FAYETTEVILLE — The first Arkansas baseball scrimmage of 2022 held extra significance for shortstop Jalen Battles.
Battles underwent shoulder surgery last August and did not scrimmage with his teammates during fall practice. Saturday was Battles' first chance to play on the field at Baum-Walker Stadium since the 2021 super regional when he grounded out to end the season-ending loss to North Carolina State.
Battles showed no signs of rust and was one of the best on the field Saturday. At the plate he was 2 for 4 with 4 RBI and 1 walk, and in the field he contributed a couple of strong defensive plays in the 6 1/2-inning scrimmage.
“I feel great,” Battles said. “It’s good to be back out here playing.”
Battles, who hit in the two hole between Peyton Stovall and Robert Moore in a lineup that included several potential starters, had RBI hits against Zebulon Vermillion in the fourth inning and Elijah Trest in the fifth, and grounded out to score Gabe D'Arcy in the sixth.
Earlier this week, Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said Battles has gotten stronger in his lower body and looks good at the plate.
“As far as offensively, what I’ve seen from him, he’s a lot better,” Van Horn said. “We were disappointed we didn’t get to coach him a whole lot in the fall because we felt like if he could take one more step with the bat he’d be a force. He was one of our better hitters down the stretch.
“Jalen, I think he really appreciates the fact that he was injured and he still gets to play. From what we’ve seen his offense is so much better, so it’ll be fun watching him.”
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Battles was not able to start swinging a bat until December. When he did, Arkansas’ coaches were impressed with the way he looked on video.
He said he doesn’t feel like he has any limitations offensively, although he admits he is a little hesitant to dive into a base. That’s how he injured his labrum while playing summer baseball in his hometown of San Antonio last year.
“I’m just scared to slide at first and dive,” Battles said, “but I really don’t think about it as much. I just try to play the game and have fun.”
Defensively, Battles teamed with Moore to turn a double play to end the bottom of the fourth inning and made a strong stop and throw to rob Kendall Diggs of a single in the fifth.
Aside from being caught stealing on a good throw from catcher Dylan Leach in the fourth inning, the only blemish for Battles was a first-inning strikeout against Connor Noland, who struck out 5 and retired 6 of 7 batters he faced.
Moore reached in the first inning on what appeared to be an error by shortstop Drake Varnado. Official scoring was not available.
Noland struck out Stovall, Battles and Moore in the first inning, and struck out Jace Bohrofen and D’Arcy after Braydon Webb lined out to lead off the second inning.
Noland, a fourth-year right hander who Van Horn described earlier this week as “better than ever,” struck out Battles and Moore when they chased a cutter he threw for the first time against live hitters.
“He made me look silly in the box,” Battles said. “What I saw today, he looks very much like Kevin (Kopps), just nasty.”
Noland called the cutter “a good utility” and said he and pitching coach Matt Hobbs have been working on the pitch for the past two weeks.
As Noland spoke with a reporter after the scrimmage, Hobbs walked past, smiled big and joked, “Don’t tell anybody about the pitch, Connor.”
Noland, a 2019 Freshman All-American, had a healthy offseason on the heels of two seasons with injuries. He missed nearly two months with a strained right forearm last year.
“I put in a lot of work this offseason. I had a lot of time during the summer to recover and get healthy, and that’s a big thing,” Noland said. “I’m feeling good. I worked out with (strength coach Blaine) Kinsley all summer and I’m in a good position.”
Bohrofen had the day’s offensive highlight with a solo home run to lead off the sixth inning. The ball hit off the balcony on the third level of the Hunt Center in right field.
The home run was against Trest, who struggled by issuing 4 walks and allowing 3 hits against 8 hitters. Trest entered in relief of Vermillion, who was hit hard in 1 1/3 innings. Vermillion allowed three walks and two hits.
Gabe Starks and Kole Ramage pitched well at the end of the scrimmage. After inheriting base runners from Trest, Starks did not allow a hit and struck out three in two innings.
Starks (6-1, 220 pounds) has gained weight, but looks leaner than he did as a freshman last season.
“He’s worked hard in the weight room with Blaine,” Battles said. “He’s also developed a cutter. He’s a good pitcher.”
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Ramage struck out four in two innings. He allowed two hits, including an infield hit by Chris Lanzilli in the sixth. Lanzilli scored on an opposite-field RBI single by Varnado.
The Razorbacks are scheduled to scrimmage again Sunday at noon. The scrimmage is open to the public free of charge.
Other highlights Saturday:
• Moore was 3 for 3 in stolen base attempts. On two occasions he slid into second base ahead of good throws by Leach.
• Third baseman Jude Putz made a great backhanded stop and leaping throw from the foul line to cut down Lanzilli to end the first inning.
• Leach tripled off the right-center field wall against Heston Tole to score Brady Slavens in the second inning. Slavens led off the inning with a walk.
• Redshirt freshman Nick Griffin pitched in a scrimmage for the first time with one inning in relief of Noland. Griffin, a left hander, allowed 1 hit, walked 1 and hit a batter. Griffin missed the 2021 season after Tommy John surgery.
• Graduate senior Issac Bracken, a right hander who missed last season due to elbow surgery, also pitched in his first Razorback scrimmage with two innings in relief of Tole. Bracken struck out three and walked Slavens.
• Zack Gregory reached on an error and scored in the first at-bat against Bracken. Gregory hit a long fly ball to right field, and freshman Max Soliz slipped and fell at the warning track while trying to position himself to catch the ball. Gregory scored without a throw.
• Tole struck out 4 and allowed 1 run on 1 hit and 1 walk in a 2-inning start.
• Third baseman Cayden Wallace missed the scrimmage to attend a funeral.
CORRECTION: An earlier version incorrectly stated how many batters Noland faced.