FAYETTEVILLE — Former Arkansas pitcher Travis Hester will transfer to Baylor, he announced in a tweet Monday.
Hester, a right hander, entered the NCAA's transfer portal earlier this year. He grew up in College Station, Texas, about 90 miles from the Baylor campus.
"I can’t wait to get to Waco and get work!” Hester wrote. “Sic ‘em!”
Hester, who was one of 24 pitchers named to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s All-America first team as a high school senior, never pitched in two seasons at Arkansas. He redshirted in 2019 and was not on the team's 35-man roster this year.
"The past two years at the University of Arkansas have been some of the best years of my life,” Hester wrote. “During my time in Fayetteville I made countless friends and memories and grew and developed as a person and an athlete. I cannot thank the coaches and the support staff at Arkansas enough for everything they have done for me."
Hester is one of seven Arkansas players who have entered the transfer portal this year. Other players exploring a transfer include pitchers Collin Taylor and Kevin Heinrich, outfielders Curtis Washington and Trey Harris, catcher Dominic Tamez and infielder Jesse Pierce.
"We’ve already talked to some guys and they’ve already gotten in the transfer portal to see what their options might be, because I wanted to give them a little bit of a head start," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said June 12. "There are still a few more we’ve got to talk to and discuss with them about the numbers and where they were last year…and let them make an educated decision. In some cases I’m sure some of them might move on.”