By Thomas Sellers Jr.
In life an older sibling can be the blueprint for a little brother or sister.
One of the first role models for a young child, the achievements and even the miscues of that older brother or sister can help them navigate the journey of life. In the case of Caroline “Carley” Cook, her big bro Steven was always there advising his little sister about life, playing softball and heading to college.
Carley paced herself and took heed to all his wisdom to reach her dream of signing to play softball at Walters State. The Cook children were joined by their parents Tammy and Steve Feb. 2 in the Brighton Gymnasium Lobby for the ceremony of Carley becoming a Lady Senator.
“It feels amazing because I’ve always wanted to go to college for softball and follow in my brother’s footsteps playing the sport,” Carley said. “He also played baseball and I noticed him getting burned out by his senior year. I was really hoping that wouldn’t happen to me and I am so glad it didn’t.”
Steven was a standout for the Covington Chargers, reaching State his freshman year. After graduating in 2015, he decided not to pursue the next level.
“It’s wonderful to see my little sister get ready to head off to college to play softball,” he said. “I tried to be a good role model. I played baseball all the way through high school. She got to see me play and she did all she could do.”
Steven said in recent years his primary duty as a big brother was to keep his sister in a good mental place with the game.
“I just tried to give her good advice whenever she was struggling,” he recalled. “I would just let her know she could push through it and it would be OK.
“Just helping her with practice and letting her know she needed to be seen by as many colleges to have a good opportunity to go somewhere,” Steven added.
Carley’s landing spot is Walters State for Head Coach Larry Saucemen’s Lady Senators. The Brighton product will be heading to Morristown in East Tennessee in the fall.
Sauceman is entering his 25th season at Walters State and he played for the Senators Baseball team back in the early 1980s. Sauceman has coached the Lady Senators to three Tennessee Community College Athletic Association and NJCAA Region VII Tournament titles and three appearances in the NJCAA Division I Softball National Championship Tournament in St. George, Utah. He is also a member of the TCCAA Hall of Fame. In his 24 previous seasons, he won 941 games while coaching 11 All-Americans. Countless Lady Senators have gone on to four-year schools on the NCAA and NAIA levels.
Carley’s selection of Walters State came after a lengthy process.
“She went to several places all over,” Steve said. “We went to Union which was pretty big. I thought she was going to go to Union. We went to Hutchison in Alabama and Vol State.”
Then came the trip to Morristown. Finding a rhythm, Carley was unstoppable at the plate for her audition for Coach Saucemen.
“I have never seen her hit like that before,” Steve said of his daughter. “She was out of her mind — good.”
Carley said maybe the reason for her amazing hitting display was the feeling Walters State, Coach Saucemen and the program gave her.
“I was not really nervous because all my friends said whenever they went to the place they ended up signing to, they felt like they were at home,” she said. “Whenever I kept going on those visits I never felt that until I went to Walters State.
“I’ve always wanted to go away from Tipton County,” Carley added. “I want to get that feeling like I am actually on my own. And I heard they’ve always had a good softball program and they feed into some of the big schools. I do hope to play for a four-year and they have a good forensics program.”
The little girl who started with T-Ball with the boys at 4 years old, eventually gravitated to softball by the age of 7.
“About the age of 9 or 10 we knew she was special,” Tammy said. “It was her drive, her passion and ability to push to do the best she could. She would never give up.
“Our job was not letting her give up, we kept letting her know the right school would find her,” she continued. “And not to stress about it, when the right fit, the college she was meant for would come.”
Carley is the right fit for the Brighton lineup. Lady Cardinals Head Coach Robin Jacobs said he plans to maximize the talents of Cook and her fellow seniors in 2022.
“I told you last year I thought Cook and Brie Howard are the best three/four hitters in the state,” he said. “I’m going to stick with that. She’s a great competitor and leader on your team. You definitely want her on your team and I am definitely proud she’s going to Walters State. That’s a high-level junior college. They’ll play for the State championship and head off to the World Series.
“All of the seniors who want to play know where they’re going to go,” Jacobs added. “Now all they have to do is produce. Four out of the five decided they want to play at the next level. Now let’s go out there and do what we’re supposed to do. We have five good leaders with our seniors and it’s time to play ball and produce.”
With a new league with a few old rivals, Cook said her primary goal in 2022 is simple.
“Out of this year I really hope we win districts this year,” she said. “Since I’ve been here we’ve always been put out of districts by either Hardin County or Dyer County. Since we are changing districts, we’ll have more teams. I’m glad about that because that tells us to put more work in to get to the high level.”
Cook’s hard work has her going to a higher level and she will take the lessons of her brother and support of her parents to Walters State.
“He really told me about always playing with your heart and not with the feeling of it,” she recalled. “Always do what you want to do, do not let anybody else control what you do even in college.
“They always made sure my head was on straight,” Carley concluded. “They always helped me get better at hitting and everything (involved with the game). They may have missed one game since I’ve been playing.”
