Former Arlington slugger Tyler Gentry signs with Kansas City

Chris Van Tuyl
Memphis Commercial Appeal

Tyler Gentry wasn’t just drinking lots of water on June 11 due to the heat outside.

The excessive liquid consumption served as a telltale story of his nerves.

Surrounded by friends, the former Arlington High baseball standout was watching the second day of the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft.

Alabama outfielder Tyler Gentry heads to the dugout March 6 against visiting Lipscomb University. The Arlington native was a third-round pick of the Kansas City Royals in the 2020 MLB Draft.

“It was probably one of the most stressful days of my life,” Gentry said. “They had never seen me as much of a nervous wreck before. I don’t think I ever stopped fidgeting. When it finally happened, it was just a huge weight off the shoulders — and a dream come true.”

By way of Walters State Community College and the University of Alabama, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound outfielder was a third-round selection (76th overall) of the Kansas City Royals.

“My agent had texted me that the Royals were thinking about taking me with that pick,” said Gentry. “I looked up at the screen and it said that the Royals were on the clock. I don’t even know if I breathed for like 30 seconds … that’s when I stood up, turned the volume of the TV up and they called my name.”

It was a happy development that completely offset a not-so-pleasant one exactly three months earlier.

When the 2020 college baseball season began on Valentine’s Day against visiting Northeastern, the Crimson Tide not only swept the Huskies, they proceeded to race out to a 16-1 start. The next step was hosting Missouri in their Southeastern Conference-opening series, yet the coronavirus pandemic claimed the remainder of the schedule.

“When coach Bo (Brad Bohannon) told us the news about the season being shut down, it was just incredibly disappointing and sad. We really expected to get off to that good start, but we were more excited about what we were going to do later in the season and the postseason.”

Gentry was leading the Crimson Tide with a .429 batting average. He was second on the team in runs (19), hits (24), doubles (six) and RBIs (21). During his sophomore season, Gentry was tops on the club with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “I really feel like those that play in the SEC are probably most equipped to move on to pro ball, so I really felt blessed that I was able to play there — and ready to go onto the next level.”

Another huge advantage was Gentry’s opportunity to play last summer in the Cape Cod League.

“You’re playing every day, you’re playing against the top competition in the country and you’re using wood bats, too,” he said. “That was the first place where I struggled a little bit. I’d never really struggled in baseball before, so to get through that really helped me grow as a player.”

At one point of an almost weeklong orientation in Kansas City, Gentry and other draft picks signed their contracts. According to mlb.com, he received a signing bonus of $750,000.

“That was really cool being up there,” Gentry said. “And the stadium (Kauffman Stadium) … hopefully we can all be up there again one day playing as big leaguers.”

Chris Ring, his baseball coach at Arlington, is hopeful too. He's seen Gentry's five-tool ability for many years.

"Tyler was extra special because of how much he grew as a young man with above normal baseball talent," Ring said. "He was not an outwardly emotional type player, but had a great sense of humor … knew when to joke around and when to be serious." 

Bluff City accolades

Memphis Hustle forward Jarrod Uthoff and guard Dusty Hannahs were named to the All-NBA G League first and third team, respectively. Uthoff was the first Hustle player to average a double-double (18.9 points and 10.7 rebounds). Hannahs led Memphis with a scoring average of 21.3 points. The franchise’s all-time leading scorer helped the Hustle win the Midwest Division after posting a 26-15 record … University of Memphis senior Adam Neelly was a College Sports Information Directors of America Men’s Track and Field Academic All-America third-team selection. It was the first CoSIDA honor for Neelly, who has a 4.0 GPA in his pursuit of his master’s degree in business administration. He had a 3.99 GPA in business economics as an undergraduate. Neelly specializes in the shot put and discus for the Tigers.

Summertime on the links

U of M senior Isaiah Jackson won the Mississippi Amateur at Annadale Golf Club in Madison. His final-day 69 allowed him to card a 278, four strokes ahead of a pair of second-place finishers. “I just didn’t make many mistakes,” said Jackson, in a release. “I stuck to my game plan and just tried to execute the best I could." He has earned a spot in the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship, which will be played in October at the Country Club of Jackson. … At the Tennessee Girls’ Junior Amateur in Knoxville, Anna Heck finished tied for seventh. The St. Agnes standout shot a three-day total of 227 at Three Ridges Golf Course. … Olive Branch resident Coley Conner aced the 105-yard No. 17 at North Creek using a pitching wedge. … The Ridgeway Country Club Ladies Club Championship concluded with Debbie Richmond being crowned club champion, while Linda Mannerino was the low net champion.

Sunday Sports Brunch is a weekly look at movers, shakers and newsmakers on the Memphis sports scene, from youth level to the pros. If you have an item of interest, please contact Chris Van Tuyl at christopher.vantuyl@commercialappeal.com