Eupora’s Farley joins Embry at Holmes CC
Just last week, big news came across the wire as former Eupora softball coach Trae Embry shocked the state of Mississippi by accepting the head coaching job at Holmes Community College.
Embry had a great career at Eupora before moving on to Neshoba Central for the last eight years where he won a state championship in slow pitch and fast pitch every season. One of his first acts as head coach in Goodman was getting a player he's been watching since her start on the softball diamond.
Eupora shortstop Haley Farley, a member of the Starkville Daily All-area team since eighth grade, signed with the Bulldogs on Wednesday morning in front of her teammates, coaches, administrators and family. It marked the beginning of the end of a legacy of a player that has been a staple in the middle infield and the lineup for the last five years.
“It did come kind of quick, but I got an early start,” Farley said. “I'm happy I made this decision and I think it's the right one. Holmes was close to home, I liked the environment over there and I always wanted to play for Trae Embry. That just set it in motion even more.”
Embry and Farley have both been names that have made a mark on the program at Eupora over the last 10 plus years, but they never got the opportunity to work together.
The coach has had to prepare for Farley in several games during his career the last few years for his Lady Rockets team to come away with a win and he's been intrigued with her skill set. The same can be said for Farley in growing up loving the game of softball and how it was played at Eupora as well as what Embry has done with Neshoba.
“He's always wanted to coach me and I've always wanted to play for him,” Farley said of Embry. “I missed him by two years when he left here and went to Neshoba and I just know he's a really good coach. He developed the whole team at Neshoba so I just want to get better with him.”
Coach Amir Hunt has been a part of Farley's growth from almost the very beginning. He started out as an assistant at Eupora early in Farley's career and then became her head coach the last few years.
The defensive game of Farley is second to none. She's been one of the best middle infield defenders in the state for the last few seasons and has also been trouble at the plate for opposing teams. All of that has come naturally to her, but Hunt has also seen her grow in other areas.
“Haley has always been a good softball player,” Hunt said. “She was one of the best I had ever coached when she was just a 10th grader, but I've seen her grow with her maturity and her work ethic has continued to grow over the past three years. She'll be the first to tell you that there's things that she needs to work on, but she's gotten a lot better and this team has revolved around her defensively.”
It was no surprise that Farley had her pick of softball scholarships this year. Itawamba, East Central, East Mississippi and Holmes were all in contention late in the process, but she wanted to be close to home and win games and she felt that Holmes checked the boxes, especially with Embry now in control.
She'll meet up with two familiar faces when she goes to school in June as former teammate Kylie Richardson is playing on this year's Bulldog team and former East Webster outfielder Josie Reed is there as well.
Farley has already picked up some vibes that excitement is in the air in Goodman.
“A couple of players have told me that they're really excited and doing better,” Farley said. “They just found the starters they want to keep on the field and they're getting wins early this year already. I just want to be a part of that.”