FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas first baseman Peyton Stovall said Monday that he plans to return to the Razorbacks’ baseball program for the 2023 season.
During an interview on KABZ-FM in Little Rock, Stovall said he saw several references on social media to him transferring elsewhere.
“I plan to be a Razorback for the next two years,” said Stovall, who will be draft eligible in 2024. “I’m excited for next year and I’m looking forward to growing with a bunch of guys and meeting some new guys. I already miss baseball season and I’m already ready for a new season to start.
“I’m looking forward to trying to make another run with Arkansas.”
Stovall batted .295 and had an OPS of .798 as a freshman, and had 6 home runs and 31 RBI. He started 52 games primarily at first base on a team that finished with a loss to national champion Ole Miss in the semifinals of the College World Series.
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn has mentioned in interviews that Stovall might play second base for the Razorbacks in the future.
Stovall was projected by some to be a first-round draft pick out of Haughton (La.) High School last year and was predicted by D1Baseball.com to be SEC freshman of the year this season. He struggled to live up to those expectations for much of the season, but caught fire in the postseason when he batted .429 and had an OPS of 1.022. In 11 postseason games, Stovall had 21 hits and 13 RBI.
During a June 21 game against Auburn, Stovall became the first player to record five hits during a College World Series game since 2009, and the first to ever do so at the hitter-friendly Schwab Field. Stovall had 10 RBI during the College World Series.
“He had unrealistic expectations of him because he was a guy that turned down a lot of money,” Van Horn said following Stovall’s five-hit game against Auburn.
“He just felt a lot of pressure — social media and everything else and you read everything and preseason this, preseason that. It's hard putting that on kids that haven't even seen a college arm yet. He's been really good the last month….He's starting to hit for power, hit for average, taking his walks, and we've really been able to see the future the last month. It's been fun.”