BY CLIFF SMELLEY
It’s all about new starts for Bradford High School senior Carly Beggs.
Beggs, a former Hope Christian Academy student, transferred to BHS her senior year and became a starting outfielder (right and left) for the Tornadoes’ softball team. Now, she’ll take her talents to Evergreen, Alabama’s Reid State Technical College, which is starting a softball program that will begin play for the first time next year.
“I think this is just part of her journey,” BHS Head Coach Ashley Yowell said, adding, “Starting somewhere new — I think that’s what she’s good at.”
Beggs, who has played softball since her freshman year, said, “I’m very happy for the opportunity and thankful. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s a feeling of, ‘I finally did it.’ I just know that God is really taking my hand through this. It’s Him who gave me the ability to do this. I’m just really grateful to have the opportunity.”
Kent Gilliam, who coached Beggs in travel ball, said when he saw her for the first time, she had never played. She wasn’t very good at that time, he said, but she worked to get better. Gilliam said every time he turned around, Beggs was asking him a question. “How do I do this? How do I do that? Why did this happen? Why did that happen?”
Yowell and BHS Assistant Coach Kevin Blankenship had the same experience.
“She’s not afraid to come to you and ask, ‘Hey, what can I do to get better? What did I do wrong? How can I fix it?’ She always asks questions about the game and always wants to know more.”
When Beggs arrived at BHS, her experience was mostly playing second base, but BHS needed her in the outfield, so she worked hard and asked questions to help her become better in that position as the season progressed.
“Carly’s coachable,” Blankenship said. “She always wants to listen. She always wants to work out at practice to see what she can do to get better.”
Reid State Head Coach Weldon Steadman was able to tell Beggs was that kind of playing from talking to her on the phone for the first time.
“I heard a hunger in her voice that day,” Steadman said. “In every conversation we had after that, I heard that same hunger — that hunger to want to be successful, to want to learn, to want to push forward.
“Ultimately, that is what led me to invite her up for a visit to Evergreen, Alabama.”
Evergreen is a town Beggs said she can feel comfortable in.
“The main thing I like about it is how it’s a small town, so it’s just like home,” she said.
She also likes Reid State because of its size, saying it’s “not as big as a university.”
Another appeal is that she gets to be part of a program that’s just getting its start.
“It’s actually very exciting because I feel like I’m kind of making a mark on history,” Beggs said.
Beggs, who batted .231 during the regular season (23 games) with four doubles, seven RBI and 13 runs scored, said when it comes to successfully transitioning to the college game, she wants to improve her throwing from the outfield. She also wants to work on not letting her mind affect her play.
“I get really in my head sometimes during games,” Beggs said.
Yowell said Beggs already possesses the attribute that’ll help her make the improvements she needs to make. It’s that hunger and desire to get better that Yowell, Blankenship, Gilliam and Steadman all talked about.
“I would say the biggest thing that’s going to help her is her want-to and her not being afraid to ask (questions),” Yowell said.
The BHS coach also said that what she likes about Beggs is that she’s always rooting for her teammates, even if her game’s not going the way she wants it to.
“She wants what’s best for her team,” Yowell said. “She wants to see her teammates succeed. She’s always uplifting. Even if she’s down, she’s always uplifting, always encouraging.”
So, what will it feel like when she takes to the field for the first time with her Reid State teammates?
“I’m definitely going to be nervous,” Beggs said, “but there will be a lot of excitement, I think.”
