Arkansas has added a backstop to its roster.
Former Houston catcher Leyton Pinckney (6-2, 220 pounds), who played at Kathleen (Ga.) Veteran’s High School, announced Thursday he is transferring to Arkansas.
Pinckney was 2 for 9 while playing in 7 games with 2 starts in his lone campaign at Houston in 2021. He began his career at Mercer in 2019 and played the 2020 season at Northwest Florida State Community College.
At Northwest Florida, Pinckney he hit .310 (13 for 42) during the season that was cut short by the covid-19 outbreak.
As a true freshman back-up catcher at Mercer in 2019, Pinckney started 14 games and hit .203 with 4 home runs and 11 RBI.
He is Arkansas’ fourth transfer this offseason and joins catcher/infielder Michael Turner (Kent State) and outfielders Jace Bohrofen (Oklahoma) and Chris Lanzilli (Wake Forest).
It is unclear whether Pinckney will be immediately eligible at Arkansas. If he is, he will be a candidate to replace departed three-year starter Casey Opitz, who was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the eighth round of the MLB Draft last month.
The Razorbacks also return Dylan Leach at the position and added Turner in June.
Leach, who started 10 games and played in 17 as a freshman this year, batted .257 and had an OPS of .898, and threw out 4 of 15 base runners this year.
Turner, who also considered Kentucky, Clemson and Houston, hit .337 in 25 games and his 1.079 OPS led Kent State this year. He hit 6 home runs, 2 triples and 5 doubles during a season that was cut short due to a hamstring injury he suffered while attempting to steal second base.