Last season was a forgettable one for Arkansas Razorbacks second baseman Peyton Stovall.
After a 2022 freshman season that saw him finish strong in the postseason, the 5-foot-11 Louisiana native was hindered by a season-ending labrum tear in May last year.
During his second season in Fayetteville, Stovall was batting with a .253/.330/.339 with 38 hits, five home runs, four doubles, one triple and 31 RBIs. He boasted a .982 fielding percentage and made just three errors at second base across 38 games.
"I think it impacted it a lot, big-time on offense," Van Horn said of Stovall's injury. "As a matter of fact, we think he hurt it swinging. There were a couple of pitches when he swung and missed that stood out when he grimaced big time. He remembers one of them, and that was a month and a half ago."
With an offseason of rehab and recovery under his belt, Stovall is expected to be back and better than ever, according to Van Horn. In fact, there isn't much debate for who will be manning the second base position heading into the 2024 season.
"At second base, it’s Peyton Stovall’s job to lose," Van Horn said Nov. 30. "He was incredible fielding the ball this fall. He didn’t play in scrimmages. Just talking about practice, workouts, all the way up… Today was our last official day we could work with our players. I don’t know if I’ve seen him miss one ball. It’s been incredible.
"His skills have just gotten better. The arm’s coming along. He’s got like one more week of a structured throwing program. But he looks better than ever. He’s swinging the bat now. Obviously, it’s not off live pitching. Sometimes when you get something taken away from you with an injury, you just appreciate everything more. It’s been fun there."
Named a team captain for the second-straight season, Stovall's leadership will be crucial in an infield that will likely feature new faces all around the diamond.
"I thought it was big that the players voted for him again," Van Horn said. "We have so many new guys, and this is a guy who didn’t play on the field in the scrimmages all fall, but I think they saw his work ethic, his rehab work, and they know his talent level and the way he talked to the guys this fall."
The Diamond Hogs will take the field for the first time on Feb. 16 when they face off against James Madison in a four-game series. The season-opener is currently set for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch inside Baum-Walker Stadium.
