MARTIN, Tenn. - They met Halloween night at a high school football game in the heart of Texas. She was dressed as a bunny rabbit complete with bunny ears and tail. She was three years older than the self-confident junior varsity player but that didn't stop him from hitting on the senior North Garland cheerleader. Somehow he managed to get her bunny ears, their picture was taken and they have been together ever since Oct. 31, 2003.

Trey Karlen, a junior, is the starting third baseman for The University of Tennessee at Martin. By his standard he's having a good year, others might say he is having a phenomenal year for the upstart Skyhawks, who enter the final weekend of the season battling for a berth in the six-team Ohio Valley Conference tournament set for next week at Pringles Park in Jackson.

Karlen leads the team in runs scored (59), doubles (21), total bases (138), slugging percentage (.676), stolen bases (30) and total plate appearances (251). He's second on the team with a .358 batting average and tied for second on the team with 14 home runs. "I am having a good year, but there are always areas to improve," Trey says.

When the season started Trey was playing second base, but when the Skyhawks opened up conference play, he was moved to third base. "They needed me to play third so that's where I am. I would prefer to play second because I can pick the hop I want and play the ball, but at third there is no way to pick the hop. Most of the errors at third have been because I am having to knock the ball down with my chest."
That cheerleader dressed in the bunny rabbit costume back in 2003 is literally Trey's own cheerleader. She sits behind home plate in her lawn chair with her green iPhone in one hand. When, her husband, Trey, makes a mistake she lets him know by screaming his given name, "Frank Wayne!" "I am trying to be more positive," Julie says with a big Texas grin on her face. When Trey makes a good play, steals a base or comes through with a clutch hit, Julie shows her own speed by texting Trey's dad, Frank Jr., and his mom, Kellie, who live 577 miles away in Rowlett, Texas, with the news. It's the togetherness and the constant support for one another that make Trey and Julie Karlen different from other married student-athletes. Trey's major, engineering, and the three years difference in Trey and Julie's ages also make them different.

Julie opted to go to a junior college close to home for two years. "I was trying to help my mom and dad out, so it was a good idea for me," she said. "Then when Trey got a scholarship to play baseball at Texas A&M Kingsville, I said why not go down there and finish school and watch Trey play ball."

Trey enjoyed success at Texas A&M Kingsville. He was named to the 2007 Lone Star Conference All-Tournament team, and in 2008 he helped his team win the Lone Star Conference championship.

After his sophomore season, Trey went to New York where he played summer ball for the Niagara Power and coach Joe Scarano. Trey talked to Scarano about transferring to the best place for his civil engineering major. "I knew ever since I was in middle school I wanted to be an engineer and I always wanted to be a professional baseball player," Trey said. Both aspirations can be attributed to Trey's childhood days. "I was always taking things apart to see how they work," he said. "So I guess that's where the engineering thing came from." The baseball player dream is common for most boys. "My dad always told me if I made a C or lower I could not play baseball for six weeks or however long it took for me to get the grade up."

Scarano, who came to UT Martin in the fall of 2008 as an assistant baseball coach, convinced Karlen that the rural Northwest Tennessee school was the best place for him to continue his baseball career and work on his engineering degree. Trey transferred to UT Martin for the fall semester and for the first time since they met on Halloween, 2003, Trey and Julie would be separated. Julie stayed in Texas to do her student teaching and complete her degree requirements. Trey came to Martin and had very little involvement with the Skyhawk baseball team because of NCAA transfer rules. On Jan. 3, 2009, with no baseball conflicts, Trey and Julie got married in Dallas.

"We took a week-long cruise out of Florida for our honeymoon, and while we were gone our parents packed a U-Haul for us and had it waiting for us when we got home," Julie said. "Now that's the way to move."

The newlyweds spent Sunday driving to Martin, and on Monday Trey went to class and Julie went to work as a server in a restaurant about an hour from Martin. "When I graduated from college I thought that was it, I would be done," Julie said. "Being in Martin is OK though. I will support Trey and his dream to play professional baseball." The spring semester was tough on both Trey and Julie. Trey had limited activity with the baseball team because of the NCAA transfer rule. Julie was commuting two hours a day for work. "Trey was antsy all the time," Julie said. "He never had spring break away from baseball or an entire year away from the game."

This past summer, Trey went to Missouri with UT Martin baseball teammate Jordan Owen. The two were members of the Mac-N-Seitz Athletics based out of Lee's Summit, near Kansas City. Both players turned in productive seasons. Julie went to and found a job as a server in a restaurant. She changed jobs in the fall and is now in charge of the production schedule and a graphic artist for Andrews Athletics in Martin. Throughout the fall semester, the routine grew closer to that of normal college students for Trey and Julie. Trey went to class, played baseball or worked out, studied and hung out with the guys. Julie continued to be the supportive wife.

"I hang out with the guys and when I do, Julie comes with me," Trey said. "Sometimes we can't always go or do because we have to pay the bills. We cannot call home and say 'hey dad, send me money for the rent or send me a few bucks.'" Trey said his father pays half of his truck payment each month, but that's it. "We are pretty independent," Julie said. "We are not afraid to ask for help, but we would rather make it on our own."

As this season's end draws near, Trey remains focused on the game and Julie, along with several other members of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Martin, are regulars at Skyhawk Field. Off the field, Trey and Julie are discussing the future, but they are not talking about starting a family just yet. They are talking about the Major League Baseball Draft which gets under way June 7. "It's always on my mind," Trey said. "In my eyes if I am not drafted, I will be disappointed. I will feel like I let people such as Julie and my parents down."

The MLB draft consists of 50 rounds and Trey thinks he could go in one of the middle to late rounds. "It's not a sure thing, but if I am drafted I will go. That's been my dream." Julie, not afraid of loading up the 17-year-old cat, Missy, and Jack, the Dudley yellow Lab, will follow - after all she is Trey's cheerleader. "If he gets drafted I will support him and his dreams," Julie says. "If he gets a bologna sandwich and a bus ride, I will support him."


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