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Last season, only four players outside of Arkansas’ regular starters registered an at bat.
It was an unusually low number of bench contributors for the Razorbacks, who had used anywhere between six and eight additional players in head coach Dave Van Horn’s first 16 seasons at the helm.
A couple of those 2019 bench players will be back this season, but Arkansas has also added several freshmen who are in the mix for playing time. It’s still early, but it at least sounds like the Razorbacks will be a little deeper than they were last year.
“if somebody needs to have a day off or is struggling or has a little issue, I don’t feel like we’ll lose a whole lot,” Van Horn said. “Obviously, if (Heston) Kjerstad goes down, that’s a guy with a ton of experience and a lot of power. As far as the other guys, we can kind of plug a guy in and he’s going to be fine.”
Here is a look at a few Razorbacks who aren’t projected starters to begin the season, but are still expected to have a role in 2020…
Backup Catcher Battle - Dominic Tamez vs. Cason Tollett
There is no mystery surrounding who will be Arkansas’ starting catcher this season. Casey Opitz was one of the best defenders at his position in the country last year and is now hoping to make a big jump offensively after adding 25 pounds of muscle during the offseason.
However, it is a tough position and almost impossible to play every game, so Van Horn likes to have a quality backup to give his starter a break while also - in an ideal situation - building toward the future.
With Zack Plunkett graduating, the Razorbacks signed a trio of catchers in the Class of 2019. All three were top-400 overall prospects, according to Perfect Game, with Wisconsin native Nathan Stevens leading the way at No. 119.
