Arkansas freshman second baseman Nolan Souza put fans on notice with a red-hot day at the plate during the Hogs' 5-3 win over Murray State on Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.

"Good to see Souza, a freshman, come through with the home run that tied it up and really the base hit up the middle again after fighting and punched in a couple more runs," head coach Dave Van Horn said after the game. "He obviously had a really good couple of days."

Starting in the place of usual everyday second baseman Peyton Holt, Souza went 2-for-4 at the dish, drove in three runs and smashed a 398-feet home run 107 MPH off the bat for his first in a Razorback uniform.

"It was a lot of fun," Souza said after the game. "I was just really happy that I could go out there and perform for my teammates. I know they have my back, so I was really happy that I could just go out there and do my job for them."

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Coached by former Diamond Hog infielder Rick Nomura before making his way to Arkansas, Souza was ranked as the No. 56 overall prospect and No. 19 shortstop in the class of 2023 by Perfect Game. One of the most talented freshmen on the team, the Hawaii native's day didn't end with the homerun.

With two runners in scoring position and a massive opportunity in front of him during the fourth inning, Souza came up clutch with a two-RBI single to center field. It was his third RBI of the day and marked the fifth in his previous three at-bats.

“In the fall, I struggled a little bit just with pitch selection," Souza said. "As I’ve gotten more at bats, it’s just been something that has been coming a lot more. I think it’s been helping me a lot at the plate. Just swinging at better pitches. That’s been allowing me to hit better. It also forces the pitchers to have to throw me strikes. I feel like it’s helped me a lot.”

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound lefty recorded his first out of the game in the sixth on a weak groundout to first and finished the game with a flyout on a full-count pitch in the eighth.

Following the Razorbacks win, Souza is now 4-for-11 (.417 AVG) at the plate on the season with two doubles, one home run, five RBIs, four walks and three strikeouts. It's an impressive turnaround from the preseason, where he struggled against a loaded Arkansas pitching staff.

“It’s just really fun to get to go out there and compete," Souza said. "Whether it’s against our own team or another team. These are my brothers at this point. I enjoy a lot more getting to go out there with them instead of against them and play against another team.”

Up next, No. 2 Arkansas (9-2) will continue its homestand with a midweek matchup against Central Arkansas on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. CT and will stream on SEC Network+.

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