Hog Calls

Coach knows summer ball not for all

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn, left, argues with home plate umpire Patrick Riley after Arkansas batter Clark Eagan was hit by a pitch in the second inning of an NCAA College World Series baseball tournament elimination game against Miami at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., Monday, June 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Mike Theiler)

FAYETTEVILLE -- If he could guarantee Andrew Benintendi-type improvement, Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn would place no Razorback in summer ball.

Amateur summer ball is the typical prescription for the college baseball underclassman following his college season's close.

Benintendi, the 2013 National High School Player of the Year from Cincinnati, hit .276 with one home run as Arkansas' 5-10, 165-pound freshman center fielder in 2014.

He spent the summer of 2014 lifting weights instead of swinging a bat.

The 180-pound version of Benintendi in 2015 was named National Player of the Year by those on the board of the Dick Howser Trophy, and the Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America publications while hitting .376 with 20 home runs, 24 stolen bases and 57 RBI and becoming the Boston Red Sox' first-round draft choice.

So does this mean more Arkansas underclassmen, who just finished their season at the College World Series, will be lifting weights this summer instead of playing ball?

"It's case by case really," Van Horn said. "His [Benintendi in 2014] situation was that we just felt he had some injuries going on. He had a hamstring issue at the end of his freshman year. He also had a little bit of a hand-wrist surgery around the holidays that had gotten fixed.

"We just felt in his case it would be good for him take some time off and just lift and get his body right."

Generally, does that prioritize getting bodies right over increasing their summer body of baseball experience?

"If we have kids that have played a lot of ball and maybe they are a little bit weak and skinny and really more than anything need to gain some strength and get healthy, we will deal with them that way," Van Horn said. "It is definitely something you can go back to and see how it helped Andrew and possibly could help some other players in the future."

Shortstop Michael Bernal, who will return as an undrafted senior, is one.

"As of right now he is just going to stay and work out and go to school and just try to become more flexible," Van Horn said. "That would be the plan with him."

It definitely is not the plan for sophomore-to-be outfielder Luke Bonfield.

Bursting from Skillman, N.J., with near Benintendi-type prep credentials, Bonfield broke his ankle two practices into fall ball. Bonfield rehabbed hard to come back by spring, but the rustiness showed. He hit but .177 in 28 games.

"The injury was devastating," Van Horn said. "He missed 45 days of practice, and it really threw him behind. He is going to the Cape Cod League and he is going to face some great pitching and hopefully be a guy that we can depend on next year.

"He's a good kid, and I think he will be on a mission to be a lot better player and more prepared."

Outfield opportunity knocks left to right with Joe Serrano graduated and Benintendi and Tyler Spoon turning pro.

Sports on 06/20/2015