Rabbit hurler Hunter Allen signs with UA Rich Mountain

As of Nov. 5, 50 student-athletes from Atlanta High School have signed letters of intent to further their playing career in college.

This has happened all over an 8-year span.

The fiftieth turned out to be senior Hunter Allen who signed with the University of Arkansas at Rich Mountain in Mena; a 2-year junior college.

Allen recalled what drew his interest to the university and the chance to play for the Bucks.

“About a month ago I got a text and Coach (Lance) Spigner invited me to an invite-only camp in Mena, Ark. I went and threw a bullpen session there and coach said he would get back to me,” Allen said. “A couple of weeks later Coach Spigner invited me by text to tour the campus and while there I was offered a scholarship and a chance to play baseball for the Bucks.”

“The facilities, the dorms, the baseball field and the batting cages will all be brand new by the time I arrive so that’s one of the things I am excited about,” Allen added.

UA of Rich Mountain added baseball to its lineup of sports programs this year and in the process hired one of the state’s most accomplished high school coaches to lead the program, Horatio’s Lance Spigner.

In his 28-year coaching career at Horatio he racked up several accolades, led the Lions to 17 conference/district championships, 10 regional championships, made the state tournament Final Four 13 times and has won five state championships.

From little league to high school Allen has had great mentors and will now learn from one of the best baseball coaches around in Coach Spigner.

After two years at the junior college level Allen hopes to transfer to a Division I program.

As talented as he is in baseball his plans are to get a degree in Criminal Justice so he can become a game warden.

When asked what he would miss most about playing for the Rabbit baseball team Allen brought up the long relationships he’s had with some of his teammates since they were old enough to hold a bat.

“I’m going to miss seeing my teammates and being separated from them is going to be hard because we’ve played ball together since we were young,” Allen remarked.

One goal Allen has as a game warden is to make it back home to Cass County where he no doubt knows every hog trail and fishing hole.

Before Allen heads off for college he will suit up for the Rabbits one final time this spring, and the impact he’s made on the team and coaching staff is best remembered by his head coach David Hooten.

“Hunter is a great teammate. He comes out every day with a great attitude and works hard,” Hooten said. “There are a lot of people who have invested in Hunter. He’s a really good teammate and is a lot of fun to be around. He’s happy go lucky and works extremely hard but he enjoys the game, is a natural leader and is very supportive of his teammates.”

“On the days he pitches he is an absolute competitor and he’s a real go-getter on the mound,” Hooten stated. “He has been a huge part of our success the past couple of years and I expect even more of that this year.”

The Rabbits bolted four rounds deep in the state playoffs last season and the team and its fans have high hopes to go even further this year.

Hooten described how Allen has grown and flourished as a player since his freshman year.

“I think as a freshman we could look at him and tell he had great potential for growth with the body type you see in pitchers,” Hooten said. “Hunter was tall and lanky even then and had long levers which helped him throw with good angles.”

“The things that have gotten better over that time has been his command especially his fastball command since he’s grown older and stronger,” Hooten continued. “His off speed has been really good in the past but his overall command of all three pitches has exploded and gotten better.”

With a pitcher who throws the way Allen does it gives the coach an added bonus of trust when he’s on the hill.

“It’s a lot of fun to work with him. I let him call some pitches and I call some; we work together and he does a tremendous job of calling the game which means he has an understanding of how to get hitters out.”

On a final note Coach Hooten discussed how fulfilling it can be to see one of his student-athletes take their talents, both academic and athletic, to the next level.

“I think it’s why we do this. Obviously we enjoy coaching and we want to see kids get the opportunity to go to the next level and get an education and get their education paid for,” Hooten said. “It’s very exciting to see the kids who have worked hard get an opportunity. We had Jake Thompson sign last year and now Hunter and there are a couple of more players who we believe will have the opportunity to build that pipeline here in Atlanta.”

“Hunter is just one of the many that we are excited to see what they are going to do at the next level and when they receive knowledge at the next level they can come back and pass that on to the other guys,” Hooten remarked.

Whether he’s striking out opposing hitters or handing out tickets Allen clearly has command of his future.