Hometown Hero: Laney Harris

Photo via Reily Rogers.

After a historic multi-sport career at Walker Valley High School, Lady Flame Laney Harris is used to putting on a show in Bradley County.

Harris is in her third year on the softball team at Lee, but played softball and basketball for the “Lady Mustangs” of Walker Valley High School in her prep career.

She’s been around the Lee softball program from an early age — Harris remembers attending softball camps on campus.

“I went to every camp that I could,” Harris told the Lee Clarion. “I wanted to stay close to home so I knew Lee would be a great fit for me.”

Lady Flames’ head coach Emily Russell remembers, too.

“I thought to myself — Wow! This kid is gonna be really good,” Russell said. “So, I knew about her from a really young age.”

Harris is in her junior year with the Lady Flames — in her career, her 0.280 batting average is one of the best in the conference in that time frame.

Russell noted Harris has a quiet demeanor, but her hard work proves her actions speak louder than her words.

“She is just such a hard-working kid, and so I think that is why she has been so successful,” Russell said.

Playing college ball in her hometown, Harris has helped out in recruiting and making the softball program more appealing to future recruits in the community.

Harris knows how rare it is to play college softball in front of your own family in your hometown.

“Every game I look up into the stands and see my family up there. I know not a lot of people get this opportunity to stay at home and have their family at every game, so I’m very thankful for it,” she said.

Russell points to Harris’ community connections as a way of growing the softball program.

“Laney is a great ambassador for our program. She's a great student. She's well connected in the community and I think she's really pushed our brand forward in the community,” Russell said.

Russell’s sentiments are echoed in the locker room. Junior Annie Ormsby told the Clarion, “[On the field,] Laney is a steady individual and never lets anything get in the way of her passion for the sport. Off the field, Laney is a great friend and someone to count on.”

In the 2021 season, Harris had a career high of 31 runs scored.

In the 2022 season she had 90 assists, placing her in the top 10 in the conference.

Along with putting the work on the field, as an education major she has also been putting the work in the classroom, being named to the Gulf South Conference Honor Roll in 2021 and 2022.