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This is what most people know about Sawyer Carroll.
The University of Kentucky right fielder is the leading hitter in the Southeastern Conference. And he'll undoubtedly be selected in the Major League Baseball Draft this June.
That makes Sawyer Carroll plenty unusual. But during a recent interview, it was what Carroll didn't say that said everything.
Carroll answered all the questions about his baseball success but never once mentioned the series of obstacles he had to overcome to achieve them.
"To me, that's what makes his story incredible," said John Cohen, coach of the Wildcats. "This is a kid who has been through an amazing childhood. ... I can safely say he's been through more than any player I've coached in 15 years of coaching, as a kid."
Sawyer, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound senior majoring in agricultural economics, turned 22 Friday.
The son of Tom and Marilyn Carroll, he grew up in Henryetta, Okla., with his older brother, Tyson.
His grandma, the late Beverly Carroll, was a die-hard Cubs fan. And so Sawyer is to this day.
Baseball is a passion.
"He was a really, really good athlete, even at a young age," Tom said. "Almost to the point where everything was easy for him."
Until March 1999, when Sawyer was diagnosed with cancer -- non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He was 12 and in the seventh grade.
Contacted a second time, Sawyer agreed to tell his story.
"I went through several surgeries, chemotherapy, finally got rid of it," he said. "I think I was in (the hospital) for like 10 days one time ... running tests, and I just wasn't feeling very well. Finally I convinced the doctors to let me go home because it was my 13th birthday."
Tyson was shocked to see his brother in a hospital, losing weight and obviously very ill. When summer came, Tyson's sidekick of a brother made a lot of effort to be a regular in the stands. Playing was out of the question.
Sawyer recalls being one of the older pediatric patients taking chemotherapy. The sight of 2- and 3-year-olds undergoing chemo was heartbreaking, he said.
By the time Sawyer was 14, all signs of his cancer were gone. But not all of the effects.
"It was hard on him mentally after he came back because his body was so ravaged that he couldn't do the things that he could before he was sick," Tom said. "It was hard for him to realize that now he was going to have to work at something to be able to do it, to be able to get it done.
"I'm sure he got down, and I'm sure he got frustrated ... but he didn't let it stop him. Nobody can take credit for that but himself. There were times when I just had to turn and walk away because I couldn't stand to watch -- watch him struggle. But he got through it."
The lesson learned, Sawyer said, is to appreciate life.
"I went through so many things in my life that just weren't fun and that no kid should ever have to go through," he said. "You go through stuff like that, no matter how poorly I'm playing, I just still try to have fun because it's still a game. It puts things in perspective."
"So many things." Plural.
Was there something else that happened?
Yes.
His parents divorced.
At 15, soon before his sophomore year of high school, Sawyer's mother committed suicide.
A traumatic childhood?
"I don't know if I would call it traumatic," Sawyer said. "Everybody has to deal with stuff. You just grow and deal with it, and move on."
Tom says Tyson and Sawyer pulled one another through. Tyson says Tom was "the rock that kept us all together." Sawyer calls Tom the best dad he could ask for, Tyson the best brother and his best friend.
A banker, Tom tried to keep life as normal as possible for his sons. Keep moving on and being productive human beings. He was available to talk and, if they felt uncomfortable with him, he could arrange for a counselor, therapist or friend to be available.
Tyson recalls that Tom attended every ball game his sons played, took them to routine dental checkups and was always there to help.
Post-traumatic anger and anxiety that a father could detect have subsided, and his sons have moved ahead.
Tyson lives in Tulsa and is a directional drilling engineer, working for oil companies in Oklahoma and offshore.
Sawyer, an 18th-round draft pick of the Washington Nationals last year, is sure to be chosen again this year.
The road to UK
Henryetta High School, whose alumni include Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, is a small school of about 350 students.
Yet, the Fighting Hens reached the Oklahoma State Baseball Tournament each of the six years that Tyson and Sawyer played. Tyson played catcher, and Sawyer played mostly second or short, and occasionally outfield.
His first season back from cancer, Sawyer found he had much work to do.
"His freshman year, he was the only kid that didn't get to play in a varsity game," Tyson said. "He was left on deck in a game when another freshman struck out (to end the game)."
Once he cracked the lineup, Sawyer showed the patience at the plate that still makes him stand out at UK. He struck out five times in his high school career, although he hit only three home runs.
From Henryetta, Sawyer went to Seminole Community College in Oklahoma. After about a semester, as Tyson recalls, the late coach Eric Myers told Sawyer to consider a transfer because he wasn't good enough to start.
Sawyer believed in himself, though, and stuck it out. A teammate's injury opened the door, and Sawyer went on to start every game of his two-year junior-college career. His sophomore season, he batted .349 with seven homers and 41 RBI in a wood-bat league.
Carroll came to Kentucky as a first baseman, although the Wildcats didn't recruit him until June of 2006.
UK had the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year at first base in Ryan Strieby, who had a year of eligibility left. Cohen said Strieby would return to UK if he dropped to the fifth or sixth round of the draft.
But the Tigers plucked him in the fourth round. Suddenly, Cohen had a big hole to fill.
Carroll said he never felt added pressure as the player called in to replace Strieby.
"He never gets into the highs or the real lows. He's a very steady kid," Cohen said. "But don't ever mistake that for a lack of competitiveness, because he is extremely competitive."
Competitive enough to hit .350, with three homers and 56 RBI in 54 games last year.
Carroll started the first 98 games of his UK career. The streak was broken less than two weeks ago. He missed the start of UK's game against Marshall to complete a final exam -- in Italian. He entered that game as a pinch hitter, going 1-for-3 and driving in five runs.
Carroll, along with center fielder Collin Cowgill and pitcher Scott Green, turned down the pros last year to return to UK.
"It wasn't personal numbers that we wanted to get accomplished," Carroll said. "We really wanted to make a run at the Southeastern Conference, make the regional, make a run at a super-regional and, hopefully, get to Omaha."
Omaha being the site of the College World Series.
Senior sensation
Carroll came into this season with 20 added pounds of muscle and a new assignment -- right field.
He doesn't know whether right field is where he will end up in the pros. But, for UK, he fully endorses the switch because "defensively, it's made our team so much better." The chain effect cleared a space for Brian Spear at first. Ryan Wilkes moved from short to second and Chris Wade has taken over at short.
Coming into weekend play, Carroll led the SEC with a .415 batting average, ranked second with 65 RBI, third with 76 hits and 132 total bases, fourth with a .721 slugging percentage and fifth with a .500 on-base percentage. He also was among the top 10 in doubles (16), homers (12) and sacrifice flies (4).
His improvement from last season is due in part to his work in the weight room.
"But I think, more importantly than that, is just the experience I gained last year. I think I got better, did a lot of work (last) summer improving my mental approach at the plate, stuff like that. Having Collin hit in front of or behind me helps me out a lot. Just a combination of a lot of things."
Cowgill, hitting .368 with 16 homers and 49 RBI coming into the weekend, is second in the SEC with 64 runs.
"He's right-handed, I'm left-handed," Carroll said. "Whether he's hitting behind me or I'm hitting behind him, you basically have to pick your poison."
Carroll and Cowgill are on multiple "watch lists" for individual post-season honors.
Cohen said Carroll's only weakness might be a lack of big-time speed, although he is 9-for-9 in stolen-base attempts this season.
Strengths, Cohen said, include a "tremendous feel" for hitting, hitting with two strikes, situational hitting, creating a barrel angle the opposite way or to the pull side, and breaking down a pitcher's plan. He's solid on defense and has a good arm.
"I grew up in Tuscaloosa watching David Magadan play at the University of Alabama," Cohen said. "David Magadan's a guy who hit over .500 through almost 70 games ... and was the Golden Spikes Award winner in college baseball. And David Magadan played 10-plus years in the major leagues. (Sawyer) just reminds me so much of that swing, of that confidence, of that ability to take the barrel to where the baseball is."
Not only has Carroll made it through cancer and the loss of a parent, he has thrived.
More often than not, Tom and/or Tyson make the trip from Oklahoma to see Sawyer play on the weekends.
Tyson is not surprised by Sawyer's success.
"Oh, I've known he could always be this good if he ever just got the opportunity like he has at Kentucky," Tyson said. "And just relax and go out and play ball like he's always done. I'm just so proud of him, to be honest with you."
Nor has Sawyer surprised himself by overcoming two traumatic life experiences.
"I kind of have pretty high expectations for myself, so I think I can do more and do better," Sawyer said. "I just think it makes me appreciate things -- where I was and where I'm at now."Carroll comes battle tested
Cats get some relief at UT