The 2023 season came to a close for the Arkansas baseball team in a 12-4 loss to TCU on Monday in the Fayetteville Regional final at Baum-Walker Stadium.
With the book closed on one season, it’s already on to the next for Razorback head coach Dave Van Horn.
“You know how it is every year now with the way everything is set up with the portal and kids coming in,” Van Horn said. “You rebuild your roster every summer. It’s not going to change. That’s the way it is. If you don’t like it, you better find a new job if you’re going to coach at this level. That’s the way I look at it.
“There are some coaches that don’t like it and they got out. It’s hard to bring in a freshman and keep him happy if he’s not playing. You hope they come back, but I’m looking forward to getting this recruiting in.”
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Van Horn and his staff have already done some heavy lifting towards next year’s roster by securing the No. 1 ranked 2023 class in the nation, according to Perfect Game. Of the 20 total commitments in the class, 13 are Top 100 players. The next closest team is UCLA, which has seven Top 100 players.
With those elite prospects comes the fact that most of them will be selected in the MLB Draft and most of them will sign with whatever team drafts them.
“We’re going to get smoked in the draft and we know that,” Van Horn said. “We’re going to make sure that we have it covered. The guys that get through, I hope those freshmen can help us next year.
“The guys that come back, they’ve got a lot of experience and we’ve got to get the right other guys. The grad transfers, portal guys. We’ve got to get just the right ones. It’s not about getting the superstars all over the country. It’s about getting guys that are good players and good teammates.”
Arkansas also currently has one transfer commitment — Hutchinson Community College transfer Will Edmunson. It’s to be expected that the Razorbacks will add plenty more transfers as decisions are made over the coming weeks.
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Players will be coming and some will be going, whether it be to the transfer portal or the MLB Draft, which will be held on July 9-11.
Per an NCAA one-year waiver, Arkansas can have a 40-man roster and spread 11.7 scholarships between a maximum of 32 players for the 2023-24 roster. These numbers are different than the usual 35-man roster and 11.7 scholarships spread between 27 players. Returning super seniors do not count towards roster numbers, as was displayed this season with Brady Slavens for Arkansas.
With all of that said, below is an in-depth breakdown of the roster, including who the top draft prospects are, who is out of eligibility and who still has eligibility. The year classification for each player is based on what Arkansas Athletics lists them as on the official roster.
This is a fluid story that will be updated as roster changes are made. For the latest intel on Arkansas baseball roster news, subscribe to HawgBeat for access to The Trough premium message board.
Freshmen (MLB prospect ranking for 2023 draft)
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~ INF Aidan Miller – No. 12
~ INF Walker Martin – No. 28
~ INF Nazzan Zanetello – No. 52
~ OF Kendall George – No. 60
~ LHP Adam Hachman – No. 97
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~ LHP Hunter Dietz – No. 139
~ RHP Barrett Kent – No. 150
~ RHP Gabe Gaeckle – No. 158
~ C Ryder Helfrick – No. 197
Could Return (MLB prospect ranking for 2023 draft)
After last week’s winter storm, several Arkansas school districts have announced that they will remain closed or will open late on Monday because of icy road conditions in neighborhoods and secondary streets:
* Benton School District: Closed.
* Booneville School District: Closed.
* Bryant School District: Closed.
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* Cabot School District: Schools will have a 2-hour delayed start.
* Conway School District: School will start at 10 a.m. after a 2-hour delay. Snow bus routes will be in effect.
* Greenbrier School District: Closed.
* Hot Springs School District: Closed.
* Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District: Closed. District offices and departments will open.
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* Little Rock School District: Closed. However, all 12-month employees, school administration and custodians should report to work at regularly scheduled times.
* North Little Rock School District: Closed. District Central Office sites will open at 10 a.m. Monday.
* Pulaski County Special School District: Closed. District offices will be open for those who can safely report to work, including auxiliary offices. School staff who are 244-day employees will be expected to report to work as well.
* Sheridan School District: Closed.
This list is based on school district news releases and social media posts, and it is not comprehensive. For information on other Arkansas school districts, patrons are asked to consult their school’s website or district app.
While the Arkansas Razorbacks have been hitting the transfer portal hard, it is partially as a result of having more than 20 scholarship players decide to enter the portal after a 6-6 regular season that was capped off with a Liberty Bowl win over Texas Tech on Dec. 27.
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The transfer portal officially opened Dec. 9 and it was open for a 30 day window through Dec. 28. There is also an additional five-day window for players to enter once their season is over, plus there will be an additional 10-day portal window from April 16-25.
ALSO READ: Arkansas Football 2025 Roster Tracker
HawgBeat provides a look at where former Razorbacks have transferred so far…
Note: “GP” denotes games played. Even if a player appears on special teams, that counts as a game played.
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OL Patrick Kutas – Ole Miss
From: Christian Brothers High School (Memphis, TN)
MEMPHIS –While Beale Street is famous for being the Home of the Blues, red was the color of the day Dec. 26 at the Beale Street Parade, where many watchers were clad in red — a team color for both teams playing in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl the following day.
Marching bands, vintage vehicles, cheer squads and floats marched, strutted and cruised down the historic street in downtown Memphis as fans of the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas Tech Red Raiders lined the streets, cheering as bands and cheer squads from their schools passed by.
The University of Arkansas Razorback Marching Band, cheerleaders and pep squad brought up the rear of the parade, creating a grand finale as they marched to meet Texas Tech’s Goin’ Band from Raiderland at Beale Street’s Handy Park for a festive Bash on Beale Pep Rally. Both the parade and the pep rally were sponsored by the Beale Street Merchants Association.
— Story and photos by Cary Jenkins
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Maddie Hayley, Kim Hayley, Spphie Haley, Layne Haley, Toomy Haley, orey Hale and Abbie Hayley on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Caden, Colton, Amber and Drew Cates, all of Little Rock, on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
D.J. Stutts, Shante Stutts and DAnte Stutts of Batesville, mother and siblings of the late Razorback football team member Dion Stutts on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Aspen Coad, Mattie Grace Fortenberry, Aylin Coad, Milli Fortenberry and Mac Fortenberry on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Aspen Coad, Mattie Grace Fortenberry, Aylin Coad, Milli Fortenberry and Mac Fortenberry on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Rhett, Dana Asher and Cooper Daniel of Rogers on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Jeff Box of Memphis on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Elivs Moya, Jennifer and Hunter Yurachek on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Sue E. Pig on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Sue E. Pig on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Jonathan and Brittany Hays with Paxton and Brooke Kellett, all of Jonesboro. on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)