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Opitz eyes 3rd trip to Omaha in unexpected return to Arkansas

Casey Opitz did not expect to return to Arkansas for the 2021 season.
Casey Opitz did not expect to return to Arkansas for the 2021 season. (Arkansas Athletics)

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FAYETTEVILLE -- This summer did not go as planned for Casey Opitz.

Even after the 2020 MLB Draft was shortened from 40 to five rounds as a cost-saving measure in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Arkansas’ star catcher was still widely projected to be selected and begin his professional career.

However, as names started flying off the board - including teammates Heston Kjerstad and Casey Martin - Opitz’s wait continued well into Day 2 of the draft. Teams reached out, but none of them offered the signing bonus he was looking for.

It eventually became clear Opitz wouldn’t be among the 160 players taken and that he’d instead return for another year with the Razorbacks.

“Certain calls came and numbers popped up and I just didn’t feel it was worth taking that money and not coming back here for what I was getting offered,” Opitz said. “We won’t go into the numbers, but I love this town so much. I love this place.

“I love this team. I couldn’t say no to them when I could come back here. If my pro career has to wait a year for us to win a national championship, then I’m more than happy to do so.”

Head coach Dave Van Horn was so convinced Opitz would be picked that he dipped into the transfer portal for not one, but two graduate transfer catchers - Robert Emery from San Francisco and A.J. Lewis from Eastern Kentucky. (Both have since signed professional contracts as undrafted free agents.)

Already considered one of the best defensive catchers in the country before the season, Opitz also showed improvement at the plate during the shortened 2020 campaign. In a normal year, he would have certainly been selected in the first 10 rounds of the MLB Draft, as college baseball players of his caliber almost always begin their professional careers after their junior year.

“He pretty much got a gut punch when he didn't get drafted in the first five rounds,” Van Horn said. “I felt horrible for him. I told him we were all mixed emotions - we wanted him back, but we wanted for him personally to have that opportunity to sign.”

With the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility to all players, Opitz will still have leverage when the 2021 MLB Draft rolls around next summer. He’ll be a year older, though, which could impact his value, plus it’s always risky when a player - in any sport - turns down the pros to come back to college.

That said, his teammates have been impressed with his attitude. Based on their comments, you wouldn’t even know that Opitz likely turned down a six-figure signing bonus to play another year in a sport that rarely offers full scholarships.

“It’s tough to not see such a good player (get drafted) and such a good person as well,” pitcher Peyton Pallette said. “But I think he’s handled it very well and come back with a great attitude, motivating everybody on the team and pushing everybody to their limits.”

Blake Adams, another young pitcher, said he’s already resumed his role as a leader in the locker room and dugout, as well as on the field. Opitz is also known for bringing energy to the pitching staff.

It helps that he’s one of the oldest and most experienced players on the roster. A backup on the 2018 national runner-up team, Opitz was a key contributor the following year when Arkansas returned to Omaha for its first back-to-back trips to the College World Series.

“He’s been in all the big spots, he knows all of the roles,” pitcher Lael Lockhart said. “He knows what it’s going to take to get this team to Omaha and win a national championship, so you just kind of follow his footsteps and you’re on a good path.”

He may not have been voted a team captain back in 2019, but Van Horn told reporters early on that he felt Opitz would emerge as a leader on that team. That proved to be the case and he ended up earning the title of team captain last season.

“I think we really almost took for granted the leadership that Casey brings to us and I honestly can’t imagine being here without him,” infielder Robert Moore said. “Casey really brings guys under his wing and he’s always wanting to learn. Just the humbleness and no ego that goes with him, there’s just a lot to learn leadership skill-wise from Casey Opitz.”

Beyond the intangibles, Opitz is an excellent player on the field, too.

As a catcher, the Colorado native is a wall behind the plate. In 2019, he allowed only two passed balls despite starting 50 games and coming off the bench in several others.

His biggest weapon, though, is his arm. Opitz has thrown out an incredible 46.7 percent of potential base stealers during his career and picked off another seven. Even though Van Horn has said he doesn’t have the strongest arm, his elite footwork and accuracy led to Baseball America rating him as the “Best Catcher Arm” in college baseball - an award voted on by MLB scouts - heading into last season.

Opitz also rarely makes mistakes, as evidenced by his career .988 fielding percentage, and typically calls most of the pitches behind the plate - a job usually reserved for coaches in college baseball.

“All the pitchers have confidence in him with pitch calling,” Pallette said. “If they throw it in the dirt, they know he’s going to block it. Same thing if someone gets on first, he has the ability to throw anybody out in the SEC. It’s definitely huge to have him back and it’s going to be good to have him in the spring.”

What doesn’t show up in the box score is his ability to frame pitches.

It didn’t take long for Lockhart - a graduate transfer from Houston, where he was the Cougars’ Friday night starter - to pick up on that when Opitz was catching.

“I mean, it’s awesome - you get about three more inches everywhere around on the plate,” Lockhart said. “I can’t ask for too much more, that’s for sure.”

The only question marks surrounding Opitz’s game center on his production with the bat.

In limited action as a true freshman, he hit just .222. As a sophomore in 2019, Opitz increased his batting average to .248 as the Razorbacks’ primary starting catcher.

Although that ranked last among the nine starters, Opitz had a knack for delivering clutch hits and being disciplined at the plate. His 38 walks were third-most on the team, helping him post a respectable .379 on-base percentage, while his 45 strikeouts were tied for the fewest among the starters.

Where he still lacked, though, was in power. He had just six extra-base hits - three doubles and three home runs. That offseason, Opitz set out to change that.

Through the weight room and better eating habits, he packed on about 25 pounds of muscle. The results were immediate in 2020, as he exceeded the previous season’s extra-base total in about a quarter of the games.

When the season ended, Opitz was hitting .302 and had six doubles, a triple and one home run. Granted it was a small sample size before the season was canceled, his slugging percentage increased nearly 200 points - from .311 in 2019 to .509.

Wanting to keep that progress going, Opitz met up with his brothers - Jake and Shane, both of whom reached Triple-A as infielders - and worked out with them during the coronavirus shutdown, just as he did while growing up.

“We had that hiatus and I just got to get back and work with my brothers just swinging the bats,” Opitz said. “We worked and we worked for months — I don’t think we took any time off — to get ready for whatever was next.

“So getting back with them was really big to kind of clean up some of the things that I saw were creeping up on me towards the end of the season last year.”

That work seems to have paid off.

During the Fall World Series that ended last week and capped the Razorbacks’ fall practices, Opitz slashed .350/.409/.500 in 20 at bats. He had the go-ahead RBI double in Game 5 and then went 3 for 4 in the series-clinching Game 6 victory.

“He had a really good series offensively,” Van Horn said. “He hit balls all over the park. … Honestly, when you have a catcher with that type of experience and then he hits like he did in this series, (it) really was a big swing.”

Exactly what the regular season will look like remains up in the air. Some have speculated the start of the season will be pushed back from its traditional mid-February date, with non-conference series and midweek games being up in the air.

Van Horn said there’s even been talk of potentially playing more SEC games, similar to football, by adding an extra game to weekend series - making them four instead of three games.

Whatever the format, the Razorbacks are expected to be College World Series contenders again in 2021 and Opitz is a big reason why.

“We just hope there's a season and he's a high, high pick,” Van Horn said. “He can lead us into something special in '21 because he's definitely our leader on the field and in that locker room.”

If all goes according to plan, Opitz will likely be considered one of the top catchers available in the MLB Draft, which is scheduled for July 11-13 next summer.

Regardless of where he lands or how big of a signing bonus he receives, the Arkansas star is at peace with his decision and has his sights set on Omaha.

“You can’t say ‘no’ to this place,” Opitz said. “I’ve said ‘yes’ to it twice now. I just love it here. This being a second option for me, it’s incredible to be back here with these guys and this coaching staff, and just this community.

“It’s unbelievable. I didn’t mess up my choice for sure.”

More Diamond Hogs Coverage from HawgBeat

Fall World Series HQ - links to series stats, scrimmage recaps, postgame interviews + more

Ultimate Recruiting Thread - list of all 2021-24 commitments, links to scouting reports + more

2020 Signee Spotlight Series - links to profiles on Arkansas' newcomers for the 2021 season (high school signees, JUCO signees and graduate transfers)

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