Peyton Stovall playing best ball of Razorback career
Arkansas junior second baseman Peyton Stovall did not have an easy road to getting back on the diamond in 2024.
Following a historically great 2022 postseason as a true freshman, Stovall's second year with the Razorbacks did not go as planned. The Haughton, Louisiana, native started in all 38 games for the Diamond Hogs before a season-ending torn labrum sidelined him for the rest of his sophomore year.
Stovall slashed .253/.330/.393 with five home runs and 31 runs batted in during the 2023 season before the injury, and head coach Dave Van Horn has since said that the injury definitely played a factor in the level Stovall was able to perform at.
After being named team captain for a second year in a row and finally being cleared to play in live scrimmages, Stovall got back on the diamond during the preseason for Arkansas. Unfortunately for him, he was plunked twice in the right foot during a Feb. 5 scrimmage and later found out his foot was broken.
"I just told him, ‘You’re one of the strongest guys mentally, you can handle this and that’s why this was put on you,'" Van Horn said Feb. 14 of Stovall's injury. "He’ll be even more ready to go once he gets it going, gets his live at bats. But yeah, it was tough."
Stovall is often referred to as "Stove" by the Razorbacks, and it's fair to say that the Stove is hot and Van Horn wasn't lying that his junior second baseman would be ready when he was cleared to play.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound infielder made his season debut March 9 against McNeese State and he's been on fire through the seven games he's played in. Stovall is slashing .321/.406/.571 with nine hits, one double, two homers, nine RBIs and eight runs scored.
"He looks really confident and he looks like a polished player," Van Horn said March 12. "Really pretty swing. I think you can probably tell it’s a lot more powerful than it was a year ago. He’s a lot strong from just growing up and all the rehab and all the work he did.
"The lower half is super strong. The swing is just as good as ever. I mean, to me it looks better than it’s ever been since he’s been here. That’s my opinion at this time. I’m excited for him and what’s going to happen this spring for him."
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Stovall has also been flawless in the field to this point with a pair of double plays turned and no errors to date on the season. Having his veteran presence at second base really solidifies the middle infield alongside shortstop Wehiwa Aloy.
"He’s experienced, knows what he’s doing, has great range, if he gets the ball, he fields it," Van Horn said after Sunday's win over Missouri. "People have probably already forgotten, he had major shoulder surgery. They’re all thinking about his foot. He’s got to take care of his arm.
"We’ve got to watch how much we throw him but at the same time he’s got to keep the arm rehabbing to build it up. But it’s great having his experience out there, his awareness. Then obviously at the plate, he squared up three balls today pretty good."
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Having Stovall produce on the field is extremely valuable to the nation's No. 1 team, but being a second-year team captain also makes his voice that much more important to his teammates.
"Then in the fall, I think the guys saw him working out, how hard he was working out," Van Horn said on Tuesday. "His lower half is so much stronger. That ball that he hit down the right field line the other day past the first baseman, that ball was hit over 110 miles an hour and it wasn’t elevated. There’s no way he could have done that last year. He’s stronger, he’s quicker, swing is beautiful right now.
"Timing is not 100 percent, but when it is, when it’s linked up, he’s as good as anyone in the country. The players, they watched him and they respected him. They voted this guy one of our captains and he didn't take a at-bat all fall and we have a lot of new players so that was pretty impressive."
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Spring break is allowing Arkansas to have the midweek off, so the Hogs' next contest will be Thursday evening against the Auburn Tigers at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Alabama. First pitch Thursday is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be nationally televised on SEC Network.