Chambers-Book returns to SIUE after marriage, baby
Haley Chambers-Book arrived at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in 2013 and immediately began mowing down the competition. She was named the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and just kept getting better.
As a junior, she was first-team All-OVC and OVC Pitcher of the Year. As a lead-off hitter, she led the Cougars offense in batting average (369), on-base percentage (.457) and slugging (.610). She set single-season records for hits (69) and hit by pitch (13) and she was also tied for team lead in home runs (9).
It seemed as if she was gearing up for a stellar senior year in 2016 but life happened.
“We had a huge wedding,” said Chambers-Book with a huge smile on her face. “My husband is from a very big family. It was wonderful, we planned it all out from the beginning to the end and it was my dream wedding. It was everything I ever wanted.”
The nuptials took place in Indiana and according to Chambers-Book, it was a huge party. Her husband, Collin, played baseball at SIUE and both teams attended the wedding. Along with getting married, Chambers-Book also gave birth to her son, Wyatt.
“He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me,” said the pitcher. “He has shaped me into a better person than I can ever imagine so I’m very blessed.”
Just because she got married and had a baby didn’t mean she was going to stop playing. If anything, having Wyatt pushed her to complete what she started. Her husband graduated with his degree in December and she will be graduating in May. Not to mention, her final season is off to a record-setting start.
On Feb. 11 against Louisiana-Monroe, she set the school record for career strikeouts. She finished the game with 14 to push the record to 748. Over the weekend, at the Plainsman Invite, she went 8 innings against Auburn, the No. 2 team in the nation.
Head coach Sandy Montgomery says that she has one of the top pitchers in the country, potentially an All-American, and is throwing just as hard as two years ago.
“She’s going to continue to get better,” said Montgomery. “The biggest thing for her right now is she’s more mature. She’s married and has a baby and she understands that life has a perspective and softball is a part of it but it’s not the only thing and I think that helps her get through the tough times in the game.”
Chambers-Book is using that maturity to lead the Cougars not just from in the circle and at the plate but she was also named a team captain. Her determination and new mentality will hopefully lead the Cougars back to the OVC Championship and into the NCAA tournament.
“I have a very different mindset now than my junior year,” she said. “I looked at coming back to this as my job. It’s paying for my school, I’m getting my degree and I have to put everything into this. It’s my last year and I’m giving it everything I have.”
