BENTON – Benton High School had a plethora of Panthers sign their National Letters of Intent on Wednesday afternoon at the Benton High School cafeteria. A total eight inked their names to continue their athletic careers at the next level.
“This is a great day to be a Benton Panther,” Benton baseball and golf Coach Mark Balisterri said. “I know Coach (Dwight) Fite used to say that all the time, but you look out here and see these young men and women and the accomplishments they made and are making, it’s just a great day.”
Baseball seniors Jesse Barker (University of Central Arkansas), Caleb and Logan Easterling (Crowder College), Jackson Husky (Ouachita Baptist University) and Peyton Pallette (Arkansas Razorbacks) all signed and baseball’s full story will be in Saturday’s edition.
Also signing was senior golfer Parker Wilson (Lyon College), Panthers basketball player Carson Cates (Henderson State) and Lady Panther softball player Hallie Braley.
HALLIE BRALEY - Texas A&M - Texarkana
Braley inked her name to play for the Texas A&M - Texarkana Eagles, which played its inaugural season this past year and finished at 19-19, 14-10 in the Red River Conference.
“Her hard work and dedication she shows every day has led her to the next level,” Benton softball Coach Heidi Cox said. “She brings so much joy to our program with her huge personality and contagious smile. She definitely adds light to any day.”
Braley said she considered UCA and Henderson State, but the Eagles were the team for her.
“I thought it was a beautiful campus,” Braley said. “It’s brand new. They have a great softball program just starting out. I love the coach. Most of my mom and dad’s family are from there, so I thought it would be a great option for me.”
Braley has been a jack of all trades for the Lady Panthers in her Benton career, playing anywhere and everywhere. She batted .220 with three doubles, six runs and eight RBIs her junior year.
“Hallie has been a role player for us for the past three years,” Cox said. “She has accepted our challenge when moving her to new positions and she has shined when she is needed at those. She is a versatile athlete and has contributed to our success each year. We expect her to have a standout year with her exceptional leadership, whether she is on the mound, on the dirt or on turf. It has been a joy and honor to be only a small part of her journey.”
“I play anywhere besides catcher,” Braley said. “I’m definitely a leader on the field. I’m very loud. I encourage. I’m versatile and can play anywhere.”
Braley said that shortstop and third base are her favorite positions, saying, “That’s my favorite side of the field.”
Planning on majoring in kinesiology to become an athletic trainer, Braley said she’ll never forget her hometown.
“I’ve been at Benton all my life,” she said. “I’ve played softball since my freshman year. It’s been an amazing experience here. Benton’s a great school and I love it here.”
CARSON CATES - Henderson State University
Cates will be taking the short trip south to Arkadelphia to become a Henderson State Reddie.
“I’ve known Carson for a long time now,” Benton basketball Coach Dexter Hendrix said. “It seems like just the other day I was growing up with his brother playing a lot of basketball. Carson was just a little guy running around, so to see him grow up to not only be a great basketball player, but to be an even better person is something really special for me to be a part of.”
Cates said he received interest from Hendrix College and Lyon College, but that Reddie Coach Jimmy Elgas was speaking his language.
“The coach really sold it for me because he values hard work, really over anything, and he knows I’m a really good kid, values the classroom, values how you do out in public, not just on the court,” Cates said. “The court obviously does matter, but what really sold it for me is when he offered me because it’s not only because of your skills on the basketball court, but because you’re going to become a better person at Henderson.”
Henderson State, a member of the Great American Conference (NCAA Div. II), went 14-14 last year and is off to a 3-0 start this season. The Panthers mirror that 3-0 start as Cates averaged 6.8 points per game his junior year and is currently at 5.0 PPG in the early-going this year.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure for me and Coach (Dwaine) Fishburn to see this young man grow up and be able to be his coach for the past three years,” Hendrix said. “Not only does Carson represent our basketball program in a great way, but he represents his school district, high school in just a wonderful way. The way he takes care of business in the classroom, the way he handles himself just talking and communicating with people in the community, he’s exactly what we want a Benton Panther to be.”
“It’s been really team-centered for me,” Cates said of his Panther career. “Before anything else, I just want the team to win. That’s the main thing. I just try to lead how I can, try to talk on defense, help everybody out, communicate and hit shots when I’m open. Handle pressure as well, being strong with the ball.”
A tall 6-5 guard, Cates plans to major in biology to become a physician’s assistant and considers himself a strong leader.
“Shooting and communication, being a really good leader and helping everybody out,” Cates said of his strengths. “If they’re in a bad situation, I’ll help them out. If they make a wrong choice, talking back to the ref or something, I’ll go over and calm them down.”
PARKER WILSON - Lyon College
Wilson will be heading north to Batesville to become a Lyon College Scot. Wilson said he visited Williams Baptist, but Lyon was the place for him.
“I liked the college and the coach,” Wilson said of Williams Baptist, “but I just really liked Lyon a lot better. I really liked the campus and they have two great courses up there. I really liked the coach, too. He specializes in course management, which is one of the parts of my game that I really struggle with.”
According to Balisterri, Wilson may not have been the greatest golfer his freshman year, but his hard work and determination made him much better, especially his senior season as Wilson shot under 80 all year.
“When he was a ninth-grader, Parker Wilson was a great young man,” Balisterri said. “He was one of those guys that got on your nerves because he wanted to do real good and he was like a pest. You hear of gym rats, well he’s a golf rat. He stayed on the golf course day after day, and by the time his junior year came around, he showed potential to be one of the best golfers on our team and one of the best in the state.”
Wilson, who plans to major in business administration or marketing, earned All-Conference this past season, missing All-State honors by just one stroke.
“He did a great job for us,” Balisterri said. “He had a great year.”
After a tough start to his career, Wilson had a scoring average of 74.6 his senior year.
“My 10th-grade year, I was varsity going into the first tournament and hurt my back going into the first tournament and was out for the rest of the year,” Wilson said. “My 11th-grade year, I started as the three man and moved up to the two man halfway through the season and went back to three going into state. I had a rough state tournament, but my senior year was pretty much steady all the way through. I struggled a little at state and conference, but still had some pretty good scores.”