Fayetteville sophomore Jaison DeLamar is the latest talented prospect to commit to Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn.
DeLamar, 5-10 and 195 pounds, chose the Razorbacks over Tennessee and numerous other offers.
“All the coaching staff feels like the cool uncles everyone wants,” DeLamar said. “So I just know this is where I need to be. And it’s home.”
Also a talented football player for the Purple Dogs as a receiver and punter, Delamar played for the 15-under Arkansas Sticks travel team.
“Jaison DeLamar is one of the most talented kids I’ve ever seen at any age,” Sticks coach Chase Brewster said. “When we first started last summer the question was he going to play football or baseball in college. He had a lot of success as a freshman in both sports.”
Brewster said DeLamar wasn’t hurting for opportunities.
“He could’ve gone anywhere in the country,” Brewster said. “He had offers from everywhere.”
He was named the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette baseball newcomer of the year as he batted .341 with 7 home runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples and 16 RBI for Fayetteville this year. He scored 19 runs and had 10 stolen bases, and recorded 3 saves on the mound.
DeLamar is a catcher at heart and by trade, Brewster said, but he added he also played center field, shortstop and pitched for the Sticks.
“The real question for him was what position was he going to play if he played baseball in college," Brewster said, "and then he gets on the mend and touches 94 (mph) as a freshman."
His stock skyrocketed this summer.
“I think the last three months has been a whirlwind for him,” Brewster said. “He went from being unranked to going to Perfect Game Junior Nationals and playing really well there and jumping up to 36th in the country, I think it was in their rankings. He’s a plus runner with an extremely plus arm and hits for power.”
Brewster said he can't remember having a freshman touch 94 mph on the radar gun before.
"We've had some extremely talented arms that threw really hard as ninth graders," Brewster said. "I think Jaison is definitely the hardest thrower we've had."
DeLamar is the second Fayetteville sophomore to commit to the Razorbacks. Infielder Landon Schaefer committed last year.