SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis Junior Mel Baccay was named the 35th-best prospect in the class of 2016 by the sport website Full Count Softball.

“I was really honored to find out I was ranked 35th,” said Baccay. “I was not expecting to be ranked that high. It is really humbling.”

Baccay hit .312 as a sophomore with 16 runs scored and seven RBI for the Troubadours.

“Melanie was one of the leaders of the Lady Magic that won the Boulder Independence Day Tournament this summer and finished 5th at PGF 16U Nationals. She throws right, hits left and is a triple threat at the plate, able to soft and power slap as well as plus bunt and power hit. Mel has a strong arm, above average speed and is smart on the bases. Her defensive play is defined by her great hands and feet, quick reads on the ball and range in the infield. Coaches rave about her leadership ability and tremendous IQ as well.”

–Full Count Softball Scouting Report

She has been recruited by a host of schools including Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Cal Poly, Pacific, UC Santa Barbara, San Diego State, Indiana, Ohio State, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Central Florida, Northridge, UC Riverside, Long Beach State and UNLV.

But she committed to Michigan State in September of her sophomore year. The Spartans were the right choice for her.

 “I wanted to go to a school far away and have new experiences,” said Baccay. “I visited the campus and everything seemed perfect. The campus is beautiful and they have a good balance between academics and athletics.”

Baccay is happy to have decided her college choice, eliminating the distractions of the recruiting process and allowing her to focus on her game and academics. She will not be eligible to sign a NLI until November of 2015.

 “It was really nice for me,” said Baccay about her early commitment. “It motivates you even more to work harder. You hear a lot about people who commit and they don’t work as hard. You have a target on your back. It also gives me a lot more opportunity to focus on school.”

The St. Francis softball team has begun offseason conditioning, working towards a successful season this spring.

 “Our team has set goals for ourselves individually and as a team,” said Baccay. “It is my last season with this group of seniors. We are going to make it as memorable and successful season as we can.”