Trio of Miners ink, take careers to next level
BAUXITE – Three Bauxite Miner athletes signed letters of intent to continue their sports careers at the next level Wednesday in Bauxite. Baseballer Jackson Lindsey inked with the Central Baptist College Mustangs, while two football players will take their talents to the next level as defensive back Conner Stacy signed with Henderson State University and defensive lineman Reed Gautreax signed with Division I Arkansas State University.
After the A-state Red Wolves finished 4-7 this past season, Gautreaux will be part of a new administration in Jonesboro as the Red Wolves have a new coach in Butch Jones, who will try to right the A-state ship after the Red Wolves of the Sun Belt Conference had nine straight winning seasons before 2020.
Gautreaux, 6-4, 235 pounds, had a solid senior season for the 4-8 Miners under first-year Coach Caleb Perry. Gautreaux, earning First-team 7-4A All-conference honors, recorded 38 tackles, four for loss, adding a sack and quarterback hurry.
“He got double-teamed a lot this year,” Perry said earlier this year. “Teams focused their blocking scheme around him. He was our main guy on the defensive line. His stats don’t really reflect his abilities, but as far as being a physical presence on defense, he certainly was that. He definitely kept the offensive linemen off the linebackers and freed them up to make tackles.”
Speaking of tackles, the senior Stacy led Saline County with 129 tackles at the safety position. The 6-1, 190-pounder added nine tackles for loss, an interception, two forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles.
“He’s a great tackler, does a great job with openfield tackles,” Perry said. “He could go several directions in college. He could stay on the back end, but I could also see him gaining some weight and moving closer to the ball, at a linebacker spot. He was a leader. He made a lot of plays, a lot of tackles for us.”
Stacy signs with a Henderson State squad which didn’t play this past season due to COVID-19, but finished 9-3 overall in 2019 under Head Coach Scott Maxfield.
The Arkadelphia-based Reddies are a DII member of the Great American Conference.
Though he will likely stay on the defensive side of the ball in college, Stacy was a definite asset for the Miners on offensive, lead
ing Bauxite with 657 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He also threw for 587 yards at quarterback with two TDS.
“From an offensive standpoint he was a great leader, a great runner,” Perry said. “He makes great choices, he’s a great manager and he’s a guy out there with a lot of experience. Very courageous, just personalitywise. He’ll definitely be a big loss for us.”
Lindsey joins an NAIA Mustangs team which went 21-5 in the Covidshortened season, including 8-3 in the American Midwest Conference. He is a two-way player who may pitch and play the field when he gets to Conway.
“On the mound, we’ve used him a lot of different ways,” Bauxite baseball Coach Michael Mattox said. “Ideally we’d like to use him as a closer. He’s got a pretty good little fastball, but his curveball is his best pitch. It’s really a late-breaking pitch that’s extremely sharp.”
Though Lindsey knows his future after high school, he still has a senior season to play after having last season cut short due to the virus.
“He may end up in a starting role this year,” Mattox said. “If that is the case, we still feel good he’s going to give us quality starts and give us a lot of innings on the mound.”
In the Covid-shortened season, Lindsey had eight strikeouts in six innings pitched, throwing 10 Ks in five innings his sophomore season, while batting .279 with eight doubles, two triples, a homer and 11 RBIS in 10th grade.
“He also plays shortstop when he’s not on the mound,” Mattox said. “He can play second base, he can play outfield, we can move him around several places. He’s just a baseball player. He’s not just a oneposition guy. He can play anywhere on the field.
“He’s a very vocal leader. He’s a rah rah guy but he backs it up with his play and attitude. He’s a contagious guy you want to be around in the locker room, sets a good example for the younger kids.”