Kayla HughesBaylor pitcher Kayla Hughes has accepted a softball scholarship offer from Tennessee Tech University.
Hughes, a junior, made her commitment over the weekend. She previously had traveled with some friends to the Cookeville campus and to participate in a winter camp conducted by TTU coach Bonnie Bynum.
"I hadn't really heard a lot about Tech [before attending the camp]," Hughes said. "I really liked it and the coach told me to come back, so I went up there again in February and just fell in love with it."
As a freshman Hughes contributed some in the pitching circle for the Lady Red Raiders, who won the TSSAA Division II-AA state championship that season. Her pitching load increased tremendously last season, as did her production.
The right-hander, who bats left, went from an 11-4 pitching record with a 2.53 ERA and .244 batting average to 22-5 with a 1.48 and a .333 average. The Lady Raiders were state runners-up last spring, but coach Kelli Smith said Hughes pitched well enough to lead a title run.
"She improved tremendously from her freshman year to her sophomore year, and it was all because of her offseason work," Smith said. "She's so committed to being the best player she can be.
"She understands the game," Smith added. "She came in with a mental maturity that a lot of players don't have early on in their careers in high school. She understands how the team is there for her, offensively and defensively."
Hughes, who plans to major in pre-pharmacy at TTU, said it has been her dream to play NCAA Division I softball. She has two seasons remaining at Baylor, then the opportunity will be hers.
"I'm just going to keep on working hard at getting better with all my pitches and try to pick up a little bit of velocity," Hughes said. "I'll work on my pitching, and my hitting, and try to be at my very top when I get there."
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him at twitter.com/KelleySmiddie.