Kalei Harding

Personal: Harding is the daughter of Sherry and Kelly Harding. She majored in sports management with dreams of becoming a director of operations. She lists Ellie Cooper, player development director for Florida State softball, as a person who has made a difference in her life. She models her game after Shay Knighten. In addition to playing beach volleyball and pickleball, she also enjoys cooking dinner at times.

2024 Championship Season: Harding accrued 1,140 leaderboard points during her second Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball season, including 860 win points. She also registered 220 stat points and 60 MVP points. Harding earned a starting assignment in 13 games, posting a .237 batting average with nine hits, including three doubles and two home runs. She drove in seven runs and scored three runs. She posted at least one hit in 8 of 15 games. Harding secured MVP 1 commendation and a season-best 190 leaderboard points after blasting a three-run home run against Team Lorenz on August 12. She also posted a 2-for-4 effort with a double against Team Kilfoyl on August 10. Harding tallied 100 or more leaderboard points in a game seven times, including in all three contests during Week Three.

2024 AUX Season: Harding claimed a share of 18th place with middle infielder Erin Coffel on the final leaderboard after accumulating 950 points, including 730 win points and 180 stat points. She reached 100 or more leaderboard points in a game five times and received starting assignments in all 12 games as a rookie. Harding had a .316 batting average with 12 hits, including three doubles and three home runs. She set a new Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball AUX single-season record with 17 runs batted in and also drew five walks. Harding was one of four players in the league to hit two home runs in a game with two blasts against Team Nickles on June 25. She hit safely in eight of the first nine games, including a two-hit performance against Team Alo. Harding set an Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball single-game record after driving in nine runs against Team Nickles as part of a 3-for-5 effort in an extra-inning loss, also securing a season-high 170 leaderboard points in a 13-12 setback. Additionally, she received MVP 3 notice on June 11 against Team Wiggins after hitting her first professional home run, a three-run blast in the first inning, and added a 2-for-4 performance against Team Alo on June 17.

At Florida State: Harding was a four-year letter winner at Florida State who started 246 of 251 games from 2021-2024. She compiled a .311 career batting average, and accumulated 57 career doubles, which is the second-highest total in program history. Harding is third in Florida State history with 46 career home runs and ranks fourth on the Seminoles’ career ledger with 208 runs batted in. She amassed 236 hits while scoring 168 runs for the Seminoles. Harding earned NFCA All-Southeast Region distinction as a sophomore and senior, and was a four-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer who received First-Team status as a senior. She also claimed a pair of Third-Team commendations, in addition to being named to the All-ACC Second Team as a sophomore. 

Harding was a three-time ACC All-Tournament Team honoree. During her senior season, Harding started in all 61 games, hitting a career-best .342 with 15 home runs and 65 runs batted in. She also had 66 hits, including 14 doubles, while drawing a career-high 27 walks. Harding spent time playing left field, right field, third base, and first base during the 2024 season. She matched the Florida State single-game record by driving in seven runs against Charlotte on February 9, 2024, and blasted a pair of home runs and scored twice against the 49ers. 

Harding went 4-for-5 with two runs scored against UCLA on February 16, 2024, and posted a 3-for-3 effort with two runs scored and two runs batted in at Pittsburgh on March 23, 2024. As a junior, Harding hit .311 with 10 home runs and 48 runs batted in, guiding the Seminoles to an NCAA Women’s College World Series berth. She posted a 3-for-3 showing with two doubles against Purdue during opening weekend, driving in four runs and scoring twice, and belted two home runs against Arkansas on February 17, 2023. As a sophomore, Harding appeared in all 61 games for the Seminoles with 60 starts, ranking second on the team with 15 home runs while pacing the squad with 54 runs batted in. She finished the season with a .304 batting average and 11 doubles and was named ACC Tournament MVP after hitting a home run in all three of the Seminoles’ contests. 

Harding hit a pair of home runs as part of a 3-for-4 effort against North Carolina on April 17, 2022, and drove in four runs while scoring twice against the Tar Heels. Harding earned a starting assignment in 58 of 62 games as a freshman, leading the Seminoles with 42 runs batted in while batting .278 with 10 doubles, six home runs, and three triples. She posted a 4-for-4 performance with three runs batted in against Georgia Tech on February 18, 2021, and led Florida State to victory over Oklahoma in the first game of the Women’s College World Series Championship Series by going 3-for-4 with a home run and four runs batted in. Harding also posted her first career multi-homer game at Syracuse on April 18, 2021, with a pair of homers.