The Recruiting Guy

Camden Fairview baseball player commits to Hogs

An Arkansas hat and glove sit in the dugout prior to a game against Louisiana-Monroe on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, in Fayetteville.

Arkansas baseball picked up its 13th commitment in the 2023 class from Camden Fairview sophomore outfielder/infielder Martavius Thomas on Friday.

Thomas, 5-9, 160 pounds, picked the Razorbacks over Florida State, Tennessee, Louisville, Oklahoma State, Stetson and Arkansas-Little Rock.

He praised assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Nate Thompson’s recruiting efforts.

“Arkansas just felt like home from day one to me,” Thomas said. “Coach Thompson just made me feel like family from the start. This has been a very long process for me and I thank all the schools that recruited and offered me but Arkansas was the right place for me and my parents.”

Thomas has recorded 6.37 seconds in the 60-yard dash. He also shows a strong arm with 90 mph exit velocity and 90 mph from the outfield.

Arkansas Sticks coach Chase Brewster believes Thomas is an elite athlete.

“He’s a special player, one of the best athletes in the country measurable wise,” Brewster said. "All the measurables check out. He had a lot of schools on him and could’ve gone where he wanted and decided to go ahead and commit and stay in state.”

His cousin, Jonathan Davis, was taken in the 15th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s played center field and batted .200 while having 7 home runs for the Blue Jays the last three seasons.

Thomas is a switch hitter who expects to play center field or shortstop in Fayetteville.

“They think that my athleticism can translate from the outfield to the infield or the infield to the outfield,” Thomas said. “They said they don’t really want to limit or label me to where I can just play.”

Thomas passed for more than 400 yards and 5 touchdowns, and rushed for more than 500 yards and 7 touchdowns for the 6-6 Cardinals' football team last season.

He was a leadoff hitter for Fairview's baseball team last year.

“I was batting .500 before covid hit last year batting lead off,” Thomas said. “And I moved up to varsity to play quarterback as a freshman and this year was the starting quarterback for my high school team.”