You can’t miss the tattoo on Bella Dayton’s left arm.
It covers the entirety of the inside of her left bicep. The black letters with green trim are written in cursive Italian to honor her family heritage. The quote is from the Italian-born explorer Christopher Columbus, and it translates to read:
“You can’t cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
It is an important message, but when Dayton transferred to Texas in her sophomore year, to play for the Longhorns softball team, she lost sight of the importance of patience.
“Bella was very concerned about her own processes and [how] she played the game and their own results,” Head Coach Mike White said. “She was trying to prove herself to get into the program.”
Dayton has been on quite a voyage over the past few years.
She grew up outside Dallas in Wylie, Texas, and was the No. 15 ranked prospect by Softball America. In high school, Dayton was a two-time Texas 6A District Offensive Player of the Year. She was also a three-sport athlete, being involved in softball, basketball and track.
Softball always stood out to her largely due to her oldest brother, who played both JUCO and Division II baseball at Western Texas A&M.
“Just watching him do his thing and how confident he was and just the hard work he put in, I just watched what he did and reciprocated it,” Dayton said.
When her high school career concluded in 2019, she decided to leave her own state and play softball for the University of Arizona.
At UA, Dayton integrated into the program quickly. She started in 19 games as a right fielder and three in left. She hit .302 in 43 at-bats and led the team in stolen bases with 10, the most by a Wildcat freshman since Chelsea Suitos in 2013. However, the season was cut short due to COVID-19 and the Wylie native decided to come back to her home state to play softball for the Longhorns.
“Transferring is definitely a hard experience for all and everybody goes through their own situation,” Dayton said. “But transferring and knowing what I was looking for and making it happen is definitely just a situation in itself.”
In her first year at the Forty Acres, Dayton dropped in productivity. She hit .276, a .26 drop from the previous season.
Even with her playing below expectations in the regular season, she took off running in the postseason after hitting .350 with three extra-base hits and three RBIs over seven games. Her production earned her a spot on the WCWS all-tournament team, her first accolade as a Longhorn.
“She’s a competitor and she’s driven,” freshman pitcher Teagan Kavan said. “I know she’s going to make plays when it matters and make plays for me when the game’s on the line.”
In the following season, Dayton exploded as her batting average went up to .344 in 96 official plate appearances. She earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Tournament team and scored the third most runs of anyone on the Texas roster. She also got on base the third most of all starters, a testament to her growing patience.
“The one who’s louder, the one who puts in all the work and the one who brings it at the end of the day is the one who’s on top,” Dayton said.
In her senior year, Dayton has found a role as a leader. White has seen her in the outfield working with the younger outfielders and she has worked to build good relationships in the locker room with the younger players.
“Bella is quiet at times, but someone said she’s the most genuine person you’d know and I agree with that,” Kavan said. “The more I’ve gotten to know her, she opens up and is just a great person off the field and on.”
In her final season, Dayton is slashing a .400 batting average on 24 hits in 60 at-bats. The senior has started in 28 of 31 games as well, stealing seven bases and batting in 11 runs. She’s also getting on base in over half of her at-bats, proving her growth as a patient batter.
“It’s my last season so [I’m] throwing everything out there and letting everybody know that time goes fast,” Dayton said. “[I’m] making sure nothing goes left unsaid and that everybody knows how it’s supposed to be.”
As she looks into her post-college plans, Dayton aims to get Italian citizenship so she can represent Italy’s national softball squad.
But for now, Dayton is setting sail on one important mission: hoisting an NCAA trophy.
“A big aspect of my life is looking to play for the national title,” Dayton said. “When I’m gone and when the seniors are gone we want [the program] to be better than we found it.”
