HAYDEN REED
Cameron Baseball
By Buck Ringgold
On March 30, Hayden Reed finally got to play on a baseball diamond once more.
Reed, a senior at Cameron, played his first game for the Yellowjackets on that date after transferring in January from Spiro, where he had been a starter since his freshman year. Due to transfer rules, Reed had to wait until the end of March to become eligible.
In his first game at his new school, he drew a pair of walks as the Yellowjackets posted a 12-7 win against Vian. Though he had to wait several weeks before finally getting to suit up, Reed has liked what he has seen from his new set of teammates.
“They’re encouraging, and they have a lot of respect for each other,” said Reed, who had attended Cameron while in elementary school before going to Spiro. “They’re really good people inside and outside of baseball. … They’re just there for each other, and they welcomed me back for sure.”
Reed can play a number of positions, and even pitch. Of the various roles he serves, he likes playing center field the best.
“I feel like I have a lot of room (in center),” Reed said. “I could track down a lot of balls and make some diving catches.”
Then when it comes to hitting, Reed maintains an emphasis on getting base hits while having a combination of power at the plate and speed on the basepaths.
Reed’s arrival at Cameron further bolsters a Yellowjacket team coming off state tournament appearances last spring and this past fall. He does have state tournament experience himself, as Spiro reached the state tournament in Reed’s freshman season.
Following the March 30 win against Vian, Cameron – ranked No. 6 in Class A-II – moved to 9-5 playing a schedule that included Fort Smith (Ark.) Northside, Stephenville (Texas), Wright City and Dewar, the latter two ranked among the top three in A-I.
“I feel like I can kind of help succeed in that direction,” Reed said. “I think if we stick together as a team family and hit the ball and play your position and everybody plays together and. Have each other’s back, I think should be pretty solid.”
He’s still looking for another place to play baseball beyond this season. One place he is very interested in attending is Ecclesia College in Springdale, Ark., where his older sister Desirae currently plays softball.
Reed played other sports at Spiro, like football and basketball, but noted baseball is by far his favorite to play.
“It’s definitely baseball because I feel like you can kind of enjoy the game more,” Reed said. “Like you can kind of like cut up a little bit, but you can’t cut up too much. And I feel like the bus rides are definitely pretty fun.”
