Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn wants Kendall Diggs to forget recent slump
HOOVER, Ala. — Arkansas baseball right fielder Kendall Diggs is in the midst of the worst slump of his career. Over the past month, Diggs is hitting .136 with zero homers and only four runs scored.
Razorbacks' head coach Dave Van Horn has consistenly said that Arkansas (43-13) has to get Diggs going if they want to reach the College World Series, and Van Horn is imploring Diggs to put the recent struggles behind him with the most important stretch of the season rapidly approaching.
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"Throw the batting average out is what I tell him," Van Horn said Wednesday after the Hogs' 6-5 loss to South Carolina in the SEC Tournament.
"Just go out there from here to the end of the season, be a tough out."
Diggs went 1-for-5 with an RBI single against the Gamecocks an is 4-for-27 in his last eight games. He's now hitting .231 with 34 RBIs on the year.
Still, Van Horn is trying to instill confidence in the outfielder. Diggs has hit leadoff in his last three starts and hasn't taken an extended absence away from the starting lineup despite the consistent struggles.
Statistically, the slump continued Wednesday, but Van Horn also took some positives. Diggs nearly laid down a perfect but for a base hit an hit a pair of balls hard up the middle for two outs.
"Took some pitches. Laid down a bunt that just barely went foul," Van Horn said. "I love seeing that. I feel good about what I saw."
It's clear Arkansas is still holing out hope that Diggs can return to the form that saw him drive in 63 runs and slug .547 last season as a sophomore. A run to Omaha becomes increasingly difficult without Diggs producing.
Now, it's time for Diggs to forget the sustained struggles in a game of failure. His next opportunity is Thursday against Kentucky in the SEC Tournament losers bracket, and all will be forgiven if he can conjure a hot streak this postseason.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas baseball needs Kendall Diggs to forget recent slump
