R.J. Thomas enters his fourth year at the helm of Hendrix baseball.  Thomas recently led the Warriors through an epic year in Hendrix baseball history which included a 2009 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship and a trip to the NCAA Division-III West Regional Tournament in McMinnville, Oregon.  The Warriors earned their first SCAC championship in program history and first men's SCAC championship for any sport when Thomas' team completed a four-game sweep of the 2009 tournament, which included wins over conference powerhouses DePauw University, Millsaps College and Trinity University (twice).  Hendrix made a bold statement to the rest of the conference by taking the championship game via the 10-run mercy rule in eight innings over Trinity on April 26. 

In his third season as the Warriors' skipper, Thomas led his team to its first ever regular-season series win over Trinity and the program’s first .500 or better finish since 2002.  He has improved the team’s win total in each of his first three years going from 13 victories in 2007 to 14 in 2008 and setting the school record for wins with 22 in 2009.  Thomas also led the baseball program to its first 20-plus win season since 2002.

In three years under Thomas, Hendrix has placed 11 players on the All-Conference team, including a school record six in 2009.  The Warriors have also placed at least one player on the All-West Region team in each of Thomas’ three seasons and in 2009 two players were named to the All-West Region Gold Glove team.  In 2009 Thomas was also selected as the 2009 SCAC Coach-of-the-Year, only the second time such a distinction has been awarded to the Hendrix Baseball program.

A local product, Thomas is a graduate of both Conway High School and the University of Central Arkansas.  Thomas attended Hendrix College for his freshman year and competed on the baseball team as part of the Warrior pitching staff before finishing his college experience at University of Central Arkansas.  Thomas earned his bachelor's in Business Administration from UCA in 2004.  He joined the Hendrix coaching staff later that year and was named the head baseball coach in 2006.

He is married to the former Stephanie Fulfer of Conway.  They have one daughter, Sophie, and are expecting their second child in March 2010.

A former Major League draft pick and standout player on the collegiate level, Conway, Ark. native, Jay Mattox, brings a wealth of experience into his third year as the Warriors’ hitting and outfield coach.

Under Mattox, Hendrix hitters have improved the team batting average to .296 in 2009 and guided former standout outfielder, Daniel Ward, to rank 59th in the nation with 17 doubles, 80th in the nation with 111 total bases, 102nd with a .694 slugging percentage.  Mattox also led junior first baseman, Jeff Forgerson, to rank 34th with 12 homers.  Mattox also helped Ward garner back-to-back ABCA/Rawlings All-West Region Honors.

Drafted in the fourth round by the Chicago White Sox out of Conway High School, Mattox opted instead to attend Louisiana State University.  Later selected by the Anaheim Angels out of Chipola (Fla.) Junior College, Mattox spent two seasons starting in center-field for East Carolina University before coming to Hendrix.

Mattox resides in Conway and enjoys spending his free time training for marathons and cheering on his St. Louis Cardinals.

Former Hendrix standout, Neil Groat, enters his fifth year with the program as the recruiting coordinator and infield coach.  Serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator for the first time in 2008, Groat orchestrated the addition of a 14-member class.  The group, arguably the deepest and most talented in Warrior history, hails from six states and was a major contributing factor in the Warriors' 2009 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship. 

In 2009, all four of Hendrix’s starting infielders were named all-conference and the Warriors have seen their team defense improve from a .927 fielding percentage in Groat’s first season to .958 in 2009.  The .958 mark was good for second best in the SCAC and the eighth best team fielding percentage in SCAC History. 

A four-year starter for the Warriors, Groat was a three-time member of the SCAC All-Academic team.  He graduated with a bachelor's in History and a minor in Spanish from Hendrix in the spring of 2005.  In addition to his baseball responsibilities, Groat is an Assistant Director of Admission at Hendrix.  He recruits students from all of Texas, except for Dallas-Fort Worth, Oklahoma and Illinois.

Groat resides in Conway and enjoys spending his free time cheering on the Chicago Cubs.