Not a subscriber? Subscribe for free for 30 days w/code HAWGS30
NEW USERS | RETURNING USERS

Elijah Trest will not sign a professional contract and instead return to Arkansas for another season, he announced Friday.

Selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 19th round, the right-hander was one of nine Razorbacks taken in the 2021 MLB Draft earlier this month, but is the only one opting to come back to school.

“Playing professional baseball has always been my dream,” Trest wrote in a message shared on Twitter. “This has been a difficult decision, and I have decided to return to Arkansas for another year. There is more work to be done in Fayetteville and we won’t stop until the job is finished!”

Although he’ll likely be listed as a senior on next year’s roster, Trest technically has two years of eligibility remaining because of the COVID-19 relief from the NCAA. That means he’ll still have some leverage if he’s taken in next summer’s draft.

The news is a nice boost to an Arkansas pitching staff that is losing about two-thirds of its innings from last season, with pitchers like Kevin Kopps, Patrick Wicklander, Lael Lockhart and Caleb Bolden moving on. With 42 2/3 innings in 32 career appearances, he’ll be among the most experienced pitchers on the roster in 2022.

Trest posted a respectable 3.14 ERA this year, but saw his playing time disappear as the season progressed, pitching just 14 1/3 innings across 10 outings. He got on the mound in only one SEC game and made just two appearances over the final two months of the season.

It was a surprising development for a guy many thought could be the team’s closer in 2021. After a tough freshman year in which he struggled with command, Trest was dominant during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He posted a 1.93 ERA with 10 strikeouts and only three walks while holding opponents to a .212 batting average in 9 1/3 innings.

One reason for his lack of use might have been the emergence of Kopps, who evolved into arguably the best reliever in college baseball history and was essentially his own setup man in addition to being the closer, and the early-season success of freshman Jaxon Wiggins.

With Kopps beginning his professional career and Wiggins expected to move into a starter role, Arkansas will be looking for arms in the back end of the bullpen and Trest could be an answer.

His decision to return to school leaves the Razorbacks at 48 players on their projected 2022 roster, as it comes just a few days after signee Braylon Bishop changed his mind and signed with the Pirates.

The only signee who was drafted and has yet to sign professionally is Drake Varnado, a 17th-round pick by Arizona. He has announced his intention to play at Arkansas, but has until Sunday’s deadline to change his mind.

Assuming Varnado sticks, the Razorbacks will have to trim eight players - or more, if they add other transfers - from their roster to reach the 40-man limit ahead of next spring.

Position Players (20)

Ethan Bates - INF/OF
Jalen Battles - INF
*Jace Bohrofen - OF
*Gabe D’Arcy - OF
*Kendall Diggs - INF
Zack Gregory - OF
*Cameron Leach - OF
Dylan Leach - C
*Reece McWilliams - INF
Robert Moore - INF
*Jade Putz - INF
Brady Slavens - INF
*Max Soliz Jr. - C
*Peyton Stovall - INF
*Michael Turner - C/INF
*Drake Varnado - INF (drafted, announced he’s coming to school)
Cayden Wallace - INF/OF
Braydon Webb - OF
Zac White - INF/OF
*Landrey Wilkerson - OF

Pitchers (28)

Mark Adamiak - RHP
Issac Bracken - RHP
Tyler Cacciatori - RHP
*Dylan Carter - RHP
*Jake Faherty - RHP
Evan Gray - RHP
Nick Griffin - LHP
*Austin Ledbetter - RHP (also 3B)
Matthew Magre - LHP
Will McEntire - RHP
*Isaac Mitchell - LHP
Zack Morris - LHP
*Nick Moten - RHP
Connor Noland - RHP
Peyton Pallette - RHP
Miller Pleimann - RHP
Kole Ramage - RHP
Nathan Rintz - RHP
*Hagen Smith - LHP
Corey Spain - LHP
Gabriel Starks - RHP
Evan Taylor - LHP
Heston Tole - RHP
*Vincent Trapani - RHP

Elijah Trest - RHP (drafted, announced he’s returning)
*Brady Tygart - RHP
Zebulon Vermillion - RHP
Jaxon Wiggins - RHP

*newcomers

Exhausted Eligibility

~LHP Lael Lockhart (also drafted, signed)
~INF Cullen Smith

Retired

~RHP Jacob Burton
~INF Jacob Nesbit

Transfers/Headed Elsewhere

~RHP Blake Adams (Kansas State)
~RHP Caleb Bolden (TCU)
~RHP Louis Stallone
~C/1B Cason Tollett (Arkansas State)
~INF/C signee Zac Vooletich (Texas Tech)
~RHP Nate Wohlgemuth (San Jacinto J.C.)

Drafted/Beginning Pro Career

~OF signee Braylon Bishop (signed)
~RHP Ryan Costeiu (signed)
~OF Christian Franklin (signed)
~DH/1B/OF Matt Goodheart (signed as UDFA)
~LHP/OF signee Drew Gray (signed)
~RHP Kevin Kopps (signed)
~LHP Caden Monke (signed)
~OF signee Max Muncy (signed)
~C Casey Opitz (signed)
~OF signee Jordan Viars (signed)
~C/1B Charlie Welch (signed)
~LHP Patrick Wicklander (signed)