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SPRINGDALE — It may not have seemed like it to those watching, but Matt Goodheart admitted he felt a little rusty heading into his first live game in more than two months Monday evening.

The Arkansas standout drew a full-count walk in his first plate appearance and then went 2-for-3 on the opening night of play in the Perfect Timing College League at the Tyson Complex in Springdale.

Although he had tentatively planned to play alongside some of the best talent in the country in the prestigious Cape Cod League before this summer’s season was canceled, Goodheart was thrilled to have an opportunity play in the Northwest Arkansas league - even if its players came from all levels of the game, including JUCO, DII and DIII.

“There’s a whole variety of talent and guys we’ve never seen before and may never see again,” Goodheart said. “I think that’s good, not just facing the same guys on our team over and over again like we do in the fall.”

On top of the coronavirus shutdown making it difficult to find places to train, Goodheart said he hadn’t swung a bat in a little over a week before Monday’s game because of an illness - which he was quick to point out wasn’t Covid-19 - much less faced live pitching.

Batting third for the Perfect Timing Cardinal team, his first at bat was worthy of an NCAA Regional, as he faced Kansas State ace and Conway native Jordan Wicks. The left-hander got ahead 0-2, but Goodheart worked the count full before drawing the aforementioned walk.

Facing a different pitcher his next two times up, Goodheart notched two hard-hit singles through the right side. His first one moved a runner into score position and set up the first run of the game, while his second resulted in two RBIs.

Teammate Christian Franklin followed Goodheart’s two-run hit with an RBI single of his own, putting runners on the corners. They extended their lead by pulling off a delayed steal on which the catcher threw to second, allowing Goodheart to score from third.

“That was not called at all, I didn’t even know,” Goodheart said with a smile. “I was just standing there and Christian did some kind of hesitation thing, which he’ll probably claim he did on purpose, but I don’t think he did. I saw the catcher move up out of the box, so I took off on release.”

Offseason shoulder surgery prevented Goodheart from competing for a position in the field during the Razorbacks’ shortened season and he wasn’t in the field once again Monday. However, he sounded optimistic that he would be able to play first base “in the next few days.”

“It’s pretty laid back out here, so it’s not going to be anything crazy,” Goodheart said. “If there’s a relay play at home plate, I may just let him score, stuff like that.”

Goodheart said he’s not sure what Arkansas’ coaches have in store for him next season, but he feels like playing first base is something he should be able to do because he doesn’t really feel any pain when playing catch. As he puts more effort into throws, though, he might feel some pain.

“First base is one of the more easily attainable areas with what I’ve got going on, not having to throw as much or as far or as hard,” Goodheart said. “Watching Trevor Ezell do it last year, I picked up a few things here and there, made some adjustments that you wouldn’t normally have to do, for guys with gimp arms like I have.”

Stay tuned to HawgBeat for more coverage from the Perfect Timing College League