Ooltewah High standout Sarah Kelley signed a softball scholarship Friday afternoon with Carson-Newman College.
Kelly served as Ooltewah’s designated hitter as a sophomore and played a key role in the Lady Owls’ march to the Class AAA state championship. She played third base last year, and this year will be Ooltewah’s shortstop.
“Sarah is 17-years-old, and she’s worked hard for 14 years to get to this point today,’’ Ooltewah coach Norma Nelson said. “She was instrumental in us getting to the state and winning the state two years ago. I’m proud for her and I’m sure she’s going to do great things at Carson-Newman.
“Sarah has hit the ball better each year for us. She makes good contact and she has a little power. And she’s a great defensive player. She’ll play as a freshman at Carson-Newman. They’re getting a great player.’’
Kelley signed in the Ooltewah High library, where she was surrounded by her Ooltewah teammates and several teammates from her summer team, the Fury, which is coached by Pat Moyer.
“I really liked the team chemistry and the coaches at Carson-Newman,’’ Kelley said. “It’s a religious school, and that was very important to me. It’s just a really good school.’’
Kelley hit .398 last year for the Lady Owls with 25 RBI, two home runs, nine doubles and one triple.
(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)
Sarah Kelley.
- Photo2 by David E. Gamble