The college recruiting process can be tricky. Coaches scour the state, heck the whole country, trying to find the best players for their particular sport. Recruiting is that important in every program.
However, sometimes high school athletes do the same. They go hunting for the ideal college or university, the best coach, and ultimately the best program for them as a player. Clarkrange High School standout Haydan Copley knows just what that’s like.
Copley, a star pitcher for the Lady Buffalo softball team, found what she was looking for an has signed a national letter of intent to play next year at Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens. The big event took place last week at the high school.
“I was proactive and I actually reached out to a few schools,” said Copley, the daughter of Jaime and Chad Copley. “I got a really late start, because I really wasn’t for sure if I wanted to play in college or not.
“It’s kind of hard to get on a roster if they’re already full. Tennessee Wesleyan was still looking for a spot and they made me an offer. I went and visited and toured.”
Copley had conversations with several schools. Besides Tennessee Wesleyan, she also considered the University of the Cumberlands, Pellissippi State, Cleveland State and Roane State Community College.
“Tennessee Wesleyan was kind of the leader of the pack from the beginning,” Copley said. “They were the first ones that got back with me. And I fell in love with the campus, and the coach. And the girls were really sweet.”
Copley said she was looking for a couple of specific things when she was looking for a school. She wanted a school that was close to home and had her major choice of dental hygiene.
“It is close enough to where I can come home on the weekends,” she said. “Wesleyan also has one of the better dental hygiene programs so everything worked out.”
Copley began her career with softball at a very young age. She had family members that played softball and she fell in love with it. She shined in the youth leagues, middle school, travel ball and, eventually, a star position with the Clarkrange High School team.
“I like the competitiveness that is part of softball, and how you have to work as a team, and it brings everybody closer together,” Copley said. “I really like to win. At the end of the day, it is not all about winning, but I don’t like to lose. It’s just getting out there and playing your best and still competing.”
Copley said she’s been excited about being a part of the Clarkrange program. She would have liked to see the Lady Buffs win a few more games. However, she thinks the addition of first-year coach Brittany Cooper will play dividends for the team in the long run.
“I think my senior year was probably the best season I’ve had. A lot of that credit goes to Coach Cooper,” Copley said. “She really made a big impact on the team and encouraged us a lot. And we did something this year that we haven’t done in my last four years. And we beat one of the most rival teams that we’ve had in Red Boiling Springs.”
Since Copley has a couple of months before she arrives at Tennessee Wesleyan, she said she’s going a lot to do to be prepare for college softball.
“I’m definitely going to play travel ball this summer because that’s a lot more competitive and you’re going to get people that are already committed to colleges or getting scouted,” Copley said. “I will definitely keep going to lessons as much as I can over the summer. And I will definitely get in the weight room.”
Copley said she’s heading to Tennessee Wesleyan with the goal of playing as a freshman. However, she knows it will be difficult. The Lady Bulldogs are one of the top teams in the NAIA, having won 117 games over the last four years.