Arkansas Baseball Lands #1 2014 class according to Perfect Game

[ucahogfan]

It's been posted in EI, but I feel like it needs to be posted here as well.

Razorback Baseball @RazorbackBSB     ·   Oct 31   

The 2015 recruiting class ranks No. 1 in the country by @PerfectGameUSA. Check it out > http://bit.ly/1G3nfyh  #WPS

[Uncle SI]

WPS  :razorback:
Can't wait till Van Horn wins it all and gives Arkansas the triple crown in NCAA championships 

[poloprince]

 :razorback:

[BrianWPS!!]

I don't know much about baseball recruiting but isn't there a chance they could go pro after high school? Instead of coming to Arkansas

[ucahogfan]

I don't know much about baseball recruiting but isn't there a chance they could go pro after high school? Instead of coming to Arkansas

Yeah, and this reflects the players that actually made it to campus.

Typically, we get hammered by the MLB Draft each June, but only had one defection this year in Minnesota LHP Sam Hentges who is now in the Indians organization.  We had something like the #9 class entering draft day, but keeping players who were top 10 round talents like Keaton McKinney, Luke Bonfield, Nathan Rodriguez, Blake Wiggins, and Jonah Patten is huge for this program.

The new MLB Draft rules have been advantageous for college programs to keep more of their classes than they normally would.  Teams have to stay within strict draft pools or suffer severe penalties that no team will face.  These new draft rules went into effect in 2012 and the Hogs have fared a little better in the draft up until this year when even the most optimistic baseball fan couldn't have predicted what happened.

In 2010 and 2011, the Hogs lost 8 signees to the draft.  It is reasonable to think that 6 of those signees would have come to campus under the new rules and 4 of those guys are going to be future big leaguers including three on the offensive side of the ball.

[A_R_K_A_N_S_A_S]

Good stuff ucahogfan.

[Oklahawg]

UCAHOGFAN...you can post all the baseball recruiting you want around here. If anyone gives you crap let me know and I'll handle it.

You are a true asset to the board.

[Hawgzinbowlz]

Brother Sebastians serves a great steak after an afternoon/evening at Ameritrade.

" GO OMAHOGS "

[ucahogfan]

UCAHOGFAN...you can post all the baseball recruiting you want around here. If anyone gives you crap let me know and I'll handle it.

You are a true asset to the board.

Thanks!  We tend to keep our recruiting in-house in the EI forum, but big news like this should be posted in the recruiting forum.  The #1 class is even more impressive when you consider we only signed 2 players from Arkansas.

[Speedracer]

Awesome job by the staff!

[BrianWPS!!]

Thanks!  We tend to keep our recruiting in-house in the EI forum, but big news like this should be posted in the recruiting forum.  The #1 class is even more impressive when you consider we only signed 2 players from Arkansas.

How does Arkansas usually do in putting out high school baseball talent?

[FutureMan]

Thanks for the info!  I don't check EI as much as I should so please, by all means, post away on this board!

[ICEman]

These Hog sports have had number one recruiting classes.

Baseball (2014)
Basketball (circa 1996)
Track and Field (multiple times with John McDonnell; things have slowed a bit (pun intended) under Bucknam)

So I guess it has to be said, if one sport can accomplish this feat, then all should be able.

[MemphisBossHog]

Yeah, and this reflects the players that actually made it to campus.

Typically, we get hammered by the MLB Draft each June, but only had one defection this year in Minnesota LHP Sam Hentges who is now in the Indians organization.  We had something like the #9 class entering draft day, but keeping players who were top 10 round talents like Keaton McKinney, Luke Bonfield, Nathan Rodriguez, Blake Wiggins, and Jonah Patten is huge for this program.

The new MLB Draft rules have been advantageous for college programs to keep more of their classes than they normally would.  Teams have to stay within strict draft pools or suffer severe penalties that no team will face.  These new draft rules went into effect in 2012 and the Hogs have fared a little better in the draft up until this year when even the most optimistic baseball fan couldn't have predicted what happened.

In 2010 and 2011, the Hogs lost 8 signees to the draft.  It is reasonable to think that 6 of those signees would have come to campus under the new rules and 4 of those guys are going to be future big leaguers including three on the offensive side of the ball.

Well then ucahogfan, should we expect the Hogs to be ranked high in the preseason college baseball polls when they come out considering how well DVH and Co are doing on the recruiting trail?

[ricepig]

Well then ucahogfan, should we expect the Hogs to be ranked high in the preseason college baseball polls when they come out considering how well DVH and Co are doing on the recruiting trail?

Doubtful, ranked, but I wouldn't suspect to be top 10.

[Kevin]

Pitching is a question mark this year. Plus; some young guys have to come through in the line up

More talented but young

[ucahogfan]

How does Arkansas usually do in putting out high school baseball talent?

It can really vary depending on the year much like in football, but on average, it seems like we sign 4-6 players from Arkansas.

The 2014 class was very shallow, but the two players we signed were Blake Wiggins who might be the best hitter to come out of Arkansas HS baseball in a long time and Kyle Pate who is a LHP that has been up to 94.

The 2015 class is extremely deep.  In-state players have committed to at least four different SEC programs.  Arkansas has officially signed SS Drew Tyler and C Grant Koch from Fayetteville, LHP Ty Harris from Heritage, LHP Weston Rodgers from Har-Ber, INF/OF Cody Scroggins from Bentonville, and RHP Blaine Knight from Bryant.  The Hogs have commitments from RHP Jake Reindl of Shiloh and LHP Kacey Murphy from Heritage.

The 2013 class might not have a single in-state player make a significant impact depending on how the C situation shakes out with Gosser, Pennell, and Rodriguez.

The 2012 class was a banner year in terms of top end talent with Killian, Baxendale, and McClure, but McClure signed with the Indians as a 4th round pick and Baxendale is transferring to Crowder.

[ucahogfan]

Well then ucahogfan, should we expect the Hogs to be ranked high in the preseason college baseball polls when they come out considering how well DVH and Co are doing on the recruiting trail?

Like ricepig said, it is highly doubtful we will be ranked in the top 10.  There are serious questions about our pitching and we literally do not have a LHP who has logged an inning at Arkansas.

We should be a top 25 team, but neither Perfect Game or Baseball America included Arkansas in their "8 for Omaha" which is a very rough Way Too Early Top 25 type list.  I don't think their guys could have predicted the draft would have been this nice to us as not only did we bring in the #1 class, but we return 3 players who I didn't think would be back in Tyler Spoon, Joe Serrano, and Jacob Stone.  The lists were done around July 1 when what was going to happen with the draft was pretty well cleared up, but I think Arkansas was overlooked.

[Waldron_Hog]

The 2016 class so far is being assembled from all over the country.
I saw ca, tx, il, in, wi, ks, fl, mo, tn off the top of my head as home states for our current commits

[hawgmasta]

Baseball doing work!

[rzrbk4life]

Hats off to Coach DVH and staff! Woo Pig!

[josh_sec33]

The 2015 class is extremely deep.  In-state players have committed to at least four different SEC programs.  Arkansas has officially signed SS Drew Tyler and C Grant Koch from Fayetteville, LHP Ty Harris from Heritage, LHP Weston Rodgers from Har-Ber, INF/OF Cody Scroggins from Bentonville, and RHP Blaine Knight from Bryant.  The Hogs have commitments from RHP Jake Reindl of Shiloh and LHP Kacey Murphy from Heritage.

Deep is an understatement. If you include non SEC Div. I programs, Arkansas's talent was very good. The state baseball tournaments this year should be can't miss events.

[MemphisBossHog]

Doubtful, ranked, but I wouldn't suspect to be top 10.

so while the recruiting class this year and last year are really good, sounds like we are at least a year away from being considered a top 8-10 team?? 

[ricepig]

so while the recruiting class this year and last year are really good, sounds like we are at least a year away from being considered a top 8-10 team?? 

We usually recruit well, and some other services didn't have this class as high. Recruiting is based on potential, we'll know in May if we're top 10. As UCA said, we don't have a lefty with any experience. We'll be good, but young in a lot of positions.

[Waldron_Hog]

so while the recruiting class this year and last year are really good, sounds like we are at least a year away from being considered a top 8-10 team?? 

We are a top 16 team for the most part year in and year out. It is all about getting hot at the right time. The teams "considered top 8-10" are not the same 8 teams that make the CWS.

[BigPapaHawg]

Can't wait for the season to start!

[sickboy]

These Hog sports have had number one recruiting classes.

Baseball (2014)
Basketball (circa 1996)
Track and Field (multiple times with John McDonnell; things have slowed a bit (pun intended) under Bucknam)

So I guess it has to be said, if one sport can accomplish this feat, then all should be able.

I think this is actually fair logic. I hadn't realized we had #1 basketball class. Track and Field I get -- we were the top dogs for ever.

This is great for Hog baseball.

[ucahogfan]

We usually recruit well, and some other services didn't have this class as high. Recruiting is based on potential, we'll know in May if we're top 10. As UCA said, we don't have a lefty with any experience. We'll be good, but young in a lot of positions.

But by the same token, we have quite a bit of experience coming back.  We bring back our entire OF and bring in one of the top ones from HS making it to campus in Bonfield.  We bring back McAfee as a senior at SS as long as he stays healthy.  I think we bring back 5 guys who started 50+ games last year and most posters in EI have two of those guys being utility players this year at most.

The lack of lefty experience does worry me, but as long as our RHPs can get LHHs out, it really won't matter IMO.  While I think Pate and Fant will be good during their time here, I think it is important to work them into the rotation instead of throwing them into the fire.  Although the last time we threw a bunch of freshmen pitchers into the fire, we did wind up winning the West.

[ricepig]

But by the same token, we have quite a bit of experience coming back.  We bring back our entire OF and bring in one of the top ones from HS making it to campus in Bonfield.  We bring back McAfee as a senior at SS as long as he stays healthy.  I think we bring back 5 guys who started 50+ games last year and most posters in EI have two of those guys being utility players this year at most.

The lack of lefty experience does worry me, but as long as our RHPs can get LHHs out, it really won't matter IMO.  While I think Pate and Fant will be good during their time here, I think it is important to work them into the rotation instead of throwing them into the fire.  Although the last time we threw a bunch of freshmen pitchers into the fire, we did wind up winning the West.

Why we return some veterans, not all of them have been steady through a complete season, either injured or production dovetails. I hope we have the increased run production to offset what I feel will be just a "good" pitching staff. Not taking anything away from them, but we were spoiled the last 2-3 years.

[ucahogfan]

Why we return some veterans, not all of them have been steady through a complete season, either injured or production dovetails. I hope we have the increased run production to offset what I feel will be just a "good" pitching staff. Not taking anything away from them, but we were spoiled the last 2-3 years.

Yeah, the health of McAfee is a huge question mark and some of these players are very streaky depending on the competition.  DVH has mentioned numerous times how he feels that this team is his deepest offense in a long time.  A couple of freshmen/newcomers will need to step up and I feel like we have those types of players this year.

I fully agree with you.  I feel like we will have to outscore teams this year moreso than just needing 2-3 runs and feeling good because this staff is young and doesn't have the experience of past staffs.  Killian is a steady presence on Friday nights and getting Stone back is huge.  We have a lot of talent on the mound with Jackson, Teague, Taco, McKinney, and Patten, but not just a whole lot of experience outside of Jackson being a huge part of our pen last year.

[Pulled(PP)pork]

WPS  :razorback:
Can't wait till Van Horn wins it all and gives Arkansas the triple crown in NCAA championships

Quadruple


PP