Who is Bella Dayton? Texas outfielder one of top defenders in country, NCAA Softball Tournament

Pitching and defense wins championships — and postseason games.

It's a sports saying as old as time, but one that is statistically true. And Texas Longhorns outfielder Bella Dayton is proving it true herself this season, as her stellar defense has helped the Longhorns to their first ever No. 1 overall seed in program history for the 2024 NCAA Softball Tournament.

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The utility outfielder, who has a 98.5% fielding percentage this season, has made making plays in the outfield look easy throughout this year. Now Texas will continue to look to its star outfielder as it begins its quest to return to the Women's College World Series for the second time in three years — this time with the hopes of winning it.

Here's what you need to know about Dayton leading into the NCAA Softball Tournament:

Who is Bella Dayton?

Bella Dayton is a senior outfielder for the Longhorns, who ranks not only as one of the Big 12's top outfielders, but also the nation's.

Since transferring from Arizona following the 2021 season, Dayton has started in 144 of the 170 games for the Longhorns. She hails from Wylie, Texas, where she played for Wylie High School. Dayton was ranked as the No. 15 recruit coming out of high school by Softball America (per her Texas softball bio). She also hit .602 with 68 hits and 50 stolen bases during her senior season of high school.

During Texas' runner-up finish in the 2022 Women's College World Series, Dayton hit .350 with three extra-base hits (two doubles and a home run) and three RBIs in the Longhorns' seven games in Oklahoma City, earning her WCWS All-Tournament Team honors.

Dayton currently ranks No. 1 among all of the Longhorns' outfielders in fielding percentage at 98.5%, which accounts for just one error on the season with 65 catches. Among Texas' players, Dayton's 98.5% fielding percentage ranks second on the team.

Here's a few plays of where Dayton making some big time plays in the outfield during the Big 12 Tournament:

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Why did Bella Dayton transfer to Texas?

The senior outfielder transferred to Texas heading into the 2022 season after spending the first two years of her career in the Pac-12 at Arizona.

Dayton, who picked the Wildcats over Ole Miss coming out of college, appeared in 64 games for Arizona and starting 37. She hit .252 with five extra-base hits in two seasons at Arizona, which included the abbreviated 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During her freshman season in 2020, Dayton started in 15 of 20 games, hitting .302 while being one of four players in the Pac-12 to steal 10 or more bases without being caught.

According to The Wylie News, one of the leading factors in Dayton entering the portal and later committing to Texas was wanting to be near family again.

“At first, I didn’t want to be in Texas,” Dayton told The Wylie News in 2023 of her transfer. “I lived here my whole life and wanted new experiences. Being away from home, wasn’t the biggest factor when I decided to change schools, but it became a factor for me. I wanted to think about life after softball and getting the best education I could, but also a school where my athletic capabilities could be seen and matched as well.”

Bella Dayton stats

Here's a full breakdown of Dayton's stats during her career at Texas:

• Career: .329 batting average/.481 slugging percentage/.418 on-base percentage, 121 total hits, 115 total runs scored, 64 RBIs, 35 total stolen bases and 32 total extra-base hits (17 doubles, nine home runs and six triples)

• 2024: .388/.569/.418, 45 hits, 39 runs scored, 27 RBIs, 14 stolen bases and 12 extra-base hits (five double, five triples and two home runs)

• 2023: .344/.438/.413, 33 hits, 38 runs scored, 14 RBIs, seven stolen bases and five extra-base hits (three doubles and two home runs)

• 2022: .276/.442/.368, 43 hits, 38 runs scored, 24 RBIs, 15 extra-base hits (nine doubles, five home runs and a triple) and 14 stolen bases

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Who is Bella Dayton? Stats and more on Texas softball star outfielder