2015 [Junior]: Was seleced a First-Team All-Southern States Athletic Conference member ... earned the SSAC Player of the Week accolade the week of February 23 ... was one of only two players to see action in all 55 games, and started in 50 contests as a junior ... finished second on the team in batting average with a .383 showing, and was also second on the team in homeruns with 11 and RBIs with 46 ... picked up a third-best 54 hits on the year for the team and added seven doubles with a triple and 17 runs scored ... also second on the team in slugging percentage with a .681 showing ... had 15 multiple-hit games with 10 multi-RBI showings ... batted .375 on the year with runners on base, and was 3-for-7 with bases loaded ... she was 24-for-61 (.393) with runners in scoring position, and 6-of-13 (.462) with a runner on third and less than two outs ... posted a .408 average when coming up to the plate with two outs ... made 14 appearances with four starts in the circle, posting a 2-2 record with 45 strikeouts and a 2.78 earned run average ... threw 40 1/3 innings pitched allowing only 16 earned runs on 41 hits ... posted a season-high nine strikeouts against Lindsey Wilson on March 8 ... did not give up a run in her final four appearances ... had two 3-hit perfomances at the plate with the last coming on April 22 against Georgia Gwinnett ... finished 6-for-15 at the NAIA World Series with five RBIs, two homeruns, two doubles and two runs scored ... blasted two homeruns in the game against LSU-Alexandria on February 28 ... finished the year on a 2-for-3 performance with a homerun, 3 RBIs and a run scored to seal the National Championship Game against Lindsey Wilson on May 28 to earn her second ring.
2014 [Sophomore]: Was selected a Second-Team All-American by the National FastPitch Coaches Association … also earned NFCA First-Team All-South Region honors and First-Team All-Southern States Athletic Conference accolades … played in 47 games, starting 41 … ranked fifth on the team in hitting with a .353 batting average … had 41 hits, including eight doubles and seven home runs … had 39 runs batted in, a mark which ranked tied for second on the team … scored 16 runs and walked 23 times … was second on the team with a .603 slugging percentage … also made 15 appearances in the circle, posting a 2-1 record with a 0.62 earned run average and two saves … threw 33 2/3 innings, allowing just 21 hits and three earned runs, while striking out 44 … allowed opponents to hit just .165 on the season … led the team with a .424 batting average in conference play … had five home runs and 24 RBIs in 24 league games … recorded a slugging percentage of .780 and an on-base percentage of .534 against SSAC opponents … was 3 for 4 as a pinch hitter … had a team-high 23 two-out RBIs … had 12 multiple-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games … hit in a season-best four straight games on three occasions … connected on a pinch-hit three-run homer at Southern Wesleyan on March 15 … was 3 for 3 with a home run, double, four RBIs and a run scored against Coastal Georgia on April 5 … had a double, a home run and three runs batted in against Southern Wesleyan on April 19 … launched a pair of home runs and drove in five in the NAIA National Championship game against William Carey on May 29 … threw a season-high 5 1/3 innings, matching a season-high with eight strikeouts against Reinhardt on Feb. 21 … had eight strikeouts in three perfect innings of relief against Culver-Stockton on March 8.
2013 [Freshman]: Earned a spot on the SSAC All-Freshmen team after a standout year both at the plate and on the mound for the Warhawks … appeared in all 57 games, including 56 starts as a hitter … finished with a .324 average, 12 home runs, 46 RBIs, 10 doubles and a team-high 22 walks … her home run and RBI totals both rank second in AUM single-season history … knocked in an AUM-record eight RBIs against Embry-Riddle on March 18, finishing Game 1 of the doubleheader 3-for-4 with two doubles, a homer and two runs scored … also had a pair of doubles in her AUM debut against Thomas on Feb. 17 … drove in five runs at Spring Hill on March 28, including her first career grand slam … added four more RBIs at Emmanuel April 12 … had eight multi-hit games … belted two homers in the NAIA tournament, with long balls against Lindsey Wilson (May 14) and Reinhardt (May 27) … as a pitcher, tallied an 8-4 record with a 2.13 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings … registered her first complete game against Point on Feb. 27, allowing one run and striking out 12 batters … was dominant at Emmanuel on April 12, racking up 14 strikeouts in her only complete game shutout of the year … pitched a complete game win over Spring Hill on April 24 to help AUM earn its first ever SSAC West regular season title … led the team with three saves, closing out wins against Southeastern (March 13), Warner (March 15) and Embry-Riddle (March 18).
Prep: Graduated from Trinity Presbyterian School in Montgomery … lettered in softball, basketball and volleyball for the Wildcats … was named all-metro and honorable mention all-state in her final two seasons … earned 3A All-State First-Team honors as a senior ... led the Wildcats to area championships in 2009, 2011, and 2012 (team was the runner-up in 2010) as well as regionals in 2012 … recorded 50 victories from the pitcher’s mound, along with 632 strikeouts … at the plate she hit .408 with 22 home runs, 37 doubles and 147 RBIs … made the Dean’s List in 2012 … also earned the Barnabas Award, which is presented to the team’s most encouraging player.
Personal: Full name is Kayla Elaine Hale ... was born on April 2, 1994 … is the daughter of Mike and Kane Hale … has a younger brother, Tyler … is majoring in elementary education … her parents both played sports at Wallace Community College in Dothan, Ala. (father – baseball, mother – basketball).
