Today we spotlight a player who’ll stay instate to play in the SEC and has become such a prolific hitter that some are whispering she could break home run records in college…

Name: HALEY BEARDEN
Grad Year: 2015
Pos: 1B/C
High School: Clarksville (Tenn.)
GPA: 3.8
Club: Tennessee Illusions
High School Stats: 2015: hit .426 with seven home runs, 14 doubles, 49 RBI, 19 walks and a .690 on-base percentage; 2014: hit .464, 19 homers, 73 RBI
Honors: All-State, All-Regional, All-District (softball and basketball), All-Academic (softball and basketball), All-Area Offensive MVP
Height: 5-foot-11
College: Tennessee

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FullCountSoftball.com: You grew up a life-long Tennessee Vols fan, do you remember what led you to love the program so much?
Haley Bearden: It was watching the girls on TV and attending the winter camps in Knoxville.

FCS.com: Getting the official offer must have been one of the greatest moments of your life! Take us back to when you first found out you had a scholarship offer…
HB: It was the summer before my junior year in high school and I was so excited that my dream to play for the Lady Vols was actually coming true!

FCS.com: What was the time between offer and your commitment, it couldn’t have been long! Tell us how you told the Weeklys you’d be wearing their colors…
HB: It was not much time at all! They offered and ask if I needed time to decide and I told them that I knew what my answer was already: “Yes, I wanted to be a Lady Vol!” How often does your actual life long dream come true? I did not even think twice about my answer!

FCS.com: What did the Vol coaches say they liked most about you and your game?
HB: They told me they liked my quickness on the field and my hitting ability.

FCS.com: You’ve also had great success in basketball, earning All-District Player of the Year honors while averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds per game… which is greater, your love of softball or basketball?
HB: My love for softball is definitely first.

FCS.com: Any thoughts that you might wander over to the Vols hardcourt to shoot some baskets in college?
HB: Probably not because I will not have much time between studying and softball workouts.

FCS.com: You were pitched around a lot this year after a huge junior year. Was that frustrating or did you get used to having to lay off bad pitches?
HB: I did get used to it, but it is annoying to just stand at the plate to get walked.

FCS.com: You caught most of your career and switched to first base this year… how did the switch go? Which position do you like most and where do you think you’ll play in college?
HB: The switch was not too bad for high school because during travel ball I have always played first or catcher, especially if we had multiple games. I will play in any position that they need me to play.

FCS.com: This year was different in another way—going from No. 3 in the line-up to leading off. Did you adjust your hitting style at all or did you just play the same as always?
HB: I played the same, for the most part—whatever it took to make a difference.

FCS.com: Talk about coming from Tennessee and playing all over the country against athletes from big states, be it California, Georgia and Texas… how is Tennessee ball comparable and different?
HB: I think it is all the same in today’s world. The East Coast athlete has more opportunities now to play and work out in the winter months than she did just a few years ago. The West plays year-round so before they always had the better players.

FCS.com: What’s an area of your game you want to work on this summer?
HB: I would like to work on my mental game; that to me is the most important thing when you are on the diamond.

FCS.com: You’re a competitor—what is more powerful: the sting of a loss or the euphoria of a big win? Why?
HB: For me it’s the euphoria of a big win, but the sting of a loss is also good for you every now and then. I think a person must learn the sting before they can be a true winner.

FCS.com: What’s been the highlight of your athletic career so far (or top 2-3)?
HB: There are several: my first home run at age 12, my first grand slam and also playing at the University of Tennessee field and hitting it over the fence!

 

Quick Hitters

 

If you weren’t an athlete, what would you spend your time doing?
I’d be an actress, I loved my drama class in high school.

Fill in the blank… when I walk on the field, the first thing that comes to mind is: _______________
Win as a team!

What’s one thing you wouldn’t be caught dead doing:
Cleaning up after my dog.

Best advice you’ve ever received:
Believe in yourself and the rest will follow.

If could go anywhere in the world for a week, where would you go and why there?
Italy, because I have family there that I have never met.

What’s something unusual or different about you that few know?
My right arm is a little crooked from a break when I was young.

What’s a personality trait someone may have that bugs you?
When someone snores before I can get to asleep.

What was the last thing you cooked (and when was it)?
Toast… this morning.

If you could have a super power, what would you want it to be?
Invisibility.

Favorite color:
Pink.

Favorite celebrity:
Carrie Underwood

If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?
My Pawpaw because I could tell him about my softball and he could be proud.

What did you want to be when you were little?
Veterinarian.

Nickname(s):
Hales.

Something on your “must do” list:
Skydiving.

What is your hometown/area best known for and what makes you proud to say you’re from there?
Ft. Campbell Military Base and the 101st Airborne Division.