Sluggers carry load for UALR

When Chris Curry and two assistant coaches set out to assemble this season's UALR baseball lineup, they knew two things were certain.

"Ryan Scott was going to be the focal point," Curry, the Trojans' second-year coach, said. "But we also knew we couldn't just have Ryan sitting out there like a sore thumb."

That meant Curry and assistants Russell Raley and Roland Fanning needed to find complimentary pieces to surround Scott, a left-handed outfielder who Curry thought was going to get drafted in June. When Scott didn't and Curry and his staff were able to find a bat to put directly behind Scott in the lineup, it was enough to spark the Trojans to one of their best seasons in more than two decades.

UALR will open play in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at 9 a.m. today as the No. 3 seed against No. 6 seed Georgia Southern in San Marcos, Texas. The Trojans (26-26) enter with their highest seed ever in the tournament after setting a school record for Sun Belt victories (17), a five-victory increase from last season.

That improvement is mostly because of a lineup that led the Sun Belt in average (.305), runs (6.8 per game) and was second in doubles (108).

"We thought it was going to be good," Curry said. "But we just didn't know or think that we would get the kind of production up and down the lineup."

It was sparked by Scott, who led the the Sun Belt in average (.433), hits (90), RBI (63) and runs scored (54), but Dalton Thomas has been just as important. In his first season at UALR, the designated hitter from Meridian (Miss.) Community College trailed only Scott in the Sun Belt with a .386 average and 86 hits and was third with 52 RBI.

Scott, who was disappointed he didn't hear his name called in last year's draft, said he saw pretty early that the lineup was better than last year's, when the Trojans hit .254 and scored 3.9 runs per game.

"It was just the depth," Scott said. "The lineup was good, and we had a lot of guys who could play."

The piece that brought it all together was Thomas, who signed with UALR without Curry having seen him play. Curry, a former player and coach at Meridian, offered Thomas based on the recommendation of Meridian Coach Dillon Sudduth, who used to coach with Curry. Thomas said he committed without much face-to-face interaction based on Curry's reputation as a catching instructor.

Thomas caught only four games this season because of a torn meniscus in his right knee -- he said postseason surgery could put him behind the plate full time next season -- but it didn't slow down his swing. Hitting third behind Scott for every game this season, half of Thomas' at bats have come with runners on base, according to Curry's estimation. That scenario led to more fastballs from opposing pitchers.

"Every time I come to the plate I'm hitting with at least one guy on, maybe two," Thomas said. "Then, I have Nik Gifford behind me. If I don't get the job done, he usually does. And even when I do get the job done, he usually hits a double to score more or move me over.

"You can go up and down the lineup and find guys who have been getting the job done all year."

Gifford, a first baseman who transferred from Northern Oklahoma College and bats fourth, is hitting .303 with 7 home runs, 15 doubles and is third on the team with 40 RBI. With those three spots anchored, Curry was able to fill in the rest as needed.

Kyle Kirk, for instance, no longer had to hit fourth like he did last year. He was eighth in the order most of the season. At the top has been Hayden Martin, whose .324 average has benefited from pitchers not wanting to walk him with Scott lurking on deck.

"We've got a true offense right now," Curry said. "They all know what they're going to do."

It produced one of UALR's best offensive seasons led by two record-breaking hitters in the middle of the order.

Last weekend, Scott broke UALR's career doubles record (42) and its single-season hits (90) record. Thomas was right on his heels the entire season, even joking with him about it during a weekend series in Monroe, La.

"He told me that if I don't hurry up he's going to get it before I do," Scott said.

Thomas is still chasing Scott, who broke the hits record in the first inning Friday against Arkansas State. But, both are likely to continue to hit this weekend, while trying to prolong a season that has exceeded Curry's expectations.

"I think this is Year 3-type stuff," Curry said. "You need a year where you point to it and you go, 'I can see where they're headed.' And I think we've done that."

Sports on 05/25/2016