Van Horn offers promising news on Pallette

Arkansas pitcher Peyton Pallette (left) walks off the field with trainer Corey Wood after injuring his elbow during a game against Florida on Friday, May 21, 2021, in Fayetteville.

There will be a lot of good news/bad news situations over the next few weeks for the Arkansas baseball team with the approach of the MLB Draft.

However, Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn revealed some great news Wednesday in his season review media Zoom concerning veteran pitcher Peyton Pallette. Medical experts cannot find a tear in his pitching elbow.

Pallette was shut down during the Florida series in May with pain in his right elbow. The fears were that he might need Tommy John surgery. Tests were sent to two of the nation’s leading experts and both came back positive.

“We finally got the results from (two places) and they did not see a tear,” Van Horn said. “He’s in rehab and he’ll start throwing in a couple of weeks.

“We’ve got our fingers crossed that he’s OK.”

Asked later if Pallette could become the team’s No. 1 starter next season, Van Horn said, “He could, but we are not holding our breath (because there could still be a tear).”

There are a lot of fluid situations. With the MLB Draft still a few weeks away, there are lots of unknowns about the roster. Several signees are possible high draft choices and there are several players who could return or sign.

According to Baseball America, the Razorbacks have six players and 10 signees among the top 500 draft prospects.

Van Horn revealed a text between junior shortstop Jalen Battles that could hint at a return. Battles would like to wear a No. 2 jersey, Van Horn’s number.

“He texted me last night to ask if I’d give up No. 2,” Van Horn said. “I will. But I don’t see him coming back. The pros like his size and the way he plays. He might go inside the top five rounds.”

Kevin Kopps could return for a seventh year because of unique covid-19 rules, but Van Horn said the Dick Howser Trophy winner won’t be back.

“He’s 24,” Van Horn said. “He’s (done) with everything he could do school-wise.

“I think he’s going to go pretty good (in the draft), inside five (rounds). First, I think he deserves that. The negative is that he’s 24.

“I think the thought is that he could start in high (Class) A or they could send him to Double A and see if he can get hitters out.

“I think if he goes to Double A, he’d be accepted because of who he is, how he works and his maturity.”

Among the players Van Horn expects to be core players in the field in 2022 are Dylan Leach, Robert Moore, Cayden Wallace, Braydon Webb, Zack Gregory and Ethan Bates.

In another group are top players eligible for the draft like Brady Slavens, Matt Goodheart and Charlie Welch.

“We think those will be back,” Van Horn said. “But you don’t know for sure. Brady is only 20. We expect Welch back and he will have to prove to us where he can play (in the field). We know he can hit.”

As far as returning pitchers, Van Horn is excited about the probable return of Connor Noland and Zebulon Vermillion, who both have experience as starters. Both battled injuries this season.

“They plan to come back,” Van Horn said. “Connor really pitched well at the end. His pitches were moving and he was gaining velocity.

“He’s going to stay here over the summer and from the way he talks he’s on a mission. He’s going to work in strength and conditioning.”

Jaxon Wiggins will spend the first part of the summer – 17 total days – pitching with the USA Collegiate National TEam. He’ll be part of a traveling group of two teams that will also include Moore.

“He’s going to be with a lot of older players and will get to see how some of the best college players work,” Van Horn said of Wiggins. “He’s going to be a starter with them.

“We plan to work him as a starter in the fall. He’s got to develop some secondary pitches.”

Van Horn said the loss of a handful of midweek games this past season probably hurt the development of Wiggins and some other younger pitchers like Heston Tole and Gabe Starks.

“It 100% affected Wiggins,” Van Horn said. “He would have gotten a few more starts. That played into us using Kevin more. Maybe Wiggins would have gotten two or three more starts. Maybe Starks would have pitched more. He needs experience and is working on things like holding on runners and doing more than just throwing 94.”

Tole will likely be looked at as a starter.

“First, he’s a strike thrower,” Van Horn said. “He increased his velocity since he got here. What he did is learn how to throw a slider for strikes and it was an out pitch. He also has a change-up so that’s three pitches. Why couldn’t he start?

“But he’s big, tall and strong and could do a lot of things — start, long relief or spot close.”

As far as incoming players, Van Horn said his staff is still looking at possible transfers from the portal and how the draft will impact his signing class. That class is talented, ranked No. 3 by Perfect Game.

“I think we could start as many as three freshmen in the field,” he said. “And there are two or three freshmen who could really pitch a lot for us.”