The Future of Baylor's Midfield: How Olivia Hess is Turning Opportunity into Ownership
Olivia Hess wasn’t expecting to walk into Baylor and be the starting central midfielder from day one. She was even a bit surprised at how quickly she was living out a dream at only 17 years old. Not just starting, but playing 80 minutes per game across the whole season for a Big 12 team that would go on to make the third round of the NCAA Tournament. It’s not what she expected, but it is what her head coach expected, at least from how the 2025 Baylor Soccer team was constructed.
So how did Hess meet the expectations that she might not have known existed? And how is she planning to follow up her freshman success in her sophomore campaign? The answers start with her approach to the 2025 season and come to fruition in how the midfielder has approached the start of this season.
“I think coming into college, I was like, ‘I hope I'm going to play. I really hope I'm going to play,’” Hess said in an interview with SicEm365. “For me, just getting to the D1 level was a great accomplishment, and I was satisfied. But I think being able to play and start made me feel at peace that everything I did paid off. But yeah, I would say I was a little surprised. But I did everything I could to earn it. So it's like … it wasn't a fluke.”
Nervousness surrounding a big life change is very natural. The move to college is one of the classic examples of this, so Hess’ tension about how much she would see the field as she jumped up to the college game makes sense. But after former Bear Skye Leach transferred to Kentucky and Michelle Lenard didn’t add a transfer midfielder with a box-to-box profile, Hess was the primary option.
“The intention from the beginning was for Liv to be our box-to-box playmaker,” says Lenard. “We were counting on her to do that. We felt really confident that she was going to be able to do that.”
Now this wasn’t the first time that Lenard has put a lot of faith in a freshman. Both Augustyn twins were starters from day one as freshmen and remained pillars of the Baylor starting lineup for the next four years. That is part of what Lenard and her staff saw in Hess when they recruited her, with Michelle making it plain that after just one season, “Liv is the future of our midfield, no doubt, and we can build it around her.”
When told about the above comment from her head coach, Hess had great perspective.
“It's kind of crazy because I've worked so hard to get to this point in my life and play college soccer, and it's like my dream is finally coming true. And just like hearing that from my head coach specifically has just been like music to my ears … I’m just so grateful for everything she's done for me.”
But Hess’ dream wasn’t realized just because Michelle Lenard put the opportunity in front of the Prosper, Texas native. There were expectations to meet and a new level of the game to adjust to.
So, Hess went about living up to these expectations and fulfilling her dreams in a very grounded and persistent manner. She spent extra time working with her position coach, Cole Ouren, reviewing film and seeking out constructive criticism.
“That was very helpful for me. I'm very open-minded, and I would say I'm a coachable player. So I think that's what really elevates me. And I don't really let my emotions like get to me in that type of thing because it's important to be professional.”
That professionalism extended beyond the film room to the practice field, where Hess focused on “giving 110% effort, even on the hard days” because she did not want to let her teammates and coaches down. There is a maturity in understanding how to improve yourself at the same time you commit wholeheartedly to the betterment of a group. That maturity, or balance, even escapes some actual professional athletes. To hear that a freshman had such a mature approach helps explain the on-field performances of last season.
“Olivia is a professional in her own right,” says Baylor assistant coach Cole Ouren. “She has very high aspirations and came in to Baylor already with that. It was really just helping guide her. She already had the direction, the drive, and the focus.”
Hess quickly showed that she belonged on the field for the Bears, scoring the winning goal against No. 17 Mississippi State. That goal and her overall performance would bring her first collegiate award, Big 12 Freshman of the Week. As the season went on, Hess scored two more goals and registered two assists while starting all 23 games and finishing with the sixth most minutes on the team. After the season ended, she was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team and ranked 15th-best freshman in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer.
“It was kind of awesome because it was like, ‘Wow, I didn't know people know I exist,’ because there's so many freshmen out there. So it was just a crazy feeling, and being surrounded by such great supporters with the staff and the players — It's honestly been great. And those accolades, obviously they're great to have, and I'm so blessed to be able to get those, but it's honestly because of my team and how they pushed me. I'm just so grateful for getting that recognition, and it's just been really awesome, and it's just like a feeling I'm not going to forget, especially as a freshman.”
Despite the success and joy and gratitude, that was just year one. If Hess’ dream was just playing Division I soccer, then being a top-rated freshman and starter on a Sweet 16 team would be total fulfillment; then Baylor’s midfield metronome would not be showing the continued drive to find a new level in her sophomore campaign. Hess knew, even during her first season in Waco, the areas she needed to improve the most.
“As the season progressed, I acknowledged what I needed to do. So I needed to get stronger in the weight room. I needed my passes to be more efficient and accurate. So it was just identifying what I needed to fix — or not fix necessarily, but improve on. Because there's always things you can improve on.”
The physical work is only one aspect of the game, though. By the end of 2025, Hess had improved mentally in a way that can’t really be repped to be learned like passes, tackles, first touches, challenges or shots.
“I definitely got more confidence as well. Honestly, soccer is just as much a physical game as it is a mind game. So I think being able to believe in yourself is really important … Michelle believes in me. The staff, my teammates, they all believe in me. I started realizing that through the season, that I'm here for a purpose and I'm going to be the best person and player I can be for my team.”
Her focus and improved confidence endured through the offseason. When the Bears wrapped up their slate of spring exhibitions against SMU in Waco, Hess was the last Bear off the field, entrenched in conversation with her coaches about the game. Her intention, drive and maturity kept her grounded through the noise and pressure that come with the aforementioned accolades, as well as a preseason All-Big 12 Team selection heading into this season.
“I know it's a thing, so I can either let it hold a space in my head, or I can choose to just forget about it and play the way I know how to play. So I think it's a little bit of both [pressure and noise],” said Hess. “With the pressure aspect, it's going to be a little hard just because, as a freshman, we're kind of put into a separate category. But now as a sophomore, you're grouped with the sophomores, juniors, seniors, and everyone else. So it's like, how can I be a difference maker? Especially because I'm not the only one getting those awards … What can I do to differentiate myself in those positions?”
It’s not often you see a talented student-athlete embrace the idea, let alone the challenge, of being graded on a scale. Hess seems to get the bigger picture of it all. And not just as an individual in a sport. Hess is embracing how her role has to grow for her team both on the field and in the locker room. She does play the do-it-all midfielder role after all, so doing it all in every respect must come naturally to the sophomore.
“I want to be that person that [new teammates] can go to if they have questions or anything like that. Then also I want to be someone who's like hype for games and can either bring the competitiveness, or bring peace and calmness to the field. I want to be a person that is versatile and that anyone can go to.”
Taking her professional approach, improving her individual skill, and becoming more of a resource for her teammates — Hess looks to be taking full ownership of this season. Coach Lenard would have it no other way. In fact, this ties in perfectly with the way Lenard framed the 2026 season for her team. It's a blank canvas. Literally, she put a blank canvas in front of her team and told them that last season is just memories. Good memories, but now it has no mark on the new season.
“They got a blank canvas, and it said ‘STANDARD’ on it. So our motto is ‘Live the Standard’. And we all put our handprints on it because we're all committing to it,” said Hess. “We're all in this together … We're all in on it, and we all want to succeed. Obviously, what we achieved last year is great, and they are memories … It's literally a blank canvas, and it's time to make our handprint on this coming season.”
