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FAYETTEVILLE — He may have a handle on who he plans to start on Opening Day, but that doesn’t mean Dave Van Horn has it easy when he fills out his first lineup card.
With a mix of returning players, a heralded signing class and an impressive portal haul, the Razorbacks have a surplus of bats at the veteran coach’s disposal.
In fact, speaking at the virtual Swatter’s Club meeting last week, Van Horn said there are as many as 12 different players he feels confident in starting, but there are only nine spots available.
“There’s three that won’t start, right now, that I think could,” Van Horn said. “They will off and on and maybe all the time. But that’s a good problem to have and I want the guys to make it hard on me to not write their name in the lineup.”
The outfield is where things get particularly tough for Van Horn. The Razorbacks have five players with DI starting experience, but there’s room for only three to play at a time. Even if one of them fills the designated hitter slot, there will be an odd man out.
“There’s probably going to be a couple outfielders that deserve to play,” Van Horn said. “It depends on injuries, it might not be a major ordeal, but there’s always a hitter or two that you feel that should be in the lineup, but you only have one DH.”
HawgBeat has projected super senior Braydon Webb starting in center, with Oklahoma transfer Jace Bohrofen in left, preseason All-SEC pick Brady Slavens in right and Wake Forest transfer - and former All-American - Chris Lanzilli at designated hitter.
Left out of that projection is team captain and redshirt junior Zack Gregory, but he was actually in center field with the starters in both public scrimmages the last weekend of preseason practice.
Gregory split time with Webb in left field last season, when he slashed .245/.440/.412 and had just as many free passes (26 walks/11 HBP) as strikeouts (37). However, he came to Arkansas as an infielder and Van Horn said he could also play second or third base this season.
“He’s one of those guys making me play him,” Van Horn said. “I love that. He’s going to get a really good opportunity to play. I think he had 100 at bats last year, but he could get double that this year. We’ll see how it goes.”
Van Horn also said he doesn’t plan to use only one catcher in 2022. Over the last three seasons, Casey Opitz started 80.7 percent of Arkansas’ games behind the plate. The two years before that, the Razorbacks started Grant Koch at catcher in 91.0 percent of their games.
Kent State transfer Michael Turner is HawgBeat’s projected starter, but he is also capable of playing a corner infield spot, if needed. That would open the door for sophomore Dylan Leach.
Skipping his senior year of high school to enroll early, Leach was Opitz’s backup last season and started 10 games, slashing .257/.469/.429 in 35 at bats. Van Horn said he might have been “a little overwhelmed” last year, but he’s made a lot of strides over the offseason.
“All he’s done is work,” Van Horn said. “He doesn’t complain. He hasn’t asked a lot of questions about why this or why that. You’ve got to give him a lot of credit. He’s gotten bigger, stronger and better, so I see both of them catching.”
Among the freshmen, aside from projected starting first baseman Peyton Stovall, it seems as though Van Horn is most excited about Kendall Diggs.
Although he wasn’t as heralded as some of his counterparts, Diggs was still a top-150 recruit in the 2021 class, according to Perfect Game. He’s played multiple spots in the infield and even some outfield since arriving in Fayetteville, but it’s his swing that could get him in the lineup this year.
“You’re going to see Kendall Diggs,” Van Horn said. “Really, really good left-handed swing. Played a little bit of everywhere. Runs good, but he can swing the bat.”
Van Horn added that Jude Putz and Drake Varnado are utility guys who can play second base, shortstop or third base, while outfielder Gabe D’Arcy and catcher/first baseman Max Soliz Jr. provide power with their bats.
All four of them were ranked in Perfect Game’s top 500 recruits in the 2021 class, highlighted by Varnado - who turned down a 17th-round selection by the Diamondbacks - at No. 93.
Finding at bats for 12 starter-caliber players in a nine-man lineup will be challenging enough for Van Horn, so getting those freshmen some work - perhaps in midweek games - will be even tougher.
“You have to try to win every game,” Van Horn said. “I tell the guys that all the time — I want to play you. You come to practice every day and you work hard. We have to pick and choose our time.
“Obviously we start some guys because they’ve performed better, they have more experience. Doesn’t mean they’re more talented, but they’re more ready at the time. We have to ease some guys into it.”
