FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas had four players of interest selected Wednesday on the final day of the MLB Draft.
Senior catcher Zack Plunkett was drafted as a pitcher by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 20th round; junior college outfield commit Chet Allison was drafted by the Dodgers in the 24th round; and high school signees Jason Hodges and Dominic Tamez were drafted by the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners in the 34th and 35th rounds, respectively.
Plunkett was drafted for the second consecutive year but for the first time as a pitcher. He returned to Arkansas for his redshirt senior season after he was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks as a catcher in the 37th round last year.
Plunkett never pitched in a game for the Razorbacks, but threw a bullpen prior to the SEC Tournament and hit 96 mph on the radar gun.
Plunkett was the seventh Arkansas player to be drafted this year. Dominic Fletcher, Isaiah Campbell, Matt Cronin, Jack Kenley, Jacob Kostyshock and Cody Scroggins were all drafted between the second and ninth rounds Monday and Tuesday.
The Razorbacks had five draft-eligible players, including senior infielder Trevor Ezell, go undrafted.
Allison, Hodges and Tamez were the only Arkansas commitments or signees who were drafted this year. Hodges and Tamez signed with the Razorbacks last fall. Allison verbally committed to Arkansas in April.
It is unclear whether Hodges and Tamez plan to play for the Razorbacks, but Allison (6-2, 210 pounds) said Wednesday he is leaning toward playing at Arkansas next season and hopes to make a final decision soon. He would be eligible for the draft again next year as a junior.
"I think in the long run it will definitely benefit me," Allison said. "They have the best college program in the country there.
"It seems like a good place to get a lot better that will help in the long run."
Allison was the Central Valley Conference player of the year as a sophomore right fielder at Fresno City (Calif.) College near his hometown of Clovis. He batted .446 and slugged .831 from the right side with 36 extra-base hits, including 11 home runs. He had 50 RBI in 45 games.
"He's certainly one of the top five I've ever coached and I've had seven go to the big leagues," said 31st-year Fresno City coach Ron Scott, who is the father of Arkansas softball coach Courtney Deifel. "He's a big, strong kid that can run and throw and hit, and hit with power.
"He has all those tools that you look for as a professional player."
Scott said the Dodgers are making a strong push to sign Allison, but that he and Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn think Allison can enhance his pro value after one year of playing for the Razorbacks.
"I played at the University of Miami and I just think guys should go to college," Scott said. "Nowadays it seems like guys who are going to the big schools, they're moving along quicker in the minor leagues. They're getting their education and a great experience, plus getting pro ball at the end. I think it's the best of both worlds."
Hodges, a 6-3, 210-pound Chicago-area outfielder, was ranked the No. 235 prospect in the draft by Baseball America and presumably fell in the draft because of a high asking price. Tamez (5-11, 195) is a catcher/outfielder from San Antonio.
Prior to the start of Wednesday's rounds, Van Horn said he expected a lot of high school players to be drafted and offered "over-slot money."
Players drafted in the 11th through 40th rounds cannot be given signing bonuses greater than $125,000 without the excess amount counting against a team's pool of money available to sign top 10-round picks.
"So far so good," Van Horn said of his signing class, "but I say it all the time, they’re trying to buy these kids out of college. They have a checkbook and we don’t. We’ll just see what happens."