Upon seeing the tattoo of Sweeney Todd on Utah middle blocker Bailey Bateman’s right leg, many ask her why she got it. Even while she’s on the court, she hears comments from fans about it.
The reason for getting that tattoo? Because she’s never seen someone do it before.
“It makes me laugh,” Bateman said of the talk surrounding the ink. “It’s always a conversation starter. I wouldn’t have gotten it if I couldn’t handle people yelling about it. But Sweeney has no meaning. I just wanted it on my leg.”
Other than the tattoo, Bateman has become known for her performance on the volleyball court. She leads the Pac-12 in blocks with an average of 1.52 per set, helping the Utes lead the conference as a team early in the season.
While her abilities on the court are certainly valuable, there is much more to Bateman as a person.
“Bailey brings a lot of good energy, and she is gregarious,” said Utah head coach Beth Launiere. “She likes to have fun, she is loud, she likes to celebrate and tell love stories. I always told her since she was a freshman, up to now, she is going to affect people around her one way or the other.”
Launiere admitted that such an effect hasn’t always been positive. Early in Bateman’s career it was a struggle for her to keep control over her emotions. With tendinitis in her knees, she has struggled having to be off the court to recuperate, which often affects her when she plays.
“She would get down on herself a lot,” Launiere said. “She wears her emotions and she has such an effect on people that we needed to make sure that it was positive effect. Because of her strong personality, there comes a lot of responsibility.”
One of the unique ways Bateman controls her emotions off the court is through her art, a passion she developed while simultaneously pursuing her volleyball career. Perhaps ironically, Bateman doesn’t perceive herself the same way that her coach and teammates do and said that art brings out a different side of her than the outgoing one Launiere described.
“I’m not a people person,” she said. “I don’t go out and do a bunch of things. I like my ‘me time,’ so I have always just drawn when I’m alone … getting better at it makes me appreciate it more.”
During that time alone, Bateman’s thoughts most often turn to her family, who live in Hooper, Utah. The oldest child of Brett and Monica Bateman, she is particularly close to her only sibling, her younger brother Blake.
“Growing up, I never really thought of her as just a sister,” he said. “I consider her the best friend that I could ever know. She just has always been there for me, and I love her. I always have her back and try to understand [her]. She is the greatest person I have ever met, and she is super funny.”
Bateman feels similarly about her brother.
“He was always my pal,” she said. “He would be the one with me playing in the ditch or swinging on the tree swing. Me going away to college has made our bond stronger. He is my little buddy.”
That more tender side of Bateman is one her mother said sometimes gets missed by others.
“People think she’s a rough and tough girl, but she has always been extremely shy,” Monica Bateman said. “If someone were to approach Bailey, she is one of the sweetest young ladies. Once you make a friend with Bailey, it’s for life.”
Bateman gives credit to her teammates for helping her come out of her shell and become a more supportive and outgoing member of Launiere’s squad, not to mention an aggressive player on the court.
“It’s the relationship I have with my team, because I know my team supports me no matter what,” she said. “I mean, once they see me succeed on the court, my team lifts me up.”
Teammate and fellow middle blocker Eden Frazier said the same thing about Bateman.
“She is easy to talk to, and she is super funny,” Frazier said. “Even though we have the same position, I don’t feel like it’s a competition between her and me. But she has a close group of people, and she doesn’t really branch out. She has us and her family.”