FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas recently landed a commitment from the top fielding third baseman in junior college baseball.
Ben McLaughlin (6-3, 175 pounds) announced on his Twitter page in May that he will transfer to the Razorbacks from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College. McLaughlin, a native of Golden, Colo., has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
His commitment had previously been unreported by WholeHogSports and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
"Omaha has always been a dream of mine and nobody does it better than Arkansas," McLaughlin wrote in a message Wednesday. "Along with that the tradition of winning in Fayetteville is unlike anywhere else. Adding all that with the environment and fans it made it a no brainer."
As a sophomore this year, McLaughlin batted .411 from the left side with 19 home runs and 83 RBI, and was successful in 7 of 11 stolen-base attempts. He had an .804 slugging percentage and .511 on-base percentage for an OPS of 1.315.
During the second game of a doubleheader against Pratt (Kan.) Community College on April 3, McLaughlin went 3 for 5 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI.
The American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings announced McLaughlin as the Gold Glove Award winner at his position for NJCAA Division I. He had a .986 fielding percentage as a sophomore.
McLaughlin, who throws right handed, has history as a pitcher. He pitched 9 1/3 innings as a freshman at Hutchinson, but did not pitch this year.
At Arkansas, McLaughlin will be a candidate to fill an expected void left by third baseman Cayden Wallace, who is projected to be drafted and sign professionally this summer. Wallace, a sophomore, is ranked the No. 54 prospect for this year’s MLB Draft by Baseball America.
McLaughlin is the eighth junior college player and sixth JUCO infielder who has committed to play at Arkansas in 2023. Other infield JUCO commits include Hunter Grimes of McLennan (Texas) College; Isaac Webb of East Oklahoma State College; Peyton Holt of Crowder (Mo.) College; Harold Coll of San Jacinto (Texas) Junior College; and Tyson Fourkiller of Connors (Okla.) State College.
Right-handed pitcher Cody Adcock of Crowder and left-handed pitcher Hunter Hollan of San Jacinto have also committed. Adcock, a Texarkana native, previously pitched at Ole Miss.
The Razorbacks have also received a commitment from transferring outfielder Jared Wegner from Creighton.
According to an Arkansas team spokesman, Adcock, Grimes, Webb and Coll have signed letters of intent.
Richard Davenport contributed
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated when McLaughlin committed.