Christian Allen is the older brother.
He may now receive as much notoriety as his two younger brothers but that doesn’t mean he isn’t doing something special on his own.
Allen leads UAFS in hitting and has the Lions near the top of the Heartland Conference standings. His .317 averages is tops for the team but he also ranks in the top four in every major offensive category including first in home runs and slugging percentage.
His two younger brothers will be battling it out for the starting quarterback job at the University of Arkansas in the fall. Brandon, the middle of the three, was the backup for the Hogs last season. Austin was named an All-American after his senior season at Fayetteville and also won the Gatorade Arkansas Player of the Year award.
The Allen family has been able to achieve a lot before the time they’ve even graduate college but the eldest isn’t taking time to think about it just yet.
“I’m sure we will one day,” Christian Allen said. “I haven’t really thought about it. I’m proud of my brother’s athletic achievements, them and my sister. I am proud of all of them.”
Allen could have the strongest arm of the three but shoulder injuries have limited his talents. Just not at the plate.
“Ever since high school I’ve had some shoulder issues,” Allen said. “It’s one of those things where I DH and I feel like I need to come through with my bat because my arm is not always there. It’s the little extra pressure that motivates me.”
Allen’s production last weekend helped the Lions take two of three against No. 22 ranked St. Edward’s University. Allen was 5-of-10 with three runs scored, a pair of RBI and a home run. That kind of production is something coach Dale Harpenau is used to seeing.
“He’s the one guy we feel like in our lineup we know what we are going to get everyday consistently,” Harpenau said. “He puts balls in play. He had a really big weekend and was the key to us taking two of three against St. Edward’s.”
UAFS is sitting just a game and a half back of St. Mary’s in the Heartland Conference Standings. The Rattlers will be at Crowder Field for a weekend series starting on Friday and they bring their No. 5 ranking with them.