Three hundred twenty-five innings. Fifty games. One pitcher.
For three out of her four years playing varsity softball, senior Haley Tallent has been the team’s only pitcher.
“I can’t imagine a girl meaning as much to a softball team as Haley has to Darlington’s,” said Gus Bell, who has coached the team for 14 years. “It has meant so much to me as a coach and as a person to have had the privilege of coaching her. She expects a great deal out of her teammates, but she would not ask them to do something that she would not do herself. I think Haley epitomizes what a Darlington student/athlete should be.”
Tallent began playing baseball at the age of 6 in her hometown of Rockmart, Ga., and transitioned to softball two years later.
“I thought it would be easier because the ball was bigger and it would be easier to hit, but the first time I got up to bat I found it was really hard,” she said. “I managed to hit the ball, but I was really nervous for a minute.”
Tallent hasn’t looked back since, and when slow pitch turned to fast pitch, so did she.
“Now, I love the feeling I get before a game,” she said. “It is a feeling of nervousness and excitement, and it is always fun to win.”
Tallent began practicing with Darlington’s varsity softball team when she was in the eighth grade.
“Haley has always been mature beyond her years,” said Assistant Coach Penny Braden. “She’s a very well-grounded young lady, with a superb sense of humor, and is the hardest-working athlete and most dedicated player I’ve ever known.”
As a freshman, Tallent was the only player who had experience with fast-pitch softball. She has since pitched at every game.
“My freshman year, I felt that I was sort of pushed to be a leader, because I was the only one who really knew what was going on,” said Tallent, who plays year-round with a traveling team as well. “Since then, I have learned many things, but I think the most important is patience. It is something that I struggle with sometimes.”
But teammate Jennifer Watford, freshman, calls Tallent an inspiration.
“She works so hard and is so willing to help others,” she said. “She is always helping her teammates by answering questions or showing us a better way to do things. She knows so much about the game, from hitting to fielding and how to play different positions.”
Watford met Tallent at the age of 9 and has followed her career ever since.
“I would see her once a week at lessons, and she always had encouraging things to say,” she said. “That means a lot to a 9-year-old to get special attention from an older girl. She would always say things like, ‘I wish I had begun taking lessons at your age,’ and she always reminded me to ‘practice and play hard.’”
Watford felt privileged to be chosen as Tallent’s catcher this year.
“When we started practicing for the team this summer, I told Coach Bell and Coach Braden that I liked to play catcher, and they gave me a chance to catch Haley during summer league,” said Wotford, who also pitches. “The pitcher and catcher have a very special relationship. We must communicate with hand signals. When I set up to the plate, Haley will throw where I want her to. She is a very controlled pitcher.”
Coach Bell felt the same way.
“If we would have had the success that some schools have had, I feel that Haley would be the most-recruited softball player in the area,” he said. “She has endured three losing seasons, and yet she goes to the mound every game with the mindset that she is going to win regardless of who she is pitching against … One of the things that sets her apart from other players is that she puts as much into practice as she does a game. As soon as Haley steps onto the softball field, she is ready, no matter what.
“I have seen her lie on the ground for five minutes after being hit by a line drive that would have knocked any other player out of the game, but not Haley,” he continued. “There may be some softball teams with better players, but there is no player who plays with as much heart and determination as she does.”
While the team may have suffered some losses over the years, Tallent has achieved some personal wins, her most memorable being the no-hitter she pitched against Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School this year.
“[Pitching a no-hitter] had been my big goal for the past four years, so it really boosted my confidence,” said Tallent.
According to Coach Braden, Darlington played a double-header that day. Tallent played shortstop in the first game and pitched a no-hitter in the next to clinch the team’s second win of the day.
“Haley’s parents had promised her a new car if she hit a homerun or pitched a no-hitter any time this season,” said Braden. “[After the game], she immediately called her dad to announce her accomplishment, and she drove a new SUV to school on Monday.”
Coach Bell recalls other outstanding performances.
“There are two games that I will always remember with Haley pitching,” he said. “One of the games was two years ago when she was a sophomore and she defeated Rockmart 2-1 after they had defeated us earlier in the year 11-1. Rockmart was one of the top five teams in the State at the time Haley defeated them.”
The second game Bell noted was a nine-inning game against LaFayette this year that Darlington won 3-2.
It was the bottom of the eighth. The bases were loaded, and Watford was up to bat. She hit the ball over the third baseman’s head to bring home the winning run.
“I can remember while I was on deck and at bat hearing Haley in the background. ’You can do it, Jen. You can do it. Just relax and watch the ball. You can do it,’” Watford recalled.
This year, in addition to Watford, Tallent is joined by freshman pitcher Baylee Tudor. Tallent will graduate this year, and is currently looking at colleges where she can continue her softball career.
“Haley has the ability to play any position on the field and play it well,” said Braden. “She has every potential necessary to play in college. She’s also an accomplished basketball player, and she has picked up the game of golf, too, helping the women’s team win State titles. Haley’s fellow athletes look up to her and respect her.”
Tallent is the daughter of Eric and Dianne Tallent of Rockmart.
