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Bates’s enjoy success together at University of Washington
Bates
The Bates siblings, Sis and Jimmy, filled important roles on the University of Washington softball team this past spring. Sis batted leadoff and played shortstop. Jimmy was a graduate manager on the Huskies’ coaching staff.

The Bates siblings, Sis and Jimmy, got fitted for their Pac-12 championship rings in June.

Sis and Jimmy filled integral roles on the third-ranked University of Washington softball team this past spring.

Sis batted leadoff and starred at shortstop.

Jimmy was a graduate manager.

“My brother and I are best friends and having him at school with me has been such a blessing,” Sis said. “He truthfully is a ball of sunshine and I would not be half the person I am today without his guidance. I am so proud to be Jimmy Bates’ little sister.”

“The Pac-12 is one of the toughest conferences in the nation, and the fact that two kids from Ceres were able to win the conference says a lot about what this community has to offer,” Jimmy said. “We have both been so blessed to have the opportunity to pursue an education at one of the top universities in the nation and hopefully leave our mark within it.”

Sis batted .387 from the plate on the year with three triples, 11 doubles, 77 hits, 30 RBIs, 60 runs and 10 stolen bases in 61 games. 

Bates was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row.

She earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable-mention accolades for the second straight season.

She was also voted a National Fastpitch Coaches Association First-Team All-American for the second consecutive year.

Bates had a .988 fielding percentage. She committed just two errors.

“She has not changed a bit, but the stage on which she has been able to display her talent has,” he said. “There is no way that I could have predicted this when we were playing Wiffle ball together in the street, but she put in the work and no one is more deserving of everything that she has accomplished thus far than her.”

Jimmy moved to Seattle after graduating from U.C. Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in business economics. He’s pursuing his master’s in intercollegiate athletic leadership at Washington.

“Some of my responsibilities included filming practices and games, cutting the film to be broken down by the coaching staff,” he said. “I also set up the equipment necessary for practices and pregame warm-up, and assisted with early work groups and with our youth camps.”

Washington compiled a 52-9 overall record, advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division-I Women’s College World Series and tied for first in the Pac-12 standings (20-4).

“The opportunity to spend a year with my sister helping out a program that we both love was something I could not pass up on,” Jimmy said. “This year has been memorable in so many ways from going to Australia in December, to finishing the year in Oklahoma City, and the fact that we were together for the ride is something that I cannot put into words.”

Sis and Jimmy resided in the same house with other University of Washington athletes in Seattle during the 2018-19 school year.

“Sis and I have always been very close,” he said. “I think it is something we have always taken for granted, but it is not always the case amongst siblings. On top of spending all of the hours at the softball field together, we lived together this past year. Her being there for me made my transition into a new school and new state so much less frightening and easier.”


Siblings Bates
Separated by just two years in age, siblings Jimmy and Sis Bates played integral roles on the University of Washington softball team this spring. Sis batted leadoff and starred at shortstop. Jimmy was a graduate manager.