Haven Byerly '23 Recruiting Profile

    As far back as I can remember I have always had a love for softball.  I first began pitching in 10u with my first travel team when they were in need of  another pitcher.  I had to work at it a lot, but my passion for it only grew, knowing I was going to be in control of the game and be able to better help my team if I became the best pitcher I could be. Playing this sport and getting experiences with different teams, players, and coaches has taught me so many different life skills that have made me the person and player that I am. Something huge I have learned from this sport is that I am always trying to be perfect and at times I get too hard on myself over it. I'm working on using this to make myself better and not get down on myself since overall no one is perfect and there is always room for growth. This is also part of the reason why I am interested in psychology as a major. I believe the mental side of the game often gets overlooked, but it is so important for players of all ages.

    Living in such a small town has always been a little bit of an obstacle when it comes to finding the best teams and experiences for me. Even with this I have had so many opportunities and achievements thanks to my parents and their willingness to travel so much extra due to our secluded town. Some of my latest achievements consist of  being added to the UHSAA record book for top 5 most strike outs in an extra inning game (18 strikeouts in 8 innings), being named Athlete of the Week by my local newspaper,  was the only sophomore in  the  3A  division  to be selected for the all state team, being invited out to the PGF Nationals to play with a California team, as well as being invited to play in Oklahoma with a national team from Indiana.   I wouldn't have these opportunities and be where I am without my family and teams. My high school team, Carbon High, which is ranked 3rd in UHSAA state rankings for 3A, my current travel team the  Southern Thunder Elite, which is an up and coming team raising quick in rankings. My team and I are looking forward to going to more national tournaments in the next few years so we can push ourselves to grow and learn.  

I am interested in athletically competitive schools that will help me to pursue a degree in psychology. I am open to traveling for school as I believe that experiencing and learning about new cultures will help me in life. I love this game and hope to play it for as long as I can. In the end I live to be competitive and aggressive on the field, but fun and goofy with my teammates and friends off the field. I have learned to balance my athletics,  school work, religion, family and friends, as I realize that all are important to my success, and time management is key to being successful.