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re: *2024 ARKANSAS RAZORBACK SEC BASEBALL SEASON THREAD*
Posted on 1/16/24 at 10:10 am to Hawgeye
Posted on 1/16/24 at 10:10 am to Hawgeye
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Player to know: Hagen Smith, SP. Smith has been a critical piece of the Razorbacks’ pitching staff since he stepped on campus and is 15-4, 3.64 with 199 strikeouts in 149 career innings. While Arkansas experimented with him as a relief ace early in 2023 when the pitching staff was struggling with injuries, there’s now no question about his role at the front of the rotation. He’s also one of the best pitching prospects in the country and has a chance to be the highest drafted pitcher in program history.
Path to Omaha: Arkansas last season had a stellar regular season, despite being beset by injuries. Those injuries—and a great TCU team—eventually caught up to them in regionals, and the season ended with a disappointing showing in regionals. Avoiding the injury bug in 2024 will be important, but Arkansas might be deeper if its newcomers, especially the freshmen, can quickly adjust to the new level. Just as importantly, the Razorbacks must find the right answers in the lineup. As the season begins, they don’t have a lineup anchor, equivalent to Smith on the pitching staff. Such a player may emerge as the season goes on or Arkansas may need to rely on the depth of its offense. Either way, the Razorbacks need to find their 2024 identity.
Player to know: Hagen Smith, SP. Smith has been a critical piece of the Razorbacks’ pitching staff since he stepped on campus and is 15-4, 3.64 with 199 strikeouts in 149 career innings. While Arkansas experimented with him as a relief ace early in 2023 when the pitching staff was struggling with injuries, there’s now no question about his role at the front of the rotation. He’s also one of the best pitching prospects in the country and has a chance to be the highest drafted pitcher in program history.
Path to Omaha: Arkansas last season had a stellar regular season, despite being beset by injuries. Those injuries—and a great TCU team—eventually caught up to them in regionals, and the season ended with a disappointing showing in regionals. Avoiding the injury bug in 2024 will be important, but Arkansas might be deeper if its newcomers, especially the freshmen, can quickly adjust to the new level. Just as importantly, the Razorbacks must find the right answers in the lineup. As the season begins, they don’t have a lineup anchor, equivalent to Smith on the pitching staff. Such a player may emerge as the season goes on or Arkansas may need to rely on the depth of its offense. Either way, the Razorbacks need to find their 2024 identity.
This post was edited on 1/31/24 at 12:28 pm
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Posted on 1/16/24 at 10:14 am to Hawgeye
2023-2024 D1 Baseball's Top Freshman Class
1. Arkansas
RECRUITING COORDINATOR: Nate Thompson
Arkansas
HEADLINERS: The Hogs hit the jackpot with a remarkable collection of freshman arms buttressed by a blue-chip catcher and some nice positional building blocks. LHP Hunter Dietz (No. 6 on the Prep Baseball Report list of the top 150 incoming freshmen) is the top-ranked prospect in this group, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound ox who ran his heater up to 96 this fall along with an excellent splitter and a good slider. He figures to be a rotation mainstay over the course of his Arkansas career and stands a good chance to depart campus as a first-round pick. RHP Gabe Gaeckle (No. 26) also has a high ceiling, and he was even more electric than Dietz in our fall look, showcasing an exciting four-pitch arsenal and the ability to miss bats with multiple pitches. He came out of the chute firing 95-96 mph heat with excellent carry in the first inning, when he struck out the side, and then settled in at 92-94 for the next two innings. An athletic, live-bodied 6-foot, 190-pound righty with an over-the-top slot, Gaeckle also features a 12-to-6 hammer at 77-79 with tight spin into the 3000 rpm range, as well as an 82-84 slider spinning in the 2800-2900s, and a promising mid-80s changeup. He has future star written all over him. The same is true of catcher Ryder Helfrick (No. 49), who stood out this fall for his innate knack for finding the barrel, emerging righthanded power, and superb catch-and-throw skills. Don’t be surprised if he wins a fierce battle against several older veterans and winds up leading the Hogs’ catching corps as a freshman.
CONTRIBUTORS: The coaches are also excited about freshman righthander Tate McGuire (No. 123) and freshman lefty Colin Fisher. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound McGuire has the ability to sink or ride his 92-96 mph fastball, and he’s already improved his slider to accompany his filthy changeup. The 6-3, 215-pound Fisher is a “throwback lefty” who attacks at 90-93 with a true lateral slurve with good depth and a useful changeup. He generates steep angle and isn’t afraid to pitch in against righties. A few other freshmen provide additional depth on the mound. Bazooka-armed 6-foot-5 lefty Adam Hachman (No. 35) spent the fall working his way back from the internal brace surgery he had in high school, but he should be 100 percent by the start of the season. He ran his heater up to 99 or 100 mph in high school, though his control is a work in progress. On the other end of the spectrum, Korean freshman Jaewoo Choo is a funky pitchability righty who uses an exaggerated pause in his delivery to mess with hitters’ timing, then relies upon the arm-side run on his 87-89 fastball along with the ability to mix in three solid offspeed pitches. Six-foot-6 lefty Tucker Holland (No. 104) and 6-4 lefty Jack Smith are longer-term projects with upside, giving Arkansas more building blocks for the future. Infielder Nolan Souza (No. 44) was a well known prep prospect who could wind up as an offensive second baseman or third baseman as his career unfolds.
— Aaron Fitt
1. Arkansas
RECRUITING COORDINATOR: Nate Thompson
Arkansas
HEADLINERS: The Hogs hit the jackpot with a remarkable collection of freshman arms buttressed by a blue-chip catcher and some nice positional building blocks. LHP Hunter Dietz (No. 6 on the Prep Baseball Report list of the top 150 incoming freshmen) is the top-ranked prospect in this group, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound ox who ran his heater up to 96 this fall along with an excellent splitter and a good slider. He figures to be a rotation mainstay over the course of his Arkansas career and stands a good chance to depart campus as a first-round pick. RHP Gabe Gaeckle (No. 26) also has a high ceiling, and he was even more electric than Dietz in our fall look, showcasing an exciting four-pitch arsenal and the ability to miss bats with multiple pitches. He came out of the chute firing 95-96 mph heat with excellent carry in the first inning, when he struck out the side, and then settled in at 92-94 for the next two innings. An athletic, live-bodied 6-foot, 190-pound righty with an over-the-top slot, Gaeckle also features a 12-to-6 hammer at 77-79 with tight spin into the 3000 rpm range, as well as an 82-84 slider spinning in the 2800-2900s, and a promising mid-80s changeup. He has future star written all over him. The same is true of catcher Ryder Helfrick (No. 49), who stood out this fall for his innate knack for finding the barrel, emerging righthanded power, and superb catch-and-throw skills. Don’t be surprised if he wins a fierce battle against several older veterans and winds up leading the Hogs’ catching corps as a freshman.
CONTRIBUTORS: The coaches are also excited about freshman righthander Tate McGuire (No. 123) and freshman lefty Colin Fisher. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound McGuire has the ability to sink or ride his 92-96 mph fastball, and he’s already improved his slider to accompany his filthy changeup. The 6-3, 215-pound Fisher is a “throwback lefty” who attacks at 90-93 with a true lateral slurve with good depth and a useful changeup. He generates steep angle and isn’t afraid to pitch in against righties. A few other freshmen provide additional depth on the mound. Bazooka-armed 6-foot-5 lefty Adam Hachman (No. 35) spent the fall working his way back from the internal brace surgery he had in high school, but he should be 100 percent by the start of the season. He ran his heater up to 99 or 100 mph in high school, though his control is a work in progress. On the other end of the spectrum, Korean freshman Jaewoo Choo is a funky pitchability righty who uses an exaggerated pause in his delivery to mess with hitters’ timing, then relies upon the arm-side run on his 87-89 fastball along with the ability to mix in three solid offspeed pitches. Six-foot-6 lefty Tucker Holland (No. 104) and 6-4 lefty Jack Smith are longer-term projects with upside, giving Arkansas more building blocks for the future. Infielder Nolan Souza (No. 44) was a well known prep prospect who could wind up as an offensive second baseman or third baseman as his career unfolds.
— Aaron Fitt
This post was edited on 1/16/24 at 10:18 am
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