FAYETTEVILLE — Redshirt junior Zack Gregory is expected to start in center field when fourth-ranked Arkansas opens its baseball season against Illinois State on Friday.
Gregory, who started 32 games as a left fielder and designated hitter last season, has worked alongside Braydon Webb in center field this preseason. Gregory was also voted a team captain.
"He's still learning that position,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said of Gregory. “Is he a true center fielder? We will find out. Defensively, on paper, Webb is more experienced there, but we're going to give Zack the start there. He gets better every day. He's going to catch what he's supposed to catch and go from there.”
Webb, who Van Horn described three weeks ago as one of the best defensive center fielders he has coached, is not quite 100% after suffering a quadriceps injury last fall.
Webb has shown power at the plate this preseason, including last weekend when he homered during scrimmages against starting pitchers Connor Noland and Jaxon Wiggins.
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“He’s about 85%. I asked him yesterday and that’s what he came out with,” Van Horn said. “He’s looked really good in our scrimmages. He’s hit the ball well. He’s run and caught the ball. He’s running the bases. I don’t let him run full speed; he’s probably running about 90% and still pretty good — better than a lot of people we have at 100%.
“He’s ready to go. It’s tough trying to figure out who to play out there, to be honest with you, and I think you’re going to see him a lot.”
Wallace impressive
In four open scrimmages this preseason, Arkansas third baseman Cayden Wallace was 7 for 10 with 3 home runs, 2 doubles, 5 walks, 6 RBI and 8 runs scored.
Van Horn was asked for his thoughts on Wallace’s recent play Thursday.
“You’ve seen what we’ve seen,” Van Horn said. “It’s been really good. Batting practice, work ethic, leadership — it’s off the charts. I just wish I had it with third year, you know, because when we brought him in here till they moved that draft, we had him for three years.”
Major League Baseball has yet to announce its draft date for this year, but Van Horn said he expects it to be sometime in July. If that’s the case, Wallace will be draft eligible because he turns 21 on Aug. 7.
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Division I sophomores are draft eligible if their birthday falls within 45 days of the draft. Otherwise they must wait until after their third college season to become eligible again.
Baseball America rates Wallace the No. 12 college draft prospect this year. He was named to the preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award earlier this week.
“They have two years to make a decision, and I think in Wallace's case it's probably not going to be a hard decision from what I'm seeing,” Van Horn said.
Arkansas coaches expected to have Wallace on campus for at least three seasons when they signed him out of Greenbrier High School in 2019.
“We’re just glad he's here,” Van Horn said. “I’m happy for him that he's done so well.”
Griffin progressing
Van Horn indicated Friday that a bigger role could be in store for redshirt freshman left hander Nick Griffin as the season progresses.
Griffin, a Monticello native, underwent Tommy John surgery in the fall of 2020 and has been limited in scrimmage work since his return to the mound.
“He may end up being a starter for us before the season’s over with,” Van Horn said.
Griffin has been throwing his fastball in the 90s in recent outings, Van Horn said, and his velocity has been more consistent. Van Horn also mentioned Griffin as a closer candidate, along with sophomore right handers Gabe Starks and Heston Tole.
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“I feel like it’s just getting better and better,” Van Horn said. “He’s got a really good slider. He’s got a good changeup. Obviously, his fastball’s got some life. He’s a good athlete. I think he’s got a little attitude on the mound. We like what we’ve seen. It hasn’t all been perfect, but that’s kind of the way it works whenever you’re trying to return from an injury.
“I think his stamina’s good and he could go 40 to 50 pitches right now without a problem. Now, can he get them out? We’ll see.”
Adamiak OK
Van Horn said redshirt sophomore right hander Mark Adamiak was hit with a 100 mph line drive off the bat of Peyton Stovall during practice last Saturday, but is expected to throw this weekend.
“It’s not broken,” Van Horn said. “You could see him as early as tomorrow out of the pen for long relief.”
Adamiak has been mentioned prominently by Van Horn and pitching coach Matt Hobbs during offseason interviews, and Van Horn said Thursday that he was considered for a weekend starter position. Adamiak has shown a 95-96 mph fastball and good breaking ball and changeup this offseason, Van Horn said.
He pitched 29 innings in the Cape Cod League last summer.
“I think he gained experience there and he gained a lot of confidence,” Van Horn said. “He’s just continued to get better.”
Ramage better
Redshirt senior right hander Kole Ramage has been one of the most consistent pitchers for the Razorbacks during preseason scrimmages.
Ramage has pitched in two scrimmages open to the public. He struck out 5 of 6 batters he faced during an outing last Friday, and struck out 4 hitters and worked around a pair of singles during a scrimmage Jan. 30.
“If it doesn’t change from what I’ve seen, it’s the best he’s ever been since he’s been here,” Van Horn said. “His velocity’s up. The breaking stuff is good — throwing a lot of strikes. You can’t just sit around and wait for him to throw a cutter or slider because he’ll get you with the heater at about 91-92 (mph) now. I think it’s just maturity, age. He’s healthy.”
Ramage, who saw important innings on College World Series teams in 2018 and 2019, struggled last season when he recorded a 6.75 ERA in 24 innings. Teams hit four home runs against him.
Van Horn said he can foresee Ramage as a weekend reliever or midweek starter.
I think we’re going to use him a lot more on the weekend,” Van Horn said. “If he shows in games now what he’s been showing against us in our scrimmages, I think he probably won’t be available on Tuesday nights. I like the experience, the confidence. He knows what it takes to win at this level.”
Earpiece expansion
Catchers will be allowed to wear earpieces for all games this season following an NCAA rule change. Previously the earpieces were limited to only conference games for the SEC and some other leagues.
The earpieces are connected to a walkie talkie that allows coaches to communicate pitching calls.
Arkansas graduate-transfer catcher Michael Turner said this season will be his first to wear a headset. Turner spent the past four seasons at Kent State in the Mid-American Conference.
“I’m excited to see what that’s all about,” Turner said.
Turner, who practiced with the Razorbacks during the fall, said he is comfortable with the pitching staff, but welcomes the assistance of the earpiece.
“I think it will definitely help with pitch calling from Coach Hobbs,” Turner said. “I know we’re not always on the exact same page, so if he ever has something, it’s just really easy to relay what he wants from me.”
Field techniques
Van Horn said he expects the field to be in good shape for Friday’s season opener. Rain began falling in Fayetteville on Wednesday night and continued into Thursday morning, and wintry precipitation is possible Thursday afternoon.
On Thursday, a tarp covered a large swath of right-center field near the warning track. It was an area that was left uncovered during a snow event two weeks ago and took several days to dry. Van Horn said the new Hunt Baseball Development Center in right field has cast new shadows on the field.
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“When we had that little ice and snow, it got packed down there and it never really got the sun,” Van Horn said. “You know, you learn; probably a little bit too much driving around with the Gators compacted it down. They had to work hard to get it off.
“Our grounds crew has done a tremendous job so far. The field is in really good playing shape. The grass isn’t as green as it’s going to be in a month or two, but the dirt is fantastic and everything else is good.”
Other notes
• Arkansas’ starting pitchers are expected to have pitch counts around 60 to 70 for this weekend’s games. Noland will start Friday, freshman Hagen Smith will start Saturday and Wiggins will start Sunday.
• Freshman right hander Vincent Trapani is battling a back injury that might cause him to redshirt.
• Nick Moten, a freshman right hander who was praised by coaches during the fall, is progressing after battling an undisclosed illness in December. Van Horn said Moten threw a good bullpen Wednesday and could see playing time later in the weekend against Illinois State.