power. I had to be on my A-game for every batter and every pitch.â€
Over the course of the Butler’s 26-22 season, Baker prospered.
Against Villanova, she threw a complete game, striking out eight. She allowed eight hits but only two runs, and Butler claimed a narrow 3-2 triumph.
“I was just having a really successful game and everything was working well. I was really confident in what I was doing,†she said.
Butler won two of three against Villanova. Prior to that, the Bulldogs dropped three consecutive games to Creighton where Baker only lasted one inning in a start, gving up five earned runs, five hits and issuing three walks.
“I took that and just built off of it,†Baker said. “That was good to learn and mentally to adjust.â€
Now, Baker will look to carry lessons like those, and the experience she gained as freshman into her sophomore year in a different setting.
“I want to build on my sequencing and how and why we set up for each pitch,†Baker said, and added she wants to become more explosive on the mound.
Baker ended her season with three complete-game wins where she recorded a season-high eight strikeouts in each one. She also earned Big East Freshman of the Week honors three times.
“It was a learning experience for sure, but it set me up for this next year. I know what to expect, and I know how to get through it†Baker said.
From Indianapolis to Chicago
After the season, DePaul’s second-year coach Liz Bouck-Jagielski reached out to one of Baker’s previous travel softball coaches about Baker joining the Blue Demons.
“From our first conversation, I knew she was a perfect fit. Her immediate commitment shows the trust she has in our vision. Gwen embodies the hunger we need to elevate DePaul back to the national stage and I have complete confidence that she will deliver results,†Liz Bouck-Jagielski said in a press release.
Baker wanted a change of scenery for multiple reasons.
“I didn’t decide until after the season was over and I was reflecting,†Baker said. “I decided that I wanted to be closer to home. The distance (from Butler) was far and it was hard to get home.â€
“They (DePaul) have all the things I need to become successful. They’re building. I want to help a team become successful and prove everyone wrong. Just how we beat Kaukauna, I want to be that team.â€
