As players begin trickling into Lovelace Stadium for practice, a bat’s distinctive dings can already be heard in the batting cages adjacent to the field.
Arriving early to practice as usual, redshirt sophomore outfielder Molly Rainey is focused on perfecting her craft at the pitching machine. She has been at North Texas since spring 2021, carving out a role in head coach Rodney DeLong’s offense and outfield alignment.
Dedication to improving is something teammate and senior infielder Tayla Evans said has defined Rainey since day one in Denton.
“She shows up every day early and she gets her extra reps,” Evans said. “I trust her at the beginning of the lineup. She gives me good feedback on what my approach [at the plate] should be when I get up there.”
Rainey has started all 14 games in 2022 before Wednesday’s contest against the University of Texas-Austin. The second-year outfielder has three home runs to her name and a walk-off base hit that came on Feb. 18. While starting the season back at the top of the lineup, DeLong has recently placed Rainey lower in the order.
“Her versatility helps us,” DeLong said. “We moved her to the five hole and she’s done really well there. […] She’s got power potential.”
Following a four-year career at Byng High School just outside her native Ada, Okla., Rainey accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Central Florida in 2019 – exactly 1,200.2 miles from her home.
Rainey made her collegiate softball debut in her first season on Feb. 16, 2020, versus Florida Atlantic University after sitting out the first 10 games of the season. Stepping into the box for her first collegiate at-bat, Rainey hit a home run over the center field.
“[The home run] was one of those moments when I was waiting for my opportunity and my number got called,” Rainey said. “I was like, ‘OK, I’m just going to go in here and see ball, hit ball.’ […] It was a great way to start a career.”
Rainey took the field three more times at Central Florida before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the remainder of the NCAA softball season on March 12, 2020.
Without competitive softball for nine months, a 20-year-old Rainey made the decision to enter the transfer portal in December 2020 following her third semester of college. Rainey said the decision came after being homesick since leaving Oklahoma.
“Going into college, I [wanted] to go far away – I wanted to just experience life,” Rainey said. “Then I left, went to [Central Florida], then I was [ready] to go back home.”
As college coaches began calling Rainey to gauge interest, DeLong said he contacted her. An Oklahoman himself, he was familiar with Rainey from her high school playing days in the state.
“I watched her play [travel ball],” DeLong said. “I’m good friends with her travel ball coach from high school. I definitely think the relationship that we had with her travel organization helped [create] the relationship with us and her.”
On Jan. 9, 2021, North Texas officially announced Rainey’s transfer on Twitter. Rainey made her debut for the Mean Green a little over a month later versus Nicholls State University.
In her first season with North Texas, Rainey played in 25 games with 24 starts and had a .286 batting average. She typically batted leadoff or second in the order. Rainey’s first full campaign ended on April 3 after she broke her wrist diving for a ball in left field.
“Last year was just to come in and play softball, just go do [my] thing,” Rainey said. “I feel like [in 2022] I am one of the older players with a bit more experience with three years under my belt.”
With the Mean Green, Rainey has a chance to play against the school she grew up 70 miles southeast from, the University of Oklahoma, on April 20. With Sooner fans in her family, Rainey said she already has relatives reaching out about coming to the game.
After taking a detour to Florida, Rainey has found a home closer to home at North Texas.
“It’s a great opportunity to be here close to home,” Rainey said. “Since I’ve been here it has been a great atmosphere for me.”
Featured Image: Molly Rainey practices her swing on March 8, 2022. Photo by Maria Crane