GREENWOOD — Trey Holloway remembers the time he didn’t make it out of the first inning of a start.
It happened in Alex Box Stadium at LSU, considered by many to be one of the rowdiest atmospheres in college baseball, in April 2006 before better than 7,000 fans. It turned out to be Holloway’s final start with the Razorbacks. His line: Five batters faced, two hits, one earned run and two walks. He recorded one out via flyout before being pulled in favor of Daryl Maday.
Fast forward nearly 13 years to the day, the now-state champion Greenwood High School baseball coach saw nearly the exact same scenario play out in front of him with one of his former stars - Connor Noland. On April 13, Noland failed to get out of the first inning of a start at Vanderbilt in a game Arkansas ultimately lost 12-2.
Noland threw only 15 pitches and allowed four hits, five runs - all earned - and walked a batter. He, too, faced five in his outing, but was pulled prior to recording an out and replaced by reliever Kole Ramage. Holloway reached out to the freshman right-hander on Twitter following the game. His message was simple: It happens, especially in the SEC.
The old adage is that baseball teaches you a lot about life, particularly how to handle failures, and your true character is defined when your back is against the wall. Perseverance and resilience, two core principles of Holloway’s baseball program, remain with Noland.
“You've seen the last two weeks how we've seen him the last four years,” Holloway said.
Arguably no pitcher on Arkansas’ staff is on the roll Noland is since his college low point in Nashville. Since, he’s not given up an earned run in three starts spanning 16.2 innings and struck out 17, including a career-high 10 against No. 18 Tennessee to help the Hogs in the third game of a sweep on April 28. The week before, Noland was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week after picking up the first two wins of his career against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Mississippi State.
In the series finale against the No. 2 Bulldogs, Noland went a career-long 7.2 innings and surrendered just four hits in shutting down the SEC’s top-hitting lineup.
“I had no doubt he'd bounce back and pitch great,” Holloway said. “I told him when you get your next opportunity, you have to take advantage of it. … His work ethic after the Vanderbilt outing that he had, he didn't go in working harder after that than he did before. It doesn't matter what the outcome is, he's going to bust his tail. His mindset might be a little different, but everything he does in his life is an opportunity for him to learn and grow.
“He's going to learn from that outing and make himself better from that outing. That's Connor.”
Greenwood, a town of roughly 9,000 people less than 20 miles south of Fort Smith, is home to one of the state’s perennial football powers and the program in Arkansas most alike that of Friday Night Lights fame. Noland had a hand in winning Greenwood’s eighth football championship since 2000 as a senior, guiding the Bulldogs to a 13-0 season and 52-14 win in the Class 6A title game.
His final year at Greenwood, however, was just taking off at that point. In December, Noland signed to play football and baseball at Arkansas in the Colosseum in Rome, and in mid-May, he led the Bulldogs to their fourth state baseball championship in a two-hit, 12-strikeout gem. Noland was named Most Valuable Player of both title games.
“He made the town,” Holloway said of Noland. “At Greenwood we've had Tyler Wilson and Drew Morgan and all these guys that have went on to be successful, and now with him and baseball. That's what the epitome of Greenwood, Arkansas, is - guys who work extremely hard and are attention to the detail that do things different than everyone else, and that's what sets them apart. That's the way Greenwood is.”
For Holloway, a father to three boys, there’s no pause in who he recommends to them as a role model. Hands down, it’s Noland. There’s not one quality of Noland’s that stands above the others, he says, but the freshman is mature beyond his years, humble yet confident and a leader by example, his voice and service.
Noland, whose father owns a mining company in Nevada and mother teaches in the state as well, arrived in Greenwood as a freshman, and Holloway immediately took notice of his demeanor. Noland was unfazed by situations and certain circumstances that would rattle most freshmen. He could sense that Noland had already spent time around and drawn from other great players.
Each time he took the mound in high school, Holloway felt as if Greenwood had a good chance to win. Coaches often aren’t afforded the opportunity to simply have fun with players or enjoy their successes in the midst of managing games, but Holloway allowed himself to with Noland.
From the 6A state baseball finals in 2018, photos exist of a very relaxed-looking Holloway observing the field from the dugout. Afterward, that quiet, confident pose was brought to his attention.
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, because the guy gives up half a run per game,’” he said. “I just knew if we got one run (we’d be in good shape).”
Beyond being one of the most decorated high school talents in Arkansas in recent memory, Noland is who he is because he is the same person every day while at the same time one of the more different kids Holloway has come across. From his low-fat, high-protein diet to being a student of Holloway to assisting him as a teacher’s aide, Noland’s dedication was steady - and still is.
“He's exceptional at everything he does,” Holloway said. “We see him as Connor Noland the athlete, but he's way more than that. That's why people all the time ask, 'Did you think he was going to be successful as a quarterback or as a pitcher?" and I would say yes every time not because of his athletic abilities, but because of his makeup, because of who he is.
“He is by far the best player probably that I've coached, though. I hope I coach another one better than him, but I don't know that I'm going to.”