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FAYETTEVILLE — Matt Goodheart will likely make his season debut against Southeast Missouri State after missing last weekend because of health reasons.
Originally described by a UA spokesperson as “non-COVID-related,” head coach Dave Van Horn later revealed he was dealing with “stomach issues” and didn’t travel with the team to Arlington, Texas.
After initially being unsure of a possible timeline for Goodheart’s return, Van Horn said the fourth-year junior could play in at least half of the four-game series with the Redhawks, which is slated to begin Thursday.
“He was cleared to play, so we’ll see how it goes at our workout today,” Van Horn said Wednesday morning. “I’m not sure I’m going to start him tomorrow, but if he’s good to go, he’ll be in the lineup a couple times at least this weekend.”
In his absence, junior college transfer Brady Slavens started at designated hitter and made the most of his opportunity. He went 5 for 12, for a team-high .417 batting average, and drove in all four of Arkansas’ runs against Texas - including a three-run home run.
Goodheart will likely become the designated hitter when he returns, so the Razorbacks will have to shuffle players in the field to keep Slavens in the lineup.
Based on comments by Van Horn, the most likely scenario involves Slavens moving to first base and Cullen Smith - who went 3 for 10 with two RBIs in Arlington - sliding over to third base. That would remove Jacob Nesbit, an excellent defender who struggled at the plate over the weekend, going 0 for 6 with five strikeouts.
Arkansas could also keep Smith at first, put Slavens in right field and move Cayden Wallace to third base, once again replacing Nesbit. Van Horn has also mentioned playing Zack Gregory more after he went 1 for 3 with a perfect sacrifice bunt as a late-game substitute in two of the games.
He replaced Nesbit in the lineup and played right field, with Wallace taking over at third, both times.
“There’s different options,” Van Horn said after the win over TCU. “I thought Gregory did a nice job the two times he came in this weekend, so I’d like to get him a start or two this week.”
What is certain, though, is that Goodheart’s bat belongs in the lineup if he’s healthy.
As a junior college transfer in 2019, he hit a team-high .345 with five home runs and 47 RBIs, earning second-team All-SEC honors as a designated hitter. Offseason shoulder surgery kept him from playing a position last year, but he still hit .302 with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 16 games.
Although there is hope that Goodheart - who was a preseason first-team All-SEC selection - will be healthy enough to play some first base this season, he is expected to begin the year at designated hitter.
Adding his bat to the lineup should help an Arkansas offense that hit just .237 with four extra-base hits during its 3-0 weekend at the State Farm College Baseball Classic.
“It we get Matt Goodheart back in this lineup, it’s going to make it deeper and it’s going to be a tough lineup to maneuver through throughout the game,” Van Horn said. “We feel like, hey, if we keep it close, we can put together an inning or two and maybe win a game.”
