Tom Bailey came to the United States from Perth, Australia, in the fall of 2010 to play baseball at Dakota State before transferring to Wayland Baptist in the fall of 2011. Since then, the junior pitcher has seen limited time in his native country, having to be away from his family during Christmas, Thanksgiving and other major holidays, only going home for a short couple months during the summer.
Recently, Tom's parents planned on surprising him by sending his dad, Ken, to pay his son a visit, but because Tom is a pitcher they needed to know when he would be due to take the mound.
Last week, Bailey was talking to his parents on Skype and they were asking a lot of questions pertaining to his next start on the mound for the Pioneers. When Tom explained that he probably would throw on Saturday against Lubbock Christian in the regular-season finale, it was determined right then and there that Tom's dad would make the journey to America.
“I wasn't even sure if I was going, but my wife just said, 'You're going,' ” Ken explained. “At midnight (Australia time) I was talking on the phone and by 1 a.m. I was packed and checked into a flight.”
Ken left Perth at midnight on Thursday, and 36 hours later arrived in Lubbock, Texas.
“I had an 8½-hour hour layover in Sydney, so it was a pretty long trip,” Ken said. “I texted Tom not to come pick me up from the airport, that I would find a way to Plainview so that he could get some rest for his game. I guess it didn't go through, though, because I was standing there talking to some people and all of the sudden Tom was right there next to me. There were big smiles and hugs when I saw him.”
Before last Saturday, Ken had not seen his son pitch in person since 2009, and he said getting to watch him was “fantastic.” Ken saw Tom throw six innings of scoreless baseball against the NAIA's fifth-ranked team in the nation. Mr. Bailey also got to see his son play against one of his best friends from back home, LCU catcher Jason Fisch, also of Perth.
Ken got to experience a rowdy cheering section for Tom in his start against LCU.
“Everyone was chanting 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.' It was great,” he said. “They wanted me to join in when they figured out who I was, but I'm superstitious and I didn't want to mess him up since I didn't say it from the start of the game.”
In addition to getting to see his son pitch in the final regular-season game and traveling to Oklahoma where he is staying with some friends and watching the Pioneers compete in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament, Ken has been able to experience some American culture that is much different than what he's used to in Australia.
“The most surprising thing to me is the food portions here,” Ken explained. “We went to a buffet and I was full after just one plate, but a lot of the guys were getting two or three plates and then went to get dessert. I was also surprised at the cost of fuel. It's almost twice as much in Australia.
“We went to Wal-Mart last night and I took a picture next to the gun case, since we can't get them back home. That was cool. You can just walk into Wal-Mart and buy a gun. I was also excited that they had the braided fishing line that I use, and it's about half as cheap!”
Mr. Bailey will get another chance to watch his son pitch before he has to return home. Tom will start against Lubbock Christian at noon on Friday at Bison Field in Shawnee, Okla. in Wayland's second game of the SAC Tournament.
