Haley Tutor never lost her love for softball.
It”s just that after two seasons of practice, travel, games — repeat — for each of the past five-plus years Tutor wanted a break.
So instead of completing her senior year at New Hope High School on the softball diamond, Tutor opted to work and didn”t play for the Lady Trojans” fast-pitch team.
Her thinking carried over to the next step in her life, as she didn”t include playing softball in her college plans.
Tutor discovered last week just how strong the pull of sports can be — and how quickly plans can change.
On Friday, Tutor realized a tangible reward for all of the hard work in the previous five-plus years when she signed a scholarship to play softball at East Mississippi Community College.
“I feel lucky to have a chance again and for (a scholarship) to still be there,” said Tutor, who visited the Scooba campus earlier in the week.
Last Wednesday, Tutor traveled to Jackson with her mother, Pam, and her step father, Roger Short, to attend the annual PopStar Award banquet. The ceremony recognizes the top three student-athletes in 23 prep sports from across the state. When Tutor won the honor for slow-pitch softball, she never imagined the ripple effect it would have.
It wasn”t until Tutor and her parents were in the car on their way back home that it hit her: She wanted to play softball again.
“After I went to the awards banquet it was like, ”Bam,” ” said Tutor, who worked at Sears in the spring season and had planned to attend Itawamba C.C. “It changed from 100 percent I don”t want to play to 100 percent I want to play.”
Tutor admitted she endured constant questions from people who wondered if she was going to change her mind to play softball in college. She said she didn”t tell anyone — aside from her parents — about her change of heart.
“I wouldn”t let it bother me because I don”t get bothered by many things,” Tutor said. “I really didn”t think about it when they asked. I probably should have because I would have done this sooner.” Tutor hit .597 with 18 doubles and two home runs to lead New Hope to the Class 5A slow-pitch state title in 2010. She also had a .766 slugging percentage, 42 RBIs, and a .984 fielding percentage, and played an integral role in the program”s fourth state championship in a row.
Tutor also was a mainstay in the outfield on the fast-pitch team. Although slow-pitch softball was her first sport, Tutor quickly learned the fast-pitch game and became one of the first players to help New Hope softball build a tradition for excellence in that sport.
New Hope coach Tabitha Beard had hoped Tutor would reconsider her decision, but she knew not to push the issue. She was ecstatic when she learned Tutor had changed her mind, and she was equally emotional Friday about seeing another one of her longtime players take the next step with a game they love.
“Haley was one of the first faces that greeted me here,” Beard said. “She has been a staple for this program, and continued to be. … To watch that progression of her growing up and maturing, it was a joy to see.”
Beard believes Tutor will transition quickly to the next level. She feels she will be able to adjust to facing better pitchers and that she will be able to use her knowledge of the game and her athleticism to play well in the outfield.
EMCC coach Kate Neely agrees, which is why she put Tutor on the protected list of players from her district. She said she tried to stay in contact with Tutor even after Tutor declined a scholarship offer early in the 2010-11 school year. It wasn”t until Neely sent a text message to Tutor congratulating her for her PopStar Award that Tutor got back in touch with her and said she was interested in playing softball.
“I told her if her mind changes there was still a spot for her,” Neely said. “We were fortunate. We knew she was interested, but we didn”t know for sure.”
Neely said Tutor gave a verbal commitment to attend EMCC when she was talking with an academic advisor at the school on her visit. She will follow in the footsteps of former New Hope High teammate DeShuni Sanders, who recently completed her sophomore season with the Lady Lions.
“I didn”t know what to expect (when Tutor visited EMCC),” Neely said. “I was hoping (she was going to say she wanted to play softball again). You never know with young ladies what their decisions are going to be, especially considering she had already told me she was going to be a basketball manager at ICC. We were glad to hear that (she wanted to play for us).”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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