varsity.roanoke.com

Cave Spring's Chelsea Kelley played the final game of her junior year on the Radford University softball field in June.

Pretty soon Kelley will be back at Radford in a Highlanders uniform.

Kelley, the 2006 Timesland softball player of the year as a junior, has made an oral commitment to Radford for first-year coach Mickey Dean, who was hired in early September. The Cave Spring senior made an official visit to Radford on Sept. 23 and committed the same day.

Dean has been the co-head coach of the Chicago Bandits in the National Pro FastPitch League. Dean also assists with the Venezuelan national team.

"The day I came up for a visit he asked me if this was where I wanted to be," Kelley said Wednesday. "I went back home and called him later that afternoon and told him. I just fell in love with Radford. I got to go to class and meet some heads of departments."

Kelley, who led Cave Spring to a national ranking and a berth in the VHSL Group AA semifinals, batted .469 with eight home runs and 48 RBIs last spring as the Knights finished 26-1. As a left-handed pitcher, she had a 15-1 record with a 0.24 ERA, 10 shutouts and 167 strikeouts in 114 innings. Kelley was named the Group AA co-player of the year by the Virginia High School Coaches Association.

She said Radford will give her the opportunity to pitch and play first base.

Kelley will join a Radford program that already includes three former Timesland standouts: junior Cassie Rhodes of Jefferson Forest, sophomore Anne Tatum of Lord Botetourt and freshman Hope Creasy of Christiansburg. Tatum led Radford in hitting and was named first-team All-Big South Conference.

Radford had a 40-22 record, 9-3 in the Big South, last spring. The Highlanders set 13 school records in 2006 and posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in school history.

Kelley spent her summer playing in amateur tournaments for the New Jersey Breakers, travelling to Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and South Carolina. Her college home games will be somewhat closer.

"I didn't really know if I wanted to be this close to home, but my parents have never missed one of my games and they'll be able to come watch me," Kelley said. "That's always nice."

VHSL institutes rule for state golf tourney

The Virginia High School League has adopted a new rule for its state golf tournaments next week, restricting the amount of on-course coaching that is allowed during play.

Each team or player's head coach or designated coach may give advice only from green to tee and after each competitor's ball has been holed out.

In previous years, a coach was allowed to give advice throughout the round including assistance on the greens with putts.

All three VHSL team tournaments are 36-hole events. The Group AA tourney is Monday and Tuesday at Roanoke Country Club. The Group A event is Monday and Tuesday at Piankatank Golf Club in Hartfield. The Group AAA tournament is Tuesday and Wednesday at Bide-a-wee Golf Club in Portsmouth.

The VHSL Girls' Invitational, an individual event, is Oct. 16-17 at Forest Greens Golf Club in Triangle.

Brambleton to close for HV homecoming

Talk about playing defense. Hidden Valley's undefeated football team is now stopping traffic.

The section of Brambleton Avenue between Colonial Avenue and Cave Spring Middle School will be closed for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 6 p.m. Friday to enable Hidden Valley's homecoming parade to proceed from the school to the stadium.

Hidden Valley (4-0) faces Alleghany in a game that begins at 7:30 p.m.