Touted UA freshman heading to Pac-12, other portal movement for Hogs
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas has seen a handful of players enter the transfer portal before even finishing its season, with one already finding his future home.
Highly-touted freshman infielder Drake Varnado announced Wednesday night that he’ll be transferring to Arizona State.
Varnado appeared in 15 games this season for Arkansas and had four hits in 17 at bats. His primary use was as a pinch runner at times, leading to him scoring six runs on the year.
The last time Varnado saw action was May 19 against Alabama, when he came in as a pinch runner and scored a run during Arkansas’ 7-3 win over the Crimson Tide.
The Port Neches, Texas, native attended IMG Academy in Florida and was ranked the No. 93 overall prospect in the Class of 2021 by Perfect Game. Varnado was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 17th round of the 2021 MLB Draft coming out of high school, but opted to still come to school.
Other Razorbacks to hit the portal since the end of the regular season include right-hand pitchers Vincent Trapani and Mark Adamiak. Neither player made made the postseason roster. That wasn’t a surprise for Trapani, who redshirted this season, but Adamiak made nine appearances — including three starts — and posted a 3.95 ERA in 13 2/3 innings.
It is realistic that a few more players will enter the portal at some point moving forward. Arkansas will be losing a lot of its veteran players after the season as well, so next year will present a bunch of fresh faces.
The Hogs have already been active in the portal themselves, landing first-team All-Big East outfielder Jared Wegner from Creighton this week.