Caleb Hampton
Caleb Hampton, a Baylor School dual-sport athlete, has committed to the University of South Carolina.
The oldest of four boys born to Patrick and Sherinda Hampton, Caleb threw his first baseball at age three, spending much of his playtime at Bobby Dunn Park in Harrison. By the time he reached the fifth grade, his father witnessed his son’s talent and potential in a variety of sports and enrolled him in Gerald Riggs Jr’s Beast University to further develop his football and baseball abilities.
With mentorship, practice and prayer, Caleb’s athleticism skyrocketed, taking him far while attending Baylor Middle School where he scored nine touchdowns in a single game. As a high school freshman, Caleb became a standout athlete in football and baseball. He also won his first Bridge City weightlifting championship at age 12 under the tutelage of Baylor’s strength and conditioning coach Brice Johnson.
Today, the 15-year-old Baylor School sophomore and his family celebrate his various achievements, including ranking Perfect Game’s No. 1 Outfielder in Tennessee and the #49 ranked overall player in the 2023 class. His accolades drew attention from several institutions: Middle Tennessee State University, Vanderbilt University, University of Tennessee, Louisiana State University and University of Alabama, to name a few. The Hamptons spent the summer visiting campuses in search for a program that suited Caleb’s athletic pursuits as well as his academic ambitions.
Caleb has committed to a baseball offer from the University of South Carolina - a return to his family roots. As a hospitality and sports management major, he says he hopes to open a sporting facility to help young kids train and pursue their athletic dreams.
“If you work hard every day on your goals and dreams, they can come true,” he says.
Caleb’s mentors speak not only of his athletic prowess, but of his positive attitude.
“Caleb is everything you want in a son. He’s a hard worker, he’s tough, he’s smart, but more importantly he’s a great kid,” says Gerald Riggs Jr, founder of Beast University. “Spend five minutes with him and you immediately realize he’s going to be successful.”
Riggs Jr says he acknowledged Caleb’s mental and physical gifts as far back as elementary school and says his future is bright. “South Carolina is getting a great one in Caleb Hampton.”
Mentor Chap Roger Woods spoke of the humble spirit he witnessed in the aspiring athlete.
“Vince Lombardi once said ‘the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.’ This is the epitome of Caleb Hampton,” Woods says. “Caleb in the Bible along with Joshua (one of Caleb’s brothers) had a different spirit. That is humility. The best is still yet to come for him. To God be the Glory.
“As parents we are proud of all of our sons, we just want our boys to be an example that you can grow up in Chattanooga with big dreams and accomplish them by putting God first, listening to great mentors and working hard,” says Patrick Hampton, Caleb’s father. “We are proud of Caleb for doing just that.”