Pine Bluff native and Watson Chapel High graduate Tink Hence made his AAA baseball debut on Tuesday.
Hence pitched one inning in relief for the Memphis Redbirds in their 10-5 win against the Norfolk Tides in the Redbirds’ home opener at AutoZone Park.
Memphis (5-0) led 6-3 when Hence stepped onto the mound to start the top of the seventh inning.
Norfolk (2-3) first baseman Jhonkensy Noel hit a leadoff home run before Hence collected a ground ball to himself for the first out. He issued free passes to the next two hitters before striking out catcher Jud Fabian and inducing a fly ball to center field to end his brief outing.
The Automatic Balls and Strikes (ABS) system aided Hence in his AAA debut. Hence’s 1-2 pitch was initially ruled a ball before Memphis catcher Jimmy Crooks challenged the pitch. ABS ruled the pitch clipped the bottom of the strike zone over the middle of the plate for strike three.
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Hence was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Watson Chapel and has played in the Cardinals organization since. He spent time with the AA Springfield Cardinals as early as 2023 but has bounced around multiple levels of the Minor Leagues since.
He pitched 1 2/3 innings for St. Louis in spring training, allowing three runs on four hits with two strikeouts and a walk over two relief appearances.
Tuesday’s outing was his first at the AAA level after being reassigned from Springfield to Memphis on March 27 ahead of opening day. He is currently listed as St. Louis’ No. 15-ranked prospect.
Hence’s brother, Braelin, was announced in February as the outfield and base running coach for the Tulsa Drillers, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ AA affiliate. The former University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff player began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UAPB in 2024 before joining the Dodgers organization as a development coach for High-A Great Lakes in 2025.
Braelin Hence’s assignment to Tulsa was announced in a news release, though the Drillers’ roster does not currently list him among the coaching staff.