LADY EAGLES ALL-DISTRICT centerfielder Shelby Bayless signs a letter of intent to play at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville. Pictured are: front, l-r, Landis Bayless, Miss Bayless and Edie Bayless; back l-r, Lady Eagles assistant softball coach Ron Harris and head coach Kerry Hand. The top hitter for the 2009 Fairfield Lady Eagles, centerfielder Shelby Bayless, signed a letter of intent last week to play softball at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville.

In signing to play softball, Miss Bayless made a choice to set aside cheerleading, for which the school also offered her a scholarship.

"It's small and it felt like home there," the athlete says. "I'm very excited."

Miss Bayless, 18, also tried out at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens before making her choice.

The athlete lettered four years in softball at Fairfield high school, earning second team All-District honors as a freshman and first team honors the next three years.

She did that in spite of missing part of a couple of seasons with ankle and foot injuries.

"I had injuries in almost every sport I played," the 18-year-old notes.

Miss Bayless led the Lady Eagles in batting this spring, posting a .526 average with 20 hits in 38 at-bats, five of them for extra bases.

Her most impressive offensive statistic is that she struck out just one time in district play and only three times during the season.

The 18-year-old was recruited by Lon Morris as an out fielder.

The athlete also played volleyball for the Lady Eagles, earning three varsity letters. She was named second team All-District as a junior student and was district Defensive Player of the Year last fall.

When not competing on the field or court, she participated as a member of the FHS varsity cheerleading squad three years, and as a junior varsity cheerleader one year.

Miss Bayless plans to major in elementary education and will transfer to a 4- year university after completing two years at Lon Morris.

If things go well at Lon Morris, she will consider whether she wants to continue playing softball.

Outside athletics and cheerleading, Miss Bayless was a member of Interact Club.

She is the daughter of Landis and Edie Bayless of Fairfield.