Get to know Bearden HS softball player, Knoxville area resident Abby Kelton
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — First baseman Abby Kelton has her eye on March. That’s when the Bearden High School Varsity Softball Team starts its season.
“One of our biggest rivals is Farragut,” the junior says. “Another is Maryville. Right now we’re in conditioning practice. A TSSAA rule is that we’re not allowed to be on the field practicing in our position until February. But we go to our facility to condition, lift weights and run.
“My head coach is Kenneth Boles and I have four other coaches – Rusty Bruce, Hannah Bruce, Cheyenne Boles and Josie Huff. They have pushed me to be better over the past year than I was before.”
Abby joined the team about two years ago. She had originally planned on going to West, but at the last minute changed to Bearden.
“My freshman year we had an amazing year. We had a varsity team only because we didn’t have enough to have two teams. The majority of the team was freshman. We had to show up and really prove ourselves. We just got thrown into it, but we took it and I think it’s made us better than we were before high school. The coaches ended up moving to Las Vegas.
“My sophomore year and this year we got some new coaches. The class under me started playing. It’s really been a change from being new and a freshman to being one of the oldest on the team and having to take charge and things like that.”
Abby said she got into softball following the influence of two family members. The first was her dad, who had played baseball when he was younger.
“When I was around 3 or 4, my parents, Chris and Amanda Kelton, gave me the chance to play a sport and I chose softball because, in addition to my dad, I had watched my older cousin, Janelle, play. I loved watching her play. I wanted to be just like her. My dad put me in T-ball and I did coach pitch until about 7 or 8 when I played softball. I remember when I first started playing softball I played shortstop and I pitched for a few years.
“I used to play travel softball. It was kind of a year-round thing. I played probably three out of four weekends of every month. It was a lot. I played from about when I was 11 to 15. I decided it was too much for me.
“The past three years it’s been pretty much first base. A lot of balls come toward you and hit the ground pretty hard. I’ve had times when the girls in the infield have thrown balls and they’ve landed on the ground right in front of my glove. I’ve been hit pretty much everywhere. You have to block them up.”
Abby says she would love to play in college.
“I would love to go to the University of Texas in Austin. I went and visited there this summer. I love it down there.
“I’m very competitive. Softball is a way to, if I’ve had a bad day, to go to practice or a game and play and have fun. I love all the girls I play with. We’ve gotten really close over the years. I like the physical part of it. I like to go and work hard. Over time you can see your body change and see how much you’ve improved.”
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