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Greenbrier catcher carrying
on Panther tradition
BY DONNA LAMPKIN STEPHENS | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY STACI VANDAGRIFF | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Greenbrier has been one of the best baseball pro- grams in Class 5A
for several years, so it’s no surprise that the Panthers have had some of the state’s
best players.
In 2019, Cayden Wallace
was the River Valley & Ozark Edition Player to Watch and Player
of the Year.
In 2020, his best friend, Connor
Flagg, takes the mantle as Player to Watch. “You might not know who Connor Flagg is when he enters the park, but you certainly will when he
leaves,” Wallace said.
Flagg, a 6-1, 185-pounder, hit .506 (39 of 77) with
34 RBIs, 6 doubles, 3 triples and 2 home runs while striking out just 3 times as a junior last year. He had a perfect fielding percentage as catcher for the Panthers, who finished 19-5 after a loss to White Hall in the opening round of the Class 5A State Tournament.
“Connor was always out there, just as good a hitter with maybe not the power of Wallace,” said Panther coach Chad Cope, who takes the reins at Greenbrier this spring after 10 seasons at Watson Chapel. “He kind of flew under the radar for a lot of people, but not for us in the coaching fraternity.
“We knew what he could do.”
Flagg, who has signed to play for the University of Central Arkansas in Conway next year, and Wallace, who has signed with Arkansas, have played baseball together since they were about 7 years old.
“We have a lot of chemistry,” Flagg said. “We’re best friends. We hang out outside of school; our
families are friends. We know how each other plays, and we know how to lift each other up and keep each other going.”
Wallace said the two have much in common, in- cluding their faith.
“We do about everything together,” he said. “We are more than just teammates — we are brothers. I always knew when I was pitching that he was going to frame up every pitch and help me succeed on the mound.
“Without a doubt, every time I got on base and he was after me, I knew something big was going to happen. We have played on the high school varsity team together since ninth grade, and I’m looking forward to one more season with Connor and a last run at a state title.”
The two complement each other in other ways as well.
“I’m more of a vocal leader, and he kind of leads with actions,” Flagg said.
Flagg grew up in Greenbrier and started play- ing tee ball there when he was about 5. He moved to pitching-machine competition in Conway, then played travel ball for Arkansas Express for several years before joining the Arkansas Prospects.
He’s played catcher since he was about 9.
What makes the position a fit for him?
“I’m pretty good with baseball smarts, and I’ve had
a lot of help from the coaches,” he said. “I like to talk to the pitchers and keep them calm so we can work through stuff together.”
Flagg played football until ninth grade, when he decided baseball was his sport.
And the Panthers have benefited from that de- cision. As a freshman in 2017, he helped them to a 31-5, state-semifinal finish. As a sophomore in ’18, they returned to the semis and finished 26-6.
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