Columbia Academy middle infielder Hays Carley will enter his senior season this spring without the burden of having to wonder if it will be his last after signing a scholarship to play at Jones College Jan. 5.
Carley, who was named The Columbian-Progress’ Offensive Player of the Year last season, said having the opportunity to play college ball means everything to him.
“It’s just amazing. It’s a dream come true really,” he said. “It’s always been a dream for me to play college ball somewhere — I didn’t know exactly where though. When you’re little, you think like big D-1s like Southern Miss, Ole Miss or (Mississippi) State, but since I’ve gotten older, I’ve always dreamed of going to Jones.”
He hit .448 with two home runs, seven doubles and triples, 13 RBI, 16 stolen bases, 29 runs scored and a 1.187 OPS during his junior season. His offensive prowess was on full display during an April 2021 against Amite School Center when he hit for the cycle in a 5-for-5 performance that included him driving in five runs, scoring five runs and stealing two bases.
“The kid has worked his tail off all his life,” Cougars head coach Keith Stanley said. “He’s made a lot of strides since he was a seventh grader. We’re all proud to see all the hard work pay off, and that shows the younger kids in the program what happens when you work your butt off.”
Stanley added he believes the sky is the limit for Carley at the next level because of his exceptional work ethic and bat-to-ball skills. Carley always displayed the ability to make a lot of contact, but Stanley said the work Carley put it in the weight room allowed him to turn a lot of line-outs into base hits and a lot of singles into extra-base knocks.
“The work he puts in is unmatched. I’d be willing to put him up against anyone in the county with how hard he works. You come up here on a Sunday after church or after lunch, and every Sunday I’ve been up here, he’s been here doing something, working,” he explained. “The weight he put on from sophomore to junior year helped him develop some power.”
When Carley visited the Ellisville campus, he said he immediately felt at home and loved the coaching staff, which includes his former CA teammate Chance Forbes.
Carley thanked all of his coaches, his family and God for helping him reach his goal to play collegiately.
Jones recruited Carley for a utility role to play in both the infield and outfield. He said the ultimate goal is to play well enough to earn a scholarship to play at a four-year school.
