Category: Pro Hogs: Non-NFL

Pair of former Hogs cut from NFL rosters Tuesday

Latavious Brini and Matt Landers were let go from their respective teams on the final cut day in the NFL.

Former Arkansas safety Latavious Brini and former Arkansas wide receiver Matt Landers were among NFL roster cuts on Tuesday.

Brini, who transferred to Arkansas for his final season of college football from Georgia, had been in training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had collected three tackles in the team’s preseason games.

Landers’ path was similar to Arkansas as he transferred from Toledo after previously also playing at Georgia. Landers was released from the Seattle Seahawks’ camp.

Landers was Arkansas’ big-play receiver last year, registering 47 catches (second on the team) for 901 yards and seven touchdowns. Brini was a regular starter at safety and had 57 tackles to go along with a forced fumble and an interception.

Tuesday was the final day for NFL teams to have their rosters trimmed to the 53-man mark, the standard for the regular season.

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Former Arkansas linebacker Bumper Pool cut by Panthers

Arkansas’ all-time leading tackler should find a home with another team soon enough.

Former Arkansas linebacker Bumper Pool was among the 11 players cut by the Carolina Panthers on Saturday.

Pool, Arkansas’ all-time leading tackler, signed with the Panthers in late April after not being selected in the NFL Draft.  He will have an opportunity during the rest of the preseason to join another team.

Pool had 441 tackles in his Arkansas career as practically a four-year starter. Known as a sideline-to-sideline linebacker more than a pass-rusher, Pool was known for his nose for the ball.

The other players cut by the Panthers were quarterback Jake Luton, running back Camerun Peoples, wide receivers Gary Jennings and CJ Saunders, tackle Larnel Coleman, defensive lineman Antwuan Jackson, safeties Collin Duncan and Josh Thomas, cornerback Rejzohn Wright and kicker Matthew Wright.

Pool logged six tackles for Carolina in the preseason.
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Wallace extends hitting streak to 8 games with Naturals

Former Arkansas standout Cayden Wallace has now hit in eight straight games for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

Former Arkansas baseball standout Cayden Wallace laced an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday night to extend his team-high 8-game hitting streak for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

The hit spurred a three-run rally for the Naturals, who still fell to the Tulsa Drillers, 7-4.

Wallace is hitting just .224 in 12 games, since being promoted to the Naturals, the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. But he has continue to be consistent with the bat since returning to Northwest Arkansas as a professional.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound third baseman from Greenbrier, spent his two-year Razorback career just 13 miles down the road from his new home, Springdale’s Arvest Ballpark.

Since being drafted in the second round of the 2022 draft, Wallace has hit .264 in 541 career minor league at-bats, with 12 home runs, 87 runs batted in, and 24 stolen bases. He was batting .261, with 10 homers, 64 RBIs and 10 stolen bases for Single-A Quad Cities, before getting promoted on Aug. 8.

He signed with the Royals for $1.7 million after being the 49th overall player drafted.

“I was so excited to be back,” Wallace said after arriving in Springdale. “Just seeing all the fans gave me chill bumps. It was really cool, and I’m just really thankful for the fans and just how supportive the Arkansas fans are and how amazing they’ve treated me over the last few years.

“When I got drafted, I was super excited because I knew there was a chance at some point in the future I was going to be back here, and the major leagues is definitely the goal, but one of my goals was to get here.”

Wallace currently ranks No. 4 on MLB Pipeline’s ranking of the Royals’ top 30 prospects. He is only the second Razorback to ever play for the Naturals since they were established in Springdale in 2008, following only Brett Eibner in 2013.

The Naturals will continue their current 12-game homestand Wednesday night against the Drillers at 7:05 p.m., and will remain at home through Sept. 3.

 

Kevin Kopps knocking on door to Majors after latest promotion

Arkansas’ former Player of the Year could soon crack the Padres’ 40-man roster and eventually make his way to San Diego.

Kevin Kopps’ final season with the Arkansas baseball team completely changed the trajectory of his career.

The 2021 National Player and Pitcher of the Year for the Razorbacks had been, until that season, a longshot to get drafted, nevermind near the Major Leagues. His senior season, though, saw him earn just about every plaudit available in college baseball.

And now, just over two calendar years later, Kopps is nearing a Major League call-up.

The San Diego Padres’ system right-hander was promoted Tuesday from the team’s Double-A affiliate San Antonio to Triple-A El Paso. Kopps was striking out 11 batters per nine innings with San Antonio while registering a 2.63 earned-run average

He was taken in the third round of the 2021 Draft by the Padres and age 26 could be in line for a call up to San Diego’s 40-man roster. That step would be needed before a trip to the Padres could happen.

Still, Tuesday’s promotion suggests the former Razorbacks dynamo could have a Major League future after all.

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Could it be time for Orioles to call up Heston Kjerstad?

Heston Kjerstad is absolutely teeing off on AAA pitching and it’s probably only a matter of time before he’s in the big show.

The Baltimore Orioles are currently leading the American League East as the season turns towards August and the final stretch leading into the playoffs.

With the Tampa Bay Rays still hot on their trail, they may need to do something to give themselves some distance.

One thing they could do is call up former Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad.

With those kinds of performances, it’s only a matter of time before the Orioles’ front office is essentially forced to.

Arkansas fans never got to see the final act of Kjerstad’s career here. He was on a tear in 2020 through 16 games before the season was cut short because of COVID-19.

 

Former Razorback track star Nikki Hiltz breaks nearly four-decade old record

Former Razorback track and field star Nikki Hiltz breaks 1985 American mile record during the Monaco Diamond League track meet.

Over the weekend, former Arkansas track star Nikki Hiltz was able to break a record that had stood since 1985.

During the Monaco Diamond League mile event, Hiltz finished sixth while recording a time of 4:16.35 seconds. That broke the American mile record time of 4:16.71, which was set by Mary Slaney in 1985.

The previous best for Hiltz in the mile was was 4:18.38, which was good enough to put her fifth on the United States’ all-time list. Before this year, Hiltz’s PR was 4:21.89, set in 2022. Elise Cranny, another American in the race with Hiltz, finished eighth with a recorded time of 4:16.47 to eclipse the previous American record as well.

The next Diamond League event will be held in the Olympic Stadium in London on Sunday, July 23. The event will be available on Peacock TV and begin at 8 p.m. CT.

Multiple former Razorbacks are scheduled to participate in the London Diamond League event. USATF champion Krissy Gear will be racing in the 3000m steeplechase, Sandi Morris and Tina Šutej will compete in the pole vault, Tara Davis-Woodhall will compete in the long jump and Shamier Little will race in the 400m hurdles.

Campbell earns first MLB victory over Blue Jays

Seattle Mariners pitcher Isaiah Campbell saw his scoreless streak extended to four games on Saturday and got the win against the Toronto Blue Jays.

It was only just a matter of time before Isaiah Campbell got in the win column.

The Seattle Mariners right-hander, who actually endured a brief demotion back to AA earlier in the week, grabbed the victory on Saturday night over Toronto.

Campbell only pitched a third of an inning, but became the pitcher of record when the Mariners broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh by scoring five runs.

He allowed a hit, walked and hit a batter but then got George Springer to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the frame.

In four appearances thus far with the Mariners, he has yet to allow a run, which is impressive nonetheless.

Jordan Walsh drops 25 for Celtics, looks like a future star

Walsh is scoring more than 18 points per game in the Summer League as he seeks to crack Boston’s rotation.

Jordan Walsh is going to be just fine in the NBA, it appears.

The former Arkansas wing has looked dynamite in the NBA Summer League with the Boston Celtics in July. His best came Wednesday night.

Walsh scored 25 points on 10 of 20 shooting in 31 minutes to lead the Celtics past the Lakers, 95-90. He added eight rebounds, three assists and a steal. In three games, Walsh is averaging 18.3 points and shooting 37% from 3-point range.

Walsh wasn’t initially expected to be in the Celtics rotation when the regular season starts, though he may be breaking into that. He may not get more than 10 to 15 minutes a night. The Celtics have Jaylen Brown as the starting two-guard, a position Walsh will almost certainly man in the pros.

But that’s good news, as it allows the 19-year-old to develop. He was taken with pick No. 38 in the NBA Draft earlier in the summer after he left Fayetteville after one season with the Razorbacks.

WATCH: Nick Smith Jr. explodes for 33 points in NBA Summer League

If this version of former Arkansas guard Nick Smith Jr. is here to stay, the rest of the NBA should be put on notice.

Former Razorback [autotag]Nick Smith Jr.[/autotag] put on an absolute clinic in NBA Summer League action on Tuesday night.

Smith went off for a game-high 33 points (13-20 FG, 4-5 3PT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 6 turnovers in Charlotte’s 97-93 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The No. 27 overall pick finished with a +8 plus/minus rating after playing nearly 29 minutes.

Tuesday night was Smith’s third Las Vegas Summer League game and he entered averaging just 7.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a block. He struggled getting acclimated in the first two contests while not meshing well with Hornet teammate – and No. 2 overall pick – Brandon Miller.

That wasn’t the case Tuesday, though, as Miller had 26 to go along with Smith’s 33 and the pair looked much more comfortable playing alongside each other.

While it’s extremely exciting to watch Smith return to his pre-injury ways, there’s probably a large segment of Arkansas fans who are disappointed that this type of performance never happened in a Razorback uniform.

It’s clear that the Nick Smith Jr. we saw at the end of last season was not the same player that garnered so much national attention as a high school prospect. However, that’s just how it goes sometimes with injuries and timing – albeit happens at Arkansas more often than other places.

The important thing is that Smith appears to be returning to his elite form that earned him the highest ranking in 2022 recruiting class. This version of Nick Smith Jr. is one that can still make Arkansas fans very proud while also making 29 NBA general managers look silly.

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Black shines in first NBA Summer League action

Anthony Black did Anthony Black things in his first Summer League action on Saturday for the Magic.

Anthony Black has always turned heads with his play, and he did it again on Saturday evening in his first NBA Summer League game.

Playing the Detroit Pistons, his Orlando Magic fell to the Detroit Pistons 87-78, but Black was impressive throughout.

He had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and shot 70 percent from the field.

Meanwhile, Ricky Council IV was impressive as well in his game. He had 14 points, 8 rebounds, an assist and a block while shooting 5 for 11.

His 76ers defeated the New York Knicks 110-101.