Sydney Bires (2021 P/1B) Gillispie HS & Esprit Metro 02
Sydney made her RISE debut at the Illinois Preseason Preview on February 22nd, 2020 at EC’s Slugger in Peoria, IL. Sydney is a tall framed player with a strong base, and long loose arms (5’11” 175lb). Her long strides and first step quickness propelled her out of the box (3.57 home to 1st), and around the basepaths (13.87 home to home). During batting practice, Sydney showed a repeatable hand load, w/ natural loft in her swing. Her 72mph exit velocity showed off, as she consistently drove the middle of the field. Sydney projects as a middle of the order hitter, w/ home run power. On the dirt, Sydney has plus foot work around the bag, w/ clean accurate throws on the double play. Her infield arm was measured at 50mph. Where Sydney really shined was while toeing the rubber. Her long stride and strong lower half allowed the ball to effortlessly explode out of her hand. Syndey’s loose arm swing and plus feel for pitching, showed a 60mph fastball, w/ good late bite on the curveball and screwball. She commanded both sides of the plate with all her pitches. Overall, Sydney advanced pitching abilities and power will make her an asset for many college programs.
Recently, RISE Softball was able to catch up with Sydney for a brief Q&A:
RISE: Prior to the COVID-19, how were you preparing/ approaching your high school softball season (goals, mindset, etc?)
Sydney: Prior to the COVID-19 announcement, I was anticipating this high school season to be my best yet. I was putting in time with my team six out of seven days a week and would go home after practice and do even more work with my dad in our barn. I had the goal of being the best leader and teammate that my team could use. We had no seniors this year, so I took it upon myself as the oldest on the team to take over and be the leader everyone needed. I was in the mindset that we could make it farther this year than we did last year and I needed to motivate everyone to put in the work to get there. I was just really excited to see what the season could bring. I have been working on increasing control and velocity on my pitches. I was also going to hitting lessons and improving my bat path and exit velocity and wanted the opportunity to prove to my teammates that I was putting in work to be the best player I could be for myself and them.
RISE: What was your initial thoughts once the announcement was made that the remaining school year and all sports are cancelled?
Sydney: Even though Illinois has not announced the cancellation of the remainder of the school year and softball season, I was devastated when I heard the original announcement. However, I still have hope that there will still be a partial season. I sympathize with all seniors who may not get the chance play again. My mind churned over how I will get recruited if I am not playing. Then I realized that this is probably a good thing because coaches have a better opportunity to recruit now, since their teams aren’t playing. I also worried about how it will work if I want to apply to colleges in the fall and haven’t taken a standardized test yet. After I got done worrying about all of the what-ifs, I realized that this is a good thing because I have more time to focus on bettering my skills with less distraction or interference.
RISE: What have you been doing to stay prepared for softball?
Sydney: I have been taking advantage of my parents being home by asking them to help me practice. I am so lucky to have two athletically capable parents that are always willing to help me work to be the best player, and athlete in general, that I can be. They are always willing to catch my pitching, even if it means that my mom has to completely gear up because she is afraid that I will hurt her. My dad throws me front toss in our field and my mom is out shagging the balls while our dog tries to steal them from her. If I’m struggling with anything and need help, I shoot my instructors a text or email without hesitation because I have complete confidence that they are here to help me become the best player I can be.
RISE: What other things have occupied your time during the quarantine?
Sydney: Online classes and homework take priority. After I’m done with my schoolwork, softball is my next priority. However, I have become aware of how monotonous it can get only doing those two things, so I’ve tapped back into my creative juices by getting into painting again. I enjoy painting animals on small canvases that I send to my sister for her apartment. My mom says it looks like she’s living in a zoo that doesn’t smell so bad. Lol. 😊 I try to stay in touch with my friends as much as possible because being cooped up like this can get lonely at times and I don’t want to lose the amazing people that I have in my life right now. I have also tried my hand in cooking and baking. I definitely show a preference toward baking because I enjoy making things pretty and can’t always do that with food. I also enjoy being accompanied by my dog, Piper, while fishing with my dad for blue gill and bass in our pond. I’m just really happy to be spending time with my family doing things we enjoy.
RISE: Favorite Softball Moment
Sydney: My favorite softball memory is from the Pitch for the Cure tournament in the fall of 2019. I have never felt so comfortable doing anything in my life as I did that weekend. We won the tournament. I hit four home runs in the seven games we played and pitched three complete games- one no-hitter. It was quite a weekend and I will never forget how we all came together and enjoyed ourselves while doing what we loved most.
Click here to view Sydney Bires RISE Player Profile