Another trio of Razorbacks have entered the transfer portal, according to D1Baseball.
Pitchers Heston Tole and Gabriel Starks, as well as catcher Max Soliz Jr., are the latest players to leave the team and seek opportunities elsewhere. All three departures are notable for various reasons.
For the two right-handers, Tole and Starks were two players many pointed to as potential breakout candidates in 2023 because of the potential they’ve shown in limited opportunities the last two years.
As a freshman, Tole — who has since committed to Texas — emerged as a solid bullpen arm late in the season and ended up posting a 2.25 ERA with 20 strikeouts and only two walks while holding opponents to a minuscule .195 batting average in 12 innings across 10 appearances.
However, he battled an injury early in his sophomore campaign and head coach Dave Van Horn mentioned that when healthy, he was essentially a slider specialist who was struggling with fastball command and the word had gotten around. That was evident in his limited action this year.
While he still had an impressive 20-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio and decent 3.77 ERA in 14 1/3 innings across 10 appearances, opponents hit him hard in 2022, slashing .339/.371/.508. The result was him not pitching after a midweek outing against Missouri State on May 3 in which he gave up two earned runs in 1/3 of an inning.
Starks has always flashed really good stuff, but didn’t get very many opportunities as a freshman, when he made just four appearances. He got on the mound 12 times as a sophomore and even made four SEC and two postseason appearances.
Even including last year, when he had a 9.00 ERA in four innings, opponents hit just .203 against Starks during his two years at Arkansas and he had 24 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings. His struggle was with command, as he issued 12 free passes — 10 walks and two HBPs — in 11 2/3 innings this season.
Although he was likely going to be more of a designated hitter, corner outfielder or even first baseman at Arkansas, Soliz’s departure is significant because it officially leaves the Razorbacks without a single catcher currently slated to be on the 2023 roster.
A highly-touted prospect coming out of high school, Soliz appeared in just five games — including one start — as a true freshman and either played as a DH or right fielder. Despite going 2 for 9 with a double, RBI, walk and four strikeouts in limited action, he has a lot of pop in his bat that drew positive reviews from Van Horn.
With starting catcher Michael Turner out of eligibility, the Razorbacks were left with Soliz and backup Dylan Leach. However, Leach also entered the portal and quickly announced he was transferring to SEC foe Missouri. They also don’t have any catchers signed in the 2022 class, so they are expected to be very active in pursuing catchers in the portal.
In addition to Tole heading to Texas and Leach heading to Missouri, freshman infielder Drake Varnado previously announced he was transferring to Arizona State and right-hander Evan Gray is transferring to St. Louis.
Other Razorbacks currently in the portal include outfielder Gabe D’Arcy, a freshman who left the team before the season, as well as right-handed pitchers Vincent Trapani and Mark Adamiak.
It is also worth noting that right-hander Miller Pleimann graduated this year and has decided to retire despite having remaining eligibility.
