Kylie Helm, after her sophomore year, took all the stress out of deciding where to play college softball following her senior season.
Helm, who recently capped her brilliant career at McDonald County High School by earning first-team all-state honors, signed on national signing day Wednesday, Nov. 14, to continue her playing days at Mercer University in Macon, Ga.
"It was really exciting to sign today because I have been committed for over two years," Helm said. "It was right at the beginning of my junior year when I committed. This is a day I have been waiting for."
Helm said Mercer came about due to her playing summer ball with the Tulsa Shootout.
"I go to a tournament in Florida every summer and my summer coach is best friends with Coach DeFeo (Mercer head coach Stephanie DeFeo), Helm said. "They talked to each other and my summer coach told him, 'I have a really good player I want you to watch.' So Coach DeFeo came to Florida and watched me and, about six months later, I was committed."
After a slow start to her senior year, Helm finished the season by hitting .479 with 36 RBIs and six home runs, none bigger than a two-strike, two-out, two-run, walk-off homer to lift the Lady Mustangs to their second district title in Helm's four-year career.
Helm had a career average of .517 with 14 home runs and 142 RBIs. She earned first team all-conference and all-district honors four years, all-region three years and second team all-state as a sophomore to go with her first team honors this season. Helm was also named the Big 8 Conference Offensive Player of the Year this past season.
"Today meant all the hard work and dedication that myself and Boston (baseball signer Boston Dowd) put in is to finally sign our papers was well worth it," Helm said. "This means a lot to the both of us."
Helm was coached for all four years at MCHS by Skyler Rawlins.
"Kylie had a good four-year career for us," Rawlins said. "She led our program on and off the field. She had a lot of success on the field and earned a lot of honors, but you don't see all the work she puts in before practice, at practice and after practice. That is the thing that has gotten her to where she is today -- all the playing and all the hard work. She has been a pleasure for us to coach and been a big part in helping us build the program. She is leaving the program in a better place than it was when she got here. We thank her for that."
Helm is the daughter of Clinton and Kristi Helm of Pineville.
"I want to thank everyone who has ever supported me and helped me through the years," Kylie said.
Helm will continue playing this summer with the Shootout before heading to Mercer where she plans to major in psychology.
Sports on 11/29/2018