Former NHS baseball coach to be inducted into SAU Sports Hall of Fame

Kyle Slayton is among the seven former Southern Arkansas University student-athletes and two teams that will be inducted into the SAU Sports Hall of Fame.

Slayton graduated from Mineola, Texas and played four years at SAU under hall of fame coach Steve Goodheart. He then became a successful high school baseball coach, including 20 seasons here at Nashville where he won four 4A state titles in 2007, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Slayton compiled 544 career wins which third most all-time in the state of Arkansas. He was named conference coach of the year four times and named ABCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018 and was named ABCA National High School Coach of the Year in 2018.

At SAU, Slayton appeared in 68 games, notched 25 wins, tossed 16 complete games, which is tied for the third-most all-time and recorded 13 saves while in his final three seasons with a sub-2.60 ERA each year. He also struck out 175 batters in 258.2 career innings pitched. Slayton appeared in 46 games in 1993 and 1994, compiling a 17-6 record, pitched 10 contests and collected 11 of his 13 career saves which at the time of his graduation. In 159 innings pitched, he struck out 128 batters.

Slayton was named an All-AIC and NAIA All-District 17 performer in ’93 and ’94 and NAIA All-Southwest Region in ’94. He was also an NAIA Honorable Mention All-America selection.

The other inductees are Greg Hampton of Hampton, John Long of Smackover, Gaby Mendoza of Royse City, Texas, Glen Bucy of Pine Bluff, Sandra Haley Taylor of Melbourne, Dewayne Smith of South Louisiana and the 1965-66 and 1966-67 men’s basketball teams.