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Landing the top players in the country doesn't come without hype, and Arkansas junior third baseman Brent Iredale is living up to it early by breaking a recent early-season struggle trend set by former Hogs.
Heralded as one of the best junior college prospects in the country after slashing .441/.576/1.000 at New Mexico Junior College in 2024, Iredale was believed to be a heavy MLB Draft lean before making his way to Fayetteville.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Sydney, Australia, native raked in fall and spring preseason scrimmages, as he combined to hit 22-of-57 (.386 average) at the plate with eight total home runs. Those numbers could understandably make fans excited for the hot-corner newcomer.
Sound familiar? That's because it is. Before the 2023 season, NJCAA First-Team All-American Caleb Cali out of the College of Central Florida showed signs of big-time promise prior to Opening Day, only to start 0-of-10 before recording his first hit and he had a 10-of-52 (.192 avg) overall start.
Then just last preseason, the Razorbacks landed one of the best young transfer prospects out there in Sacramento State transfer shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, who hit nearly everything thrown his way in team scrimmages. Like Cali, Aloy was unable to translate his success immediately and he began the season 18-of-74 (.243 avg) at the dish before turning things around last spring.
It would have been fair if fans didn't jump on the Iredale train before seeing production first, but he quickly put any hesitation to rest against the Washington State Cougars in the first three games of the series.
Between both of Arkansas' doubleheader wins Friday, Iredale went 4-for-8 with 5 RBIs, including a
game-winning sacrifice fly RBI to win Game 1. He also nearly hit a home run in Game 2 that was called a double and played a sound third base despite frigid temperatures.
"Well, (Iredale) had a great day," coach Van Horn said Friday. "Unfortunately for him and us, the wind’s not blowing like it was, that ball hits the top of the batter's eye. That ball was absolutely crushed and it didn’t go anywhere. Like the base hits up the middle, line drives all over the field.
"I thought he played great defense for us today, cut off a couple balls, prevented them from getting to the 6-5 hole, probably not going to be able to throw anybody out. One of them he started a double play. I said all along, we knew he could hit and then when he got to campus, my comment was “He’s a better defender than I thought and he’s continued to get better. That’s been big for him and us."
In Arkansas' series-clinching 5-2 win over Washington State on Saturday, Iredale finished 2-of-3 at the plate with both of his hits going yard for solo homers, which kept the Hogs in the game until Aloy smashed a two-run bomb in the eighth.
"To have Brent come through like that, you know, he hit a changeup, he hit a fastball," Van Horn said Saturday. "He’s had some really good at bats. For a while there, he was about all the offense we had rolling and then some other guys kicked it in later there."
It is only three games, but Iredale has racked up six hits in 11 at-bats to push his team-leading batting average up to .545. His seven RBIs and two home runs lead the Razorbacks, and he's struck out and walked the same amount of times (two each).
Whether Iredale's hot hitting continues is up in the air, but it's a welcome change of pace for coaches and fans alike.
Up next, No. 5 Arkansas (3-0, 0-0 SEC) will play its series finale against Washington State (0-3, 0-0 MWC) on Monday. First pitch for that game is at noon and it will stream on SEC Network+.
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