Photo by Kevin Nagle
As a junior, Chase Tucker only came to the plate six times in varsity games for the Bryant Hornets high school team. He got in as a courtesy runner a lot but he was stuck behind a pretty salty group of senior outfielders.
That summer, however, he got more opportunities and he started to tap into his potential, hitting .350 (41 of 117) with 22 doubles, a team-high 11 triples, a homer and a team-high 13 stolen bases.
As a senior, he hit his stride. In 35 games, he hit an incredible .513 (41 of 80) with 37 runs scored, 22 knocked in, a team-high 23 stolen bases and 10 extra-base hits including a clutch home run at Lake Hamilton. He not only earned all-conference and all-state honors, he was named second team all-American by Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball.
It has continued this summer in American Legion where he’s currently hitting .395 (49 of 124) with 45 runs scored and 39 driven in. He’s stolen 15 bases and leads the team with eight triples to go with seven doubles and a pair of home runs.
So it was a surprise to no one when Tucker, the son of Brad Tucker and Kellye Carter, was recruited to continue his career in college. And, on Thursday, July 24, he followed through by signing with the University of Arkansas-Monticello, joining Bryant teammate Dalton Holt.
“You know, Tucker is one of a long line of very athletic center fielders that we’ve had,” said Hornets coach Kirk Bock. “He fell right in line with those ones that we’ve had in the past. He can really go get it. He did a great job of holding the defense down out in center.
“Offensively, Tuck’s bat really came on this year,” he continued. “He made unbelievable progress from last year to this year. It started to click for him. He was a guy that always came up big in a big situation.”
“I think he’s always had the tools,” commented Black Sox manager Darren Hurt. “Everybody’s know that. But I think he’s finally figured it out. He’s finally got it mentally. The physical part, everybody’s known since he was a kid that that part was there.”
“My bat came alive in my senior year,” Tucker acknowledged. “As a junior and before that, I didn’t hit very well. I wasn’t really worried about my defensive side as long as I could get my bat together then I figured I could be pretty good.
“I focused more,” he explained. “I worked harder in the cages outside of practice and it just clicked for me.”
Tucker had contact with other schools.
“We visited Crowder,” he said. “I also had a school in Kansas contact me and a school in Waco. The school in Kansas had just kind of started to get a program together. They weren’t really good and it was also six hours away. I felt like I’d probably get homesick. The school in Waco never contacted me back so that pretty much set my decision.
“I chose UAM because it was a smaller D-II school,” said the outfielder. “It felt comfortable to me. It made me feel like I was at home there. Also, the travel wasn’t as far. The coaches, I have a good feeling about how they coach the game.”
“I think he will have an immediate impact at UAM because they are needing some outfielders,” Bock mentioned. “They graduated some and that was a position that they were really going hard after. I think he’s going to have a chance to play next year.”
“As far as I’m concerned, UAM got the steal of the state of Arkansas,” Hurt asserted. “He’s a good one. Nothing he can’t do. He can run. He can swing it, swing it with power, and go out in that outfield and roam, and has a great arm. You can’t ask for much more.”
Tucker said of the UAM coaches, “They talked about me coming in and competing for a spot. They lost four senior outfielders so they thought I was the man for the job.”
aunt wanda
Congratulations Chase. I know you’ll go far. Best of luck.