HawgBeat - Arkansas Baseball Notebook: Position battles, Pitching and NIL
HawgBeat provides an Arkansas baseball notebook of everything HC Dave Van Horn said following fall ball.
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What a weeks it's been for Arkansas Athletics. Bobby Petrino was officially hired for the vacant offensive coordinator position on the Razorbacks' football team on Wednesday and Eric Musselman's Hoop Hogs won an electric 80-75 battle over the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils later the same day.
It doesn't stop there, though. On Thursday, Arkansas baseball head coach Dave Van Horn gave a recap of everything that happened in the fall for his team, along with what's coming up ahead in the spring.
Last season, the Diamond Hogs finished with a 43-18 (20-10 SEC) overall record before losing to TCU in regional play. Arkansas split the overall SEC title with Florida, the Hogs' second of the last three seasons.
Want a breakdown of everything Van Horn said? HawgBeat has you covered with an Arkansas baseball notebook:
Position battles
After landing one of the best transfer portal classes in the country and bringing in the second-ranked high school recruiting class according to Perfect Game, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Hogs have competition in mutliple positions around the field.
"You know, I really feel like the position battles are always going to be there," Van Horn said. "I truly believe that’s a big part of our program and the way we run things here, that you just have to keep working to play. Even if you’re a returning starter, obviously your name is penciled in until it’s not. I think the competition is what makes players better. I think the competition amongst the teammates makes you better for the future."
One spot in particular that stands out is the catcher position. With new additions in Texas Tech transfer Hudson White and freshman Ryder Helfrick added to a room that already included defensive standout Parker Rowland and Hudson Polk, the room's talent level and depth took a major leap from last season.
"But the catching spot is… It’s amazing this year that we have four really good catchers," Van Horn said. "A lot of time you’re hoping you just have one and a quarter. What do I mean by that? You’re just hoping there’s a guy that can back up your starter and give him a rest every now and then. Honestly, we could catch any one of these four guys and feel good about it.
"They’re all a little bit different. Some may be more defensive, right-handed hitter, switch hitters, power, maybe quick release, really strong arm — different situations. But I do believe that battle is going to continue and it’s going to make us really strong back there. We should be able to stay fresh."
In the outfield, the Razorbacks made two key pickups in Missouri transfer Ty Wilmsmeyer and junior college pickup Will Edmunson. They — along with returning right fielder Kendall Diggs — will likely see the bulk of the playing time for the Hogs. Jayson Jones could see some time in the corner outfield, too.
"Outfield is still a work in progress," Van Horn said. "Kendall Diggs is our starting right fielder. He played longer than anybody this summer. They won the Cape Cod championship there. Had some good days, okay days, was a little tired. He’s a guy, he’s earned it. Right field is his, until it isn’t. And I don’t think it’s going to be anybody else’s. I could probably DH him a little bit but I plan on playing him in the field.
"And then the other guys are new. You got Ty Wilmsmeyer from Missouri. He hit .300 at Missouri, did not hit this fall. Didn’t hit our pitching, played great defense. I think he’s a lot better hitter than he showed and we hope he is, but he’s a really good defender.
"Will Edmunson, the centerfielder from junior college, he had a good fall. Got better and better as fall went on. Learned how to deal with the velocity he was seeing. Got better in the outfield, had a good fall.
"Another guy we didn’t play out there much because he was working at third was Jayson Jones. We’ve been working with him out there because we’re trying to get everybody in the lineup that we need to get in the lineup, but he’s still working at third. So those are just some of the guys in the outfield."
Returning energetic infielder Peyton Holt is in line to start at third base, but will have to secure the job over Richmond transfer Jared Sprague-Lott. Sprague-Lott slashed .314/.440/.582 with 61 hits and 13 home runs last season, and was a sneaky-elite pickup from the transfer portal over the offseason.
"At third base, you got Peyton Holt," Van Horn said. "You got Jared Sprague-Lott who played at Richmond last year. One of our top defenders. Started hitting the ball really well at the end of the year. Hit .300 at Richmond last year. He can play anywhere. He’s kind of our utility guy. He can play short, second, he can play first if we want him too but he’s also a really good third baseman defensively. And then Jayson Jones can play there as well and that’s probably what you’re looking at."
As for second base, Peyton Stovall is about as much of a lock as a team could have. Despite tearing his labrum last season, Stovall is back and better than ever defensively and could see an increase in offensive production.
"At second base, it’s Peyton Stovall’s job to lose," Van Horn said. "He was incredible fielding the ball this fall. He didn’t play in scrimmages. Just talking about practice, workouts, all the way up… Today was our last official day we could work with our players. I don’t know if I’ve seen him miss one ball. It’s been incredible.
"His skills have just gotten better. The arm’s coming along. He’s got like one more week of a structured throwing program. But he looks better than ever. He’s swinging the bat now. Obviously, it’s not off live pitching. Sometimes when you get something taken away from you with an injury, you just appreciate everything more. It’s been fun there."
At shortstop, it looks like Sacramento State transfer Wehiwa Aloy is close to locking down the position. He slashed .376/.427/.662 with 88 hits and 14 home runs last season, and should provide more offense for Arkansas compared to the position last season.
"He’s just getting better and better with the glove," Van Horn said. "Big kid. Got a lot of power. I think he led our team in home runs this fall. He had 14 or 15 as a true freshman last year. He’s very coachable. He’s letting us coach him and we’re watching him get better. And then Sprague-Lott is probably his backup."
Finally, returning designated hitter Ben McLaughlin and Tarleton State transfer Jack Wagner are competing at first base. Wagner is a power-hitter, and his .337/.451/692 slash line and 15 home runs last season prove it.
"McLaughlin was our DH down the stretch, one of our top hitters," Van Horn said. "Had an opportunity to sign pro this summer. Turned it down. Didn’t get drafted. Would’ve been drafted probably about the 15th round. There was one team that was really, really into him."
"And then Jack Wagner, I think he had 14, 15 home runs last year over at Tarleton State. He started his career at Kansas and when there’s been coaching changes at both places, he’s left. Probably one of our team favorites amongst the players. Hard-nosed kid. Had an incredible last week of fall ball. Home runs, doubles. He could play first. He could play outfield.
"So I’ve named off a lot of guys. That’s a good thing. You’ve got to have about 13 or 14 guys for those nine offensive spots that can move around a bit. We feel real good — I know I missed a guy or two — but we feel good about where we’re going to be once we get this thing figured out throughout the season."
