College moneyball

PINE BLUFF -- When Carlos James accepted a job to coach baseball at Arkansas-Pine Bluff almost five years ago, there wasn't a long list of good reasons to do so.

There was only one -- proximity.

The Golden Lions had yet to post an overall winning season since moving to Division I, nor had they posted a winning Southwestern Athletic Conference record since rejoining the league in 1997. They had no on-campus home -- the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex wasn't finished -- less than half of the 11.7 scholarships allotted to Division I teams, and a slim recruiting budget that would get smaller.

But James, a Pine Bluff native who was a ball boy for the UAPB football team as a child, didn't balk at the challenge after three seasons managing Arkansas-Monticello. At the very least, he thought, he was coaching the game he always played in the town he held so close.

"I knew it was going to eventually be good," he said while watching a recent practice. "I didn't know how good. I didn't know how fast. All I knew was, this is what my job was and to try to come here and put something together that the school and the city could be proud of."

The Golden Lions lost 12-1 Wednesday night at No. 12 Ole Miss, but the bigger games begin today in northeast Louisiana. UAPB is 17-22 overall and 13-5 in the SWAC as it enters the biggest series of the season at Grambling State (22-20, 15-5). The Golden Lions, who have won five consecutive SWAC series, were a half game ahead of the Tigers for first place in the SWAC West, but their series against Southern was rained out while Grambling swept Prairie View A&M.

UAPB is trying to make up the Southern series, but today could be the final conference series of the season, meaning a UAPB sweep would give it a third consecutive division title.

"It's a standard we set," said James, whose first team in 2011 won eight games. "We used to say the championship goes through Pine Bluff, but that means it's going to leave. So we just say it's our standard."

It's a lofty standard, considering with what James has to work.

UAPB's total athletic budget for the 2014-2015 athletic year, the latest numbers available, was under $6.6 million, which ranked eighth out of the 10-team SWAC, according to a USA Today database.

Its budget for baseball in that same year was $272,998. To break it down further, James got 6.46 scholarships to divide among 26 players for last year's team, according to UAPB's latest NCAA financial report. His recruiting budget was $155, which was more than he got in the previous three seasons when he was provided no money from the school to recruit. He had $1,291 in 2010 before it was cut completely.

Despite the limitations, James assembled a collection of players he called "the best team I've ever coached." It included two players who were drafted by Major League Baseball teams in June and finished 25-16 overall -- which included victories over Mississippi State, Missouri and Kansas -- and 17-6 in the SWAC.

That team didn't get to play in the SWAC Tournament because of NCAA sanctions rooted in the way UAPB certified its athletes, and it led to a tough summer. James didn't have a contract until late August, and he considered leaving the school for the first time. He said some recruits got away as a result. Eventually, James got a new contract worth $95,000 per year, and most of his players with returning eligibility stuck around.

The players who went through last year's sudden end -- its final game was the victory at Kansas -- say that drives them now.

"That team could have gone as far as it wanted to go," left-handed pitcher Blake Estep said. Estep is from Choctaw, Okla., and began his career at Penn State, then went to a California junior college before settling in Pine Bluff last year.

Humberto Medina, a sophomore right-hander, was also added to the team last year in a class without a recruiting budget. He grew up in downtown Salt Lake City, within walking distance of Utah Jazz basketball games. He accepted a 30 percent scholarship without having seen the campus or meeting James.

The reason came down to finances, he said. Medina is getting almost a third of his school paid for by an athletic scholarship and the rest by an academic scholarship. His other offers were private NAIA and Division II schools, he said, and he couldn't afford the difference between his baseball scholarship and tuition.

"Never a risk," he said. "More of an opportunity. They're just willing to give me a shot on just hearsay, because I know they never came out to see me. Maybe they saw a video somewhere."

That's how James does a lot of his recruiting. Without a budget, he can't go to junior college or high school games or showcases. Instead, he watches videos online and talks to recruits on the phone. He also relies heavily on contacts he has in Arizona, California and Texas.

Catcher Jacob Columbo arrived at UAPB this year from North Lake Community College in Irving, Texas. James had never seen him play either, but Columbo played for a club team coached by Basil Shabazz, the former Pine Bluff High School legend with whom James remains close. James signed Columbo without watching him swing a bat or throw a ball.

"Once Basil told me the kid could play, that's all I needed," James said.

He has to be selective. He'll spend most of his scholarship money on pitchers and catchers, then he recruits shortstops and center fielders because they can be taught any position. To make sure people are exposed to his program, he seeks out midweek opponents whose games will be on the SEC Network or ESPN3.com

The method has risks, but without an outlet to see players in person, James doesn't have a lot of options.

"We have to be right more often than not on kids," he said. "You get them in, and you try to teach them the 'we concept'. If you can get guys to buy into we before I, we'll usually be OK."

James has been creative in other areas, too. The Torii Hunter Baseball Complex provides UAPB with a quality playing venue, but it's void of many bells and whistles. James said he still wants a press box, a field house with lockers and coaches offices. Lights for nighttime play would be a luxury, too. An annual event at the Governor's Mansion in Little Rock has yielded about $220,000 over two years, and a similar event is planned for December.

Until then, players will keep dressing in the visitors football locker room and driving the short distance to practices and games. Players say they've blocked out the material shortcomings.

"It is definitely helpful to have the accessories to be able to further yourself and your capabilities," said Estep, who played one season in the Big Ten. "But, it's just a matter of want to. It doesn't matter what you're given, you can always find a way. That's kind of been our motto here. Find a way to make it happen."

That along with a focus on fundamentals -- "every little thing is a big thing," James said -- has helped the Golden Lions make progress.

They won 19 games combined in his first two seasons, before winning 21 in 2013 and 22 in 2014. Its 24-16 record last season was believed to be its first winning season since the mid-1970s.

With five games remaining before the SWAC Tournament -- UAPB is eligible this year -- it could challenge last year's victory total. If so, it likely means James has gotten UAPB to its ultimate goal -- an NCAA regional appearance, which would be a first for the program.

"This team has a shot," James said. "If we can get through that first [tournament] game, they'll be fine. They'll at least get through the finals and have a chance to win. They have a lot of talent."

Sports on 05/06/2016