Hixson High School has hired Kaiti Kelley as its new varsity softball coach. Kelley succeeds Jayme Miller, who resigned at the end of this season.
Kelley, who has been on staff at Hixson the last two school years and will be teaching her own classroom in the upcoming school year, interviewed Tuesday for the position. Athletic director Michael Smith confirmed the hire.
"I had heard the current softball coach was resigning, so I went to the athletic director and said, 'If this is true, I'd be interested,'" Kelley said.
Kelley's coaching experience began with a year as an assistant to Beth Keylon at Chattanooga State. Kelley then was a head coach of a summer softball team for a year. After a stint as the middle school head coach and high school assistant at Chattanooga Christian, Kelley has been the middle school head coach at Boyd-Buchanan the last two seasons. She's a 2006 Boyd-Buchanan graduate.
"I am so excited," Kelley said. "It's a dream come true for me to be a high school head coach. To be at a place where I'll be teaching, and a place I sincerely love, is going to be great."
As a player, Kelley helped the Lady Buccaneers advance to Class A state finals in her first three years and a state sectional as a senior. She went on to play on successful college teams at Chattanooga State and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Kelley, who is on target to earn a master's degree next May, said she wants to have the Lady Wildcats competing for the District 6-AA championship on a yearly basis. She's hopeful loftier goals could be on the horizon.
Smith said Hixson is giving players' parents an opportunity to meet with Kelley this morning at 9.
"Every great head coach got his or her start somewhere with their first head coaching position," Smith said. "She showed a lot of enthusiasm when our athletic department committee interviewed Kaiti. We're excited to have Kaiti as part of our staff, in the classroom as well as on the field. We think she's going to do an outstanding job."
Smith noted that Miller, whose last name was Putman when she played at UTC, resigned because she has plans to start a family and also work on getting her master's degree.
"We hate to see her go," Smith said. "By the same token, we understand that she's moving forward with things that are important in her life."
Contact Kelley Smiddie at sports@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/KelleySmiddie.