Photo courtesy of Central Baptist College
Baseball people have started calling it “the lost art.” Players, even at the Major League level, just don’t know how to bunt well.
But if you’re a member of the Bryant High School program, you better learn because you’re going to be called on to execute a bunt, often at crucial times, often with two strikes.
In fact, just last season, on April 10, at Alma, six Bryant batters in a row laid down bunts. And the string was started by Connor Tatum, one of the team’s most accomplished at “the lost art.”
“I used to be really bad at bunting actually,” Tatum said. “I just practiced it enough that I got to where I could do it.
“Most of the time, if they’re playing back I can get bunt hits and I’m confident that I can go to third base or first base with it,” he added. And, if the infield is drawn in to try to defend against the bunt, Tatum has shown a knack for swatting a base hit past them.
That, plus a steady hand in the field at second base, has resulted in Tatum, the son of Monte and Sherri Tatum, signing a letter of intent to continue his baseball career and his education at Central Baptist College in Conway this fall.
“They getting a very versatile player, a guy that knows the short game very well and a solid defensive guy,” said Hornets head coach Kirk Bock. “He’s a spark plug, can make some things happen for you.
“Defensively, he kept getting better and better and better,” he added. “He ended up becoming a very, very reliable player for us, a steadying influence.”
Tatum didn’t play much until his senior season, stuck behind Korey Thompson, a two-year starter for the Hornets who now plays at Arkansas Tech. But when he got his chance, he took advantage. After hitting 20 in just 15 at bats as a junior, he hit .254 with eight stolen bases and 23 runs scored his senior season. And, the bunt game? He led the team with 12 sacrifices.
“They’re getting a guy that can handle the bat, a guy that can hit to all fields and one of the best bunters that I’ve seen in a long time as far as being able to bunt it where he wants to anytime or slap the ball to the left side,” commented Bryant Black Sox American Legion coach Darren Hurt. “He handles the bat really well and he also runs the bases extremely well. He’s a good defensive second baseman also. I think he’s a guy that’s really going to help them.”
In Legion, Tatum played a key role on the first Bryant team to win a Junior State championship in 2013. He hit .356 with 10 stolen bases. When the team repreated in 2014, he hit .404 with eight steals. His 39 runs scored was second on the team. His 24 walks was second on the team as well and he only struck out five times in 99 at bats.
This summer, playing for the 32-6 Senior Sox, Tatum is hitting .280. He was hitting .409 after the first few weeks then slumped but has started to heat it up again as the post-season has gotten underway.
Actually, it was beginning to look like Tatum’s baseball career might be over once the Legion season concludes. He was planning on going to UCA just for school, majoring in Biology with an eye on Nursing.
“I was invited to the all-star game after high school and the CBC coaches happened to be there,” he recounted. “They saw me and liked how I played. They got in contact with Coach Bock and he got in contact with me. We scheduled a tryout up at CBC. A week or two after the tryout, they called saying they wanted me to come and play for them. I like the chance to get to keep playing baseball.
“The coaches are real nice,” he noted. “The campus is expanding. It’s getting a lot nicer but the whole school is real nice. It’s a little smaller and that’s why I like it.”
“I think in a couple of years, he’s going to be a tremendous asset to their program at second base,” Bock said. “Offensively, I think he’ll make an impact sooner than that.”
Jason Thompson
Congrats Connor!
Jason & Stephanie Thompson