Cade Martin and Malcolm Brown shine for UALR in wild run to the Regionals

By Baton Rouge Sports with local editing by Texarkana writer Rick Thomas

BATON ROUGE, La. — Former Pleasant Grove standout Cade Martin wasn't sure if he'd make the active roster, let alone play a key role for the University of Arkansas-Little Rock baseball team this spring.

However, he helped power the Trojans to their second NCAA Regional in school baseball history. The 6-foot, 215-pound catcher is one of the reasons for UALR’s success. 

"I didn't think I'd play at all. I am just taking it one day a time working my butt off," he said. "When I got the opportunity, I made the most of it."

And he's peaking at the right time. Martin hit .500 during the Trojans' unexpected Ohio Valley Conference Tournament run last week, taking tournament MVP honors. 

"I was just trying to play my game and be as relaxed as possible and slow the game down because it is a totally different speed from high school to a Division I program," Martin said. 

Martin is second on the team in hitting with a .309 average with 5 home runs and 31 RBIs for UALR (27-34). It's taken some time for Martin's bat to come alive, but he has found the rhythm he had in high school when he hit .345 as a Pleasant Grove senior. He drove in the go-ahead run in the 2-1 win over Eastern Illinois in the league title game. 

"Eventually, when you play enough games, the hitting will come around," Martin said. "Once you find it, it stays hot for you."

Martin initially was heading SAU Tech in Magnolia, Ark. The junior college was the only school interested in the burly catcher, even though he was a four-year prep letterman and started late in the year as a freshman as the squad won a state title. 

However, he ended up in Little Rock thanks, in part, to his girlfriend and Texas High alumna Bella Cherry. Cherry is a Trojan sophomore volleyball player and connected him with the coaching staff. Martin attended a prospect camp in January of his senior year. He then made contact again with the staff and was awarded a chance to walk on.

And Cherry, whose father Mike played briefly in the NFL as a backup quarterback after starring at Murray State, has also lent her support. Mike Cherry was an all-state quarterback for Arkansas High.

"We've been dating for two years, and to have someone as supportive as her is awesome," Martin said. "She is there to lift me up if anything bad happens."

However, he had junior starter Trey Hill and Graydon Martin ahead of him. Graydon decided to transfer to Texas A&M-Texarkana, and Hill went down with a knee injury less than a month into the season, thrusting the freshman into the starting role. 

"You have to take it one game at a time and make practices as game-like as possible," Martin said. "You just have to have a mindset that you can play as good as anyone else out there."

The transition behind the dish has been aided by an experienced Little Rock pitching staff that includes senior starters Jackson Wells and Jack Cline. 

"It's nice to play with guys who know where they want the pitches and can set you up and make you look better," he said. "It makes me more relaxed knowing I've got guys more experienced who can keep the game slowed down for me."

Delivering during the OVC Tournament was a remarkable achievement, but Martin knows he and his mates ran into a monumental challenge of beating sixth-seeded LSU on its home field in Baton Rouge.

Redwater’s own Malcolm Brown would enjoy a banner day against the Tigers after nearly walking away from the sport. 

Malcolm Brown was ready to give up college baseball when he walked into Arkansas-Little Rock head coach Chris Curry's office in the spring. 

Brown, a junior from Redwater, Texas, told Curry he needed to get a job and support his family.

Curry asked him to sit down and talk about it. Curry quizzed him about where he would work, and Brown didn't have a good answer. He told Curry he had a little over a year before he earned his degree. Brown told Curry that no members of his family had college degrees.

"I said, 'Well, how about let's be the first one to leave a legacy in your family to get a degree so the chances of your children getting a degree and that paying off exponentially,' throughout not only his life but the rest of his family," Curry said. "I'm really glad Malcolm did not hang up baseball early in the year to go to work."

Brown, who has been battling a stomach bug all week, but came through big for the Trojans Sunday night. He pitched 5.1 innings, giving up just one run and three hits as he tamed LSU's potent lineup. He even escaped a bases-loaded jam. The save was his longest appearance of the season. 

"I just go out there and attack, get strike one, fill up the zone, and see what happens," Brown said. 'You got a defense behind you."

Brown was not only happy about upsetting LSU to advance to the championship game of the Baton Rouge Region, but he was also celebrating the first birthday of his son, Myles.

Curry said what Brown endured on the mound is nothing compared to some of the setbacks he's dealt with in life. 

"I'm proud of him," Curry said. "This is nothing. He's had to deal with some things, and he is probably the toughest kid on our team because of it."

The Trojans upset the Tigers, 10-4, before losing 10-6 to the Bayou Bengals (46-15), who will host a Super Regional against West Virginia starting Saturday.