Former Snead State baseball player drowns when kayak capsizes in Lake Guntersville
The body of a former Snead State Community College baseball player was recovered early Monday from the waters of Lake Guntersville near Goose Pond Resort in Jackson County, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Brooks Hardie, 22, of Georgia, apparently drowned when his kayak capsized while he was duck hunting at about 8 a.m. Saturday, according to ALEA.
Witnesses saw him go beneath the water and never resurface.
Troopers with ALEA’s Marine Patrol Division and personnel from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, the Scottsboro/Jackson County Rescue Squad, Rosalee Rescue Squad, Guntersville Fire Department, Crane Hill Fire and Rescue and Logan Fire and Rescue were involved in search efforts throughout the weekend.
The North Alabama Search Dog Association also assisted, using cadaver dogs.
Hardie’s body was recovered about 3:30 a.m. Monday.
He was identified as a former Snead athlete in a Facebook post Monday morning from the school that said the faculty and staff were “deeply saddened” by his death.
Hardie was an infielder/outfielder on the baseball team for two seasons and graduated this past spring.
“He was the true definition of Snead State baseball,” said Casey Underwood, the college’s athletic director and baseball coach. “He cared more about the guy to his right and left than he did himself. He wanted nothing more than to make the guys next to him much better.”
In a subsequent statement released by the college, Underwood said Hardie was much more than a student and baseball player,” he was “truly a friend and brother to his teammates and had a servant’s heart.”
The coach noted Hardie’s “hard-nosed, never-quit mentality that influenced the entire team,” typified by the fact he played most of the 2023 season with a torn hamstring. He called Hardie “the consummate leader, always encouraging his teammates and pushing to be better every day.”
Underwood recalled a doubleheader last May, when Hardie had five hits in seven at-bats, including three home runs, and drove in six runs.
"Watching him play that day with so much joy and excitement went on to spark a nice postseason run for us,” he said. “It was one of those performances you don’t forget.
“Off the field, we grew really close," Underwood said. “Similarities we shared helped us develop a connection, and those things often led to many conversations about life outside of baseball. Through those talks, I realized what a special young man he was."
Hardie was a graduate of Bremen High School. A post on the Blue Devil baseball team’s Facebook page said, “To say that our hearts are broken, would be an understatement. Brooks was the identity of our baseball team for many years.”
It cited “his impact on our team multiple years after he graduated," adding, "The way he prepared, competed and (led) the way will never be forgotten.”
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Former Snead State player drowns in boating accident
