Gregory, Trest latest Hogs to enter portal
A pair of veterans are the latest Razorbacks to leave the program and enter the transfer portal.
Outfielder Zack Gregory announced his intention to transfer via an Instagram post and right-hander Elijah Trest’s name appeared in D1Baseball’s transfer tracker Wednesday afternoon.
Both players were part of the Razorbacks’ 2018 signing class and played a role on the team over the last four years. Now they join a growing list of players to explore opportunities elsewhere since the end of the season.
Of the two, Gregory got the most action at Arkansas, playing in 109 games with 91 career starts. He had a career slash line of .219/.416/.363 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs in 270 at bats.
After redshirting his first season, Gregory emerged as a contributor as a utility man in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. He converted to full-time outfielder the last two years, playing as a part-time starter in left field in 2021 and the primary starter this season.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of Gregory’s game was his ability to get on base — as evidenced by a career on-base percentage nearly 200 points higher than his batting average. He drew 66 career walks and was hit by a pitch 28 times. His 16 HBPs this year were tied for eighth on the UA single-season list.
Although he got off to a solid start, Gregory ended the 2022 season in a major slump. He was slashing .296/.491/.556 through the first 37 games of the season, but went just 7 for 65 (.108) with one extra-base hit over the final 30 games and his strikeout rate also increased from 33.3 percent to 53.8 percent. During the NCAA Tournament, he went 4 for 36 (.111) with 19 strikeouts.
The departure of Gregory means there’s a good chance the Razorbacks return only one primary starter in the field — first baseman Peyton Stovall.
Right fielder Chris Lanzilli, center fielder Braydon Webb and catcher Michael Turner exhausted their eligibility. Designated hitter Brady Slavens and shortstop Jalen Battles were seniors who could return, while second baseman Robert Moore and third baseman Cayden Wallace are underclassmen, but each of them are expected to get drafted.
Trest actually pitched as a true freshman, but posted a 7.58 ERA and struggled with command — 17 walks and six HBP — in a career-high 19 innings.
Despite the bad numbers, he emerged as a key arm heading into the 2020 season and actually had a 1.93 ERA in 9 1/3 innings across seven outings before the pandemic. He followed that up a solid 3.14 ERA in 14 1/3 innings, playing a limited role in 2021.
However, he had shown enough to prompt the Rockies to take him in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Instead of signing and beginning his professional career, Trest returned for his senior year and once again didn’t play much, posting a 3.77 ERA in 14 1/3 innings across 13 appearances.
Eligibility relief granted by the NCAA gives Trest an additional year to play college baseball even though he appeared in 45 games over the last four years at Arkansas. Gregory technically has two years left because of his redshirt, but his Instagram post indicated he’s looking for somewhere to play his “last year.”
Other players to transfer out include right-handers Heston Tole (Texas), Gabe Starks, Evan Gray (St. Louis), Vincent Trapani and Mark Adamiak, as well as catchers Dylan Leach (Missouri) and Max Soliz Jr. and infielder Drake Varnado (Arizona State).