[3][4] Bates was born and raised in Ceres, California where she grew up playing baseball with her brother, Jimmy, which earned her the nickname of "Sis".

[5] During her high school years, Bates traveled 12 hours every Sunday to practice with her club team, Firecrackers Rico, in Southern California.

[4] Before beginning her college career, Sis Bates did not even intrigue Heather Tarr, the head coach at the University of Washington.

[7] It was not until a youth softball camp on campus where Sis showed Heather Tarr the impressive range and skills she possessed in the shortstop position.

[2] While playing Alabama in the Super Regional series in an elimination situation, Sis scored the tying runs in the seventh inning to extend the season.

Bates finished her college career with a fielding percentage of .982, the second-highest mark of any middle infielder in Washington program history.

[11] After her first professional season with Athletes Unlimited, Bates took a year off following leg injuries to help coach the University of Washington softball program.

[2] On August 31, 2023, Bates was named to the United States women's national softball team for the 2023 Pan American Games.

[1] Head Coach Heather Tarr emphasized Sis’ importance within the program stating, “...this role allows someone like Sis, to be the glue between our staff and our players.” [1] While coaching at The University of Washington, she preached the importance of one-on-one infield drills, to simply stay consistent with form and basic movements on the defensive end.

[5] Sis strives to make the players she coaches feel as comfortable as possible considering her outgoing personality is a key component to her game.

[15] Sis believes that playing loose creates the best mental and physical environment on the softball field, so she stresses that within her coaching.