Hayden Willett, Elizabethtown Baseball Star Dies Days after Signing for Asbury College

Hayden Willett, a star baseball player for Elizabethtown High School in Kentucky who mere days ago signed on to continue his education and career at Asbury College, has unexpectedly died.

Willett’s death was reported on Wednesday, December 18th, 2024 by Sports journalist Nate Bryan, who posted about the unfortunate news on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

As already noted, Hayden Willett of Elizabethtown KY had already committed to Asbury College after a stellar High School career. He signed for Asbury on Friday, December 13th when a photo of himself and other family members at the signing ceremony popped up on social media.

The Etown Independent School District which covers Elizabethtown, shared a photo of Willett at the signing with the caption: “A big shoutout to Elizabethtown’s Hayden Willett, who signed to play baseball at Asbury College,”

The photo showed not just Hayden but other family members including Scott, Kristin and Carter Willett.

Bryan, who reported on the shocking news, mentioned Etown ISD’s post with a simple caption: “Rest in peace, Hayden Willett,”

The news shocked all who came across it and sparked numerous reactions. One netizen admonished Bryan for breaking the news when the family have yet to reveal it themselves.

“I’d appreciate that you let the family put this out when they feel comfortable and you don’t put this out to be the first to post; He was much more than an athlete…he was the best of us; a first class human being! He was a one of a kind…” the netizen wrote.

Hayden was senior at Elizabethtown and one of their star baseball athletes.