To be eligible for Rookie of the Year, a player must be playing his first year of competitive softball. All players from the combined professional and amateur competitive leagues are ineligible for the award.
Top Rookie of the Year Candidates:
LF – James Kelley, Houston, 25
SS – Skip Miller, Raleigh, 19
3B – Jack Hudson, Baton Rouge, 21
2B – John Smith, Austin, 20
C – Michael Bowden, Nashville, 22
The Smartest Rookie:
James Kelley, Houston
When James Kelley graduated from Coral Gables (FL) High School in 2005, he was valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA. The All-State baseball player then had to make a choice.
“Easiest choice I ever made,” he said.
That choice? Accept a partial baseball scholarship to Florida A&M or a full academic scholarship to the public university of his choice. Kelley chose academics.
“A lot of people in my neighborhood thought I was crazy,” Kelley said. “They thought I had a great chance to be a professional baseball player, but I couldn’t even make them understand that the big schools like Florida and Florida State didn’t want me for baseball.”
In the end, Kelley attended South Florida University and majored in History. He was also a walk-on player for the Bulls. He saw limited action, but did bat .384 with 3 home runs and 15 RBI in his time at USF.
“It was great there, and I really got to see some great ball players go through the system. I wanted to play more, but I had to understand that scholarship guys were going to get playing time over me.”
After graduating from USF in 2009, Kelley began studies in Florida State University’s history graduate program. He completed his master’s degree in December 2011. While at FSU, Kelley played intramural softball and baseball.
“It’s interesting that I got asked to play in the PASS. I was on three teams. One was a baseball team, and two were softball teams. One men’s only and one co-ed. I was the MVP of the league in all three both years I played. Then someone told me about a tryout for PASS, and I thought, ‘Why not?’”
Kelley plans to pursue a doctorate in Sports History. In the mean time, he is a 25-year old rookie for the Houston Slammers of PASS. He hopes to use his time in the league to help pay off his student loans and pay for tuition in his off-season studies.
While in Houston, Kelley is contending for playing time with a talented outfield. Hayden George and Evan Guerehan are two of the more talented players in the league, and Chris Olson was well known in the Carolinas League of Softball as a great gap and extra base hitter.
“It’ll be tough for me to find field time, but I hope to take advantage of my chances. If not this season, there will be another time when I can come out there and help Houston win some games. In the meantime, it’ll be an exciting adventure to be a part of PASS.”