Arkansas senior left-handed pitcher Zack Morris has entered his name in the transfer portal, a team spokesperson confirmed to HawgBeat on Friday.
Though the transfer portal closed Thursday for undergraduate players, Morris will likely be entering as a graduate transfer, though he should have two more years of eligibility with the extra Covid year.
Morris made 61 total appearances during his career with Arkansas and he posted a 4.77 career ERA.
As a senior in 2023, Morris posted a 1-4 record and a 7.64 ERA for the Diamond Hogs. He struck out 39 batters and walked 18 in 33.0 innings pitched during an up-and-down season for the Cabot native.
Morris' best year as a Razorback came in 2022, when he had a 6-1 record and 2.31 ERA across 35.0 innings pitched. Morris gave up just nine earned runs on 29 hits and he will always be remembered for stepping up in the ninth inning against Ole Miss in a 3-2 College World Series win over the Rebels on June 22, 2022.
Across his freshman and sophomore seasons in Fayetteville, Morris threw just 20.2 combined innings and had 20 strikeouts compared to seven walks.
The news of Morris' entry to the portal comes as a surprise, as head coach Dave Van Horn said on June 27 that if Morris didn't sign with an MLB team, he wouldn't be ready to stop playing baseball at Arkansas.
“I think it is up to whether somebody signs him,” Van Horn said. “Zack indicated to us that if he doesn’t sign a professional contract, that he is not ready to stop playing baseball or not play at Arkansas. I would say unless something changes from my conversation with him - and Coach Hobbs has had a couple of conversations with him - that he is going to be playing baseball, whether it is professional or here next year.”
Morris is the fifth Diamond Hog to enter the transfer portal from the official 2023 roster, as he joins Sean Fitzpatrick, Mason Neville, Harold Coll and Isaac Webb.
For a full outlook of Arkansas baseball's 2024 roster, click here.
