At the young age of 4, Reed Hamilton began his journey as a baseball player. Hamilton’s dream has always been to play baseball professionally and now, he’s one step closer to that dream by signing to play at the collegiate level at Blue Mountain Christian University.
Hamilton’s senior year got off to a shaky start after an injury at the start of the season. He missed seven weeks nursing that injury, but battled back as the playoffs were approaching and played 17 games before the team finished in the Elite 8 during the playoffs. Hamilton had 63 plate appearances, 43 at-bats and had a .350 batting average for the 2025 season. He hit two home runs and had 14 RBI’s.
Hamilton says all of his life, his parents, Amy and Brian Hamilton, have been by his side, encouraging him and pushing him to be better.
“They have always been there for every ballgame. Took me every weekend for travel ball when I was younger. They have been my biggest supporters, and I couldn’t have done it without them. My dad has a great love for baseball. He and I, and my brothers were always in the yard throwing, working on ground balls or pop ups, or hitting into a net all the time growing up. We still do,” Hamilton said.
As he has played baseball throughout the years, Hamilton says his dad has been the person that built his love for baseball.
“He coached my brother, Tal and me from a very young age,” Hamilton said. “He always made me ‘play up’ with my brother even though he was two years older so he could coach us both. We still love to enjoy the game together. Whether it’s one of us playing or watching the Braves together.”
Hamilton also credits Red Bay Coach Donovan Hand for being very instrumental in coaching and critiquing him.
“Their (his dad and Hand) love for the game made me love it more,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton says he definitely will remember the memories he has made with his team- mates.
“We were all super close and had the same goals,” Hamilton said. His favorite memory that will stand out the most is when the team made it to the final four his junior year. Hamilton says that the atmosphere is what he’ll miss most about playing baseball in high school. He said, “(There’s) Nothing like the atmosphere of any high school sport.”
Hamilton said that if he had a chance for any “do-overs” he would have worked harder to achieve his goals.
Hamilton said it means a lot to him to be able to continue his baseball career, especially after battling back from his injury this past season. He said he didn’t know if it would be possible for him to play the rest of his senior season, much less get the opportunity to play in college. He knows the competition will be tough, but he’s ready to take it on and thinks he can handle it.
As far as his plans for continuing his education, Hamilton is undecided at this time, but turf management and business are some considerations as well as maybe coaching one day.
And for those younger players just starting out, Hamilton’s advice is, “Never give up and don’t let anybody discourage you from doing what you want to do.” Hamilton closed in saying, “I would like to first thank God for allowing me to be able to play the game. He has truly blessed me in life, and I owe it all to Him. I have also had great coaches along the way. Coach Hand and his staff are some of the best! They always made practices fun but challenging. I felt like I could go to any of my coaches and be totally transparent and they would always give advice in any situation. I also want to thank my family. They have always been nothing but supportive, even when I decided to transfer schools going into my 10th grade year. They have traveled and supported (me) throughout my whole baseball career and I don’t see them stopping now. They are always there with advice and support. They are truly my Number 1 fans.”
