From @masonchoate:
We are four days away from Arkansas baseball, and HawgBeat is continuing its annual lineup preview series for the Diamond Hogs.
With scrimmage coverage, analysis, interviews, previews, the Diamond Hawgs Podcast and more, HawgBeat provides the best Arkansas baseball coverage around.
We continue things with the six-hole spot in the lineup, which first baseman Rocco Peppi is projected to fill...
#1 - Rocco Peppi - 1B
R-Sr. | R/R | 5-10 | 195Huntington Beach, California / Marina HS / Long Beach State / Fresno State
2024: 56 GP, 211 AB, 43 R, 69 H, 16 2B, 14 HR, 56 RBI, 7 BB/28 K, 6 SB, .327/.392/.602
Now at his third stop in college baseball, Rocco Peppi will attempt to bring energy to the Razorbacks this spring while also being a legit power bat in the lineup. The California native hit 16 doubles and 14 home runs at Fresno State last year, and he'll hope to translate that to a much-tougher league in the Southeastern Conference.
Peppi tweaked his back in the fall, which limited his at bats during intrasquad scrimmages. He's been healthy since play restarted this semester, and the 5-foot-10, 195-pounder has been swinging the bat well in preseason scrimmages during January and early February.
Across 25 at bats against his teammates, Peppi logged eight hits with one double, one triple and two home runs. He totaled five runs batted in, scored eight runs, walked three times and struck out five times.
Van Horn said during his first Swatter's Club luncheon of the season Feb. 3 that Peppi "never shuts up" and he loves it.
"Just verbally, making noise and talking," Van Horn said. "(Charles) Davalan is very verbal in center field. You probably can’t hear him, depending on which way the wind’s blowing. But he’s talking all the time out there. Peppi talks a little bit. Plus, in the dugout when we’re up, yeah, he’s verbal. He’s not just sitting around watching. It’s not fake. You don’t want it to be fake. I think it’s a good thing."
There are other options at first base, including senior Kendall Diggs, Rhode Island transfer Michael Anderson and maybe a couple of others, but Peppi enters the season as the projected starter.
Last season at Fresno State, Peppi was primarily in left field, as was the case during when he played at Long Beach State from 2022-23. He made no errors across 56 games last year in the outfield, and he's looked solid so far at first base in scrimmages.
"First base is catching pickoffs and catching throws from the infield, whereas an outfielder might get two balls a game, but when they make a mistake out there, it’s three bases, 2-3 bases," Van Horn said Feb. 3. "It just really shows up a lot of times more. Obviously they’re all important and I told all the guys that, that I want to play defense.
"We’ve played great defense the last three or four years. Are we going to have a .980 fielding percentage this year? I don’t know. When you turn over as many as we do, it’s hard. But we just need to make the plays we’re supposed to make."
Arkansas will host Washington State at Baum-Walker Stadium on Friday, Feb. 14 for Opening Day. The first game of the season is set for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch.
Peppi had a four-hit game against Washington State on April 28, 2024, when he went 4-5 at the plate with a double, a home run and three RBI.
HawgBeat's Lineup Breakdown Series
1. #24 - Charles Davalan - CF
2. #9 - Wehiwa Aloy - SS
3. #22 - Logan Maxwell - RF
4. #10 - Brent Iredale - 3B
5. #5 - Kendall Diggs - DH
6. #1 - Rocco Peppi - 1B
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