Chelsey Hayes: Focused on the Finish Line
Chelsey Hayes, an athlete, a student, a sister, a daughter, a friend, and a girl with determination, passion, and drive. Chelsey began playing softball at the age of four years old. Growing up, Chelsey experimented in playing other sports, but softball had always been the most enjoyable and created fond memories for her.
“My dad caught for me a lot and I would pitch outside on the road in front of my house.”
Chelsey spent most of her softball career pitching up until her sophomore year of high school. When she began playing in the outfield in the eighth grade, she soon discovered that was her favorite place to be on the field. Soon after coming to Whitworth she moved to first base.
“I prefer grass. I still love [the] outfield, but now that I’ve had more practice at first I feel more comfortable now.”
But academics are the main drive for Chelsey and she is determined to do well academically while playing softball at Whitworth. A nursing major, Chelsey has high expectations for herself and continues to stay focused and find time to balance her academics with softball.
“I have pretty good grades. Having to compete with others in nursing in GPA’s and grades has made me more focused.”
Although drawn to Whitworth initially for softball, Chelsey says that coming to Whitworth has been the perfect balance between academics and softball. Before being contacted by the softball coaches, Chelsey had never heard of Whitworth before, but soon became fond of Whitworth’s campus once she visited during her senior year of high school.
“I think that if I would have gone o a DI or DII school it would have been more of a focus on softball and less on academics.”
Chelsey plans on attending nursing school next year and would like to work at a hospital as a pediatric nurse in her hometown of Puyallup, Wash.
Outside of her academics, Chelsey is enjoying time building friendships with teammates and classmates, and when she has time, creating lasting memories through her hobby of scrapbooking.
