HawgBeat - Latest intel, nuggets on Arkansas baseball transfer targets
HawgBeat has the latest on Arkansas baseball's targets in the transfer portal.
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The transfer portal has only been open for less than a week, but teams around the SEC have already begun adding quality players while the Razorbacks continue to loom in the recruiting shadows.
Head coach Dave Van Horn has locked down commitments from a handful of JUCO athletes, including Florida Southwestern State outfielder Justin Thomas, New Mexico J.C. infielder Brent Iredale, Coffeyville C.C. infielder Carson Schrack, Crowder C.C. outfielder Kolton Reynolds and Seward County C.C. infielder Trenton Rowan.
RELATED: Arkansas Baseball 2024 Offseason Roster Tracker
Arkansas has also landed BYU two-way BYU prospect Kuhio Aloy, the brother of current Razorback shortstop Wehiwa Aloy. The Big 12 All-Freshman led the Cougars in RBI (39) and played primarily at the designated hitter position in 2024.
Though it has been a quiet few days for the Diamond Hogs' program, some names of interest have started to become more apparent. As more players start to enter the transfer portal — especially from power conferences after the Super Regional round concludes — the breadcrumbs of Arkansas' recruiting trail will be easier to track.
Let's dives deep into the unknown with the latest intel, nuggets and more on Arkansas targets and SEC transfers:
Commitment watch:
I reported on Saturday that TCU outfielder transfer Logan Maxwell was scheduled to visit Fayetteville on Wednesday, and he will remain on my commitment watch list for the week as a result.
One of the main programs that Maxwell was eyeing once he entered the transfer portal was Arkansas, and it wouldn't be surprising if the Razorbacks secured his commitment while he was on campus.
RELATED: Arkansas to host TCU transfer outfielder Logan Maxwell
A 5-foot-10, 185-pound soon-to-be senior, Maxwell finished the 2024 season with TCU's second-highest batting average at .335. He added 12 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 25 RBIs across 170 at-bats.
According to 64analytics, Maxwell is ranked as the 14th-best player in the transfer portal. His best series performance came against at Baylor, when he finished 8-for-14 (.571) at the plate with four RBIs. That series also included his season-high in hits for a single game (five).
Transfers to keep an eye on:
Three names have surfaced as having an interest in Arkansas that have also been contacted by the coaching staff, including East Carolina outfielder Bristol Carter, Sam Houston State two-way outfielder and left-handed pitcher Malachi Lott and Mount St. Mary's righty Deven Sheerin.
Carter — ranked 71st overall according to 64analytics — slashed .344/.403/.438 as a freshman with seven doubles, two home runs and 31 RBI. He finished with an impressive 12.2% K rate and projects as a center fielder with some development.
I can confirm that Carter has been in talks with Arkansas hitting coach Nate Thompson and is seriously considering the Razorbacks, though a commitment timeline has not been decided yet.
Texas native Lott is a recent name to appear on the radar and he gained interest from assistant coach Bobby Wernes in a short time. 64analytics' 12th overall player has had conversations with Arkansas coaches and plans to continue doing so over the next few days.
The two-way player hit for a .303 batting average with 10 home runs and sported a 3.86 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 14.0 innings for the Bearkats.
Finally, Sheerin told me that he had been in contact with Arkansas but not much else has come of his recruitment in recent days. The 6-foot-5 freshman reliever held batters to a .197 batting average and struck out 109 hitters in 70.0 IP despite recording a 4.76 ERA.
Other nuggets:
The following tidbits of information are deemed as nuggets because, well, they're small and potentially insignificant in the grand scheme of things. However, there's always a chance that players here become one to watch, so why not talk about them now?
In my many escapades of reaching out to players, some have told me that they were interested in the Razorbacks despite not hearing from anyone on staff yet. Some standouts include Missouri State righty Thompson Brandt (64analytics' No. 38), Wofford right-hander Zac Cowan (64analytics' No. 41) and Indiana State outfielder Parker Stinson (64analytics' No. 53).
Creighton right-handed reliever Mason Koch (64analytics' No. 171) was in talks with the Hogs but has seemingly moved on to other programs, while Iona outfielder Josiah Ragsdale (64analytics' No. 148) hopes to hear from Arkansas soon after accumulating a .385 batting average, 13 doubles, eight triples and seven home runs in 2024.
An intriguing portal name is Alabama left-hander Alton Davis II (64analytics' No. 61), who picked up a follow from pitching coach Matt Hobbs on social media. That's usually a good sign that the coaching staff is interested, and it's not shocking because Davis has all the intangibles to be productive at the college level.
Two more players that make a ton of sense for the Razorbacks are Texas Tech first baseman Gavin Kash (64analytics' No. 4) and LSU lefty Cam Johnson (64analytics' No. 85).
After speaking with a Texas Tech source, Kash is likely an MLB Draft lean, but scouts do have concerns with his swing. Should he return to college, Arkansas makes sense as Ben McLaughlin is expected to depart and the Hogs have a transfer pipeline with the Red Raiders after picking up Mason Molina and Hudson White last offseason.
Notable SEC pickups:
A few SEC programs have already risen above the pack in the transfer portal, as Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama currently rank in the top five of team rankings according to 64analytics.
The Wildcats already have seven transfer commitments, headlined by Columbia designated hitter Cole Hage (64analytics' No. 62), CSU Bakersfield righty arm Ryan Verdugo (64analytics' No. 73), Canisius outfielder Jackson Strong (64analytics' No. 109) and South Dakota State right-hander Nic McCay (64analytics' No. 125).
Former Arkansas pitching coach and current head coach of the Bulldogs Wes Johnson is on fire in the portal yet again, as he has six pledges and three top 100 transfers in UT Arlington second baseman Ryan Black (64analytics' No. 9), Miami (OH) third baseman Ryland Zaborowski (64analytics' No. 18) and Florida Atlantic second baseman Christian Adams (64analytics' No. 55).
Alabama only has two committed players as of now, but they are both in the top 50 in Penn designated hitter Carson Ozmer (64analytics' No. 21) and Samford third baseman Garrett Staton (64analytics' No. 35).
Auburn (No. 8), Florida (No. 14), Texas A&M (No. 20), Vanderbilt (No. 22) and Mississippi State (No. 25) all find themselves within the top 25 of team rankings, while Tennessee reportedly hosted multiple top transfer prospects over the weekend — including No. 1 overall player Gavin Kilen out of Louisville.
Here is every SEC team's list of transfer portal commitments:
Kentucky - No. 1:
~ DH Cole Hage, Columbia - No. 62
~ RHP Ryan Verdugo, CSU Bakersfield - No. 73
~ RF Jackson Strong, Canisius - No. 109
~ RHP Nic McCay, South Dakota State - No. 125
~ RHP Scott Rouse, Radford - No. 157
~ SS Trent Youngblood, Transylvania - No. 234
~ RHP Chase Alderman, Eastern Kentucky - No. 485
Georgia - No. 2:
~ 2B Ryan Black, UT Arlington - No. 9
~ 3B Ryland Zaborowski, Miami (OH) - No. 18
~ 2B Christian Adams, Florida Atlantic - No. 55
~ INF Charlie Jones, Air Force - No. 281
~ RHP Davis Chastain, Georgia State - No. 1,217
~ DH Justin Byrd, USK Aiken - No. 1,375
Alabama - No. 5
~ DH Carson Ozmer, Penn - No. 21
~ 3B Garrett Staton, Samford - No. 35
Auburn - No. 9
~ C Lucas Steele, Samford - No. 17
~ SS Eric Snow, South Florida - No. 167
Florida - No. 14
~ 2B Justin Nadeau, Jacksonville - No. 163
~ DH Landon Stripling, Texas Tech - No. 551
Texas A&M - No. 20:
~ 3B Wyatt Henseler, Penn - No. 56
Vanderbilt - No. 22:
~ RHP Cody Bowker, Georgetown - No. 67
Mississippi State - No. 23:
~ 3B Gehrig Frei, North Alabama - No. 76
South Carolina - No. 29:
~ RHP Caleb Jones, Winthrop - No. 267
Arkansas - No. 47:
~ DH Kuhio Aloy, BYU - No. 611
Note: LSU, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Missouri have yet to receive a transfer commitment.
