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This is the 11th story in our series spotlighting members of Arkansas baseball's highly touted 2020 signing class, which is ranked third nationally by Perfect Game and Baseball America. Links to previous profiles can be found below.
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Nate Wohlgemuth burst onto the national scene when he touched 96 miles per hour as a freshman, but he cemented himself as one of the top high school pitchers in the country last October.
Pitching in the WWBA World Championships in Jupiter, Fla., the right-hander turned in one of the best performances in the prestigious event’s 21-year history. Wohlgemuth struck out 14 and walked only two in a seven-inning no-hitter, during which he hit 97 mph with his fastball.
The Owasso, Okla., native told HawgBeat that he was locked in from the beginning of the start and knew he was about to have a good game.
“I felt like all eyes were on me and usually when all eyes are on me, and I feel the pressure, I’m always - knock on wood - there to do my job,” Wohlgemuth said. “I didn’t really think about the no-hitter. It just seemed like every inning was the same. I just went out there on the mound, threw a bunch of strikes, struck out people and it just never felt like I was not in control of that game.”
It was a glimpse of what Arkansas fans hope to see at Baum-Walker Stadium the next couple of years, as the No. 42 overall recruit in the Class of 2020 - according to Perfect Game - is part a loaded signing class for the Razorbacks.
However, much like the other seven top-140 signees in the class, Wohlgemuth has to make it to campus for that to happen. There is a chance he gets taken in next week’s MLB Draft, even in its shortened form.
MLB Pipeline ranks him as the 178th best draft prospect, while Baseball America has him at No. 110. That means he could be among the 160 players picked in the five-round draft.
“If it doesn’t work out, then I go to Arkansas and I get to pitch and hit in front of 10,000 fans,” Wohlgemuth said. “I’m excited about that. If it works out and I get drafted, it must have been that I got life-changing money, so either way, I’m in a good spot and I’m happy either way.”
Wohlgemuth (5-10, 205) said he’s been weighing the pros and cons of both paths with his parents, who have been supportive throughout the process.
One thing working in Arkansas’ favor is that the shortened draft is expected to have a heavy college flavor because the surplus of talent could drive down signing bonuses. It also helps that Wohlgemuth - who turned 19 last Saturday - will be a draft-eligible sophomore in 2022, giving him an extra year of leverage if he goes to college.
“If it doesn’t work out this draft, then I have to only go to Arkansas for two years,” Wohlgemuth said. “If it doesn’t work out then, I have my junior year just like everybody else. It’s really in my favor either way.”
Already armed with a 12-6 curveball and a changeup, Wohlgemuth started working on a slider during the coronavirus shutdown to add to his off-speed arsenal. It isn’t quite ready for game action, but he said he’s been using Rapsodo - technology that tracks velocity, spin rate and spin efficiency - to improve the slider and it’s coming along “pretty good.”
