Three bold predictions for Arkansas baseball in 2024
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas baseball will enter the 2024 season as a consensus top-five team in the country. College baseball experts across the country believe the Razorbacks have one of the best pitching staffs in the country, and a return to Omaha is on the horizon.
Before all that, Arkansas must get through a fantastic non-conference schedule and the grueling trials in the SEC. Opening Day is just around the corner, with the Hogs set to open their season on Feb. 16 at home against James Madison.
The new season is rapidly approaching, and it's time to tap into the crystal ball and unveil some preseason projections. Here are three bold predictions for Arkansas baseball in 2024.
Kendall Diggs and Wehiwa Aloy combine for 35 homers
Diggs and Aloy figure to be the bash brothers of the Arkansas lineup in 2024. Last year, when Aloy was still at Sacramento State, the duo combined for 26 home runs.
Both players are primed for jumps this spring, and I almost made this prediction 40 home runs. They've combined to hit six bombs through five preseason scrimmages and teammates can't stop raving about their potential this season.
Arkansas has no shortage of power bats, but these two will lead the group and make life miserable for opposing pitchers in the SEC.
Ryder Helfrick ends the season as an everyday starter
The true freshman is still fighting to be the Hogs' starting catcher on Opening Day, but Texas Tech transfer Hudson White is likely to win the battle. White is a seasoned veteran who also figures to be a reliable bat in his first season with the Hogs.
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But Helfrick will be too good offensively to keep out of the lineup. Whether it's at catcher, designated hitter or in the outfield, I think Helfrick asserts himself as an everyday player for head coach Dave Van Horn in 2024. He's already drawing comparisons to former MLB All-Star James McCann during McCann's time in Fayetteville, and Helfrick is a foundational piece for the program's future.
The future will arrive sooner than later.
Arkansas wins the national championship
What a painful academic year it has been for Razorbacks athletics. The football team's embarrassing fall rolled right over into a shockingly disappointing basketball season. Arkansas fans are desperate for a winner.
They'll have one this spring.
All eyes are on getting to Omaha. Van Horn admitted at the Swatter's Club Monday that his team ran out of gas in 2023. He's focused on the long run this year, with one of the deepest pitching staffs in the country and a lineup that can pound opposing arms from top-to-bottom. There's incredible depth, too, with a handful of bench players who would be capable starters across the country.
Winning the College World Series always requires some luck, and injuries can ruin the loftiest of dreams, but the pain of this year's football and basketball seasons will be the required sacrifice that delivers Arkansas baseball its first-ever national title.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Three bold predictions for Arkansas baseball in 2024
