Diamond Hogs land next year’s starting shorstop…unless he decides to go pro

Jordan Sprinkle should slot into the starting shortstop position for Arkansas next year if he isn’t scooped up by the MLB draft later this month.

Jordan Sprinkle will almost certainly hear his name called in the MLB draft later this month.

For now, though, he is headed to Arkansas after announcing his transfer from California-Santa Barbara to the Diamond Hogs via the transfer portal.

Sprinkle, a rising junior, had a slash line of .285/.381/.413 with the Gauchos last season, driving in 35 runs and stealing 25 bases for UCSB. His team was eliminated by Stanford in the the Palo Alto Regional, shortly after which Sprinkle entered the transfer portal.

The MLB draft begins Sunday, July 17 and continues through Tuesday, July 19. Sprinkle is rated as the No. 156 prospect for it.

Arkansas has three players ranked higher in the prospect status for the draft. Third baseman Cayden Wallace is No. 31, right-hander Peyton Pallette is No. 43 and second baseman Robert Moore is No. 108. All three are expected to sign when drafted.

Coach Dave Van Horn bemoaned the draft’s late start date – it had been in June until last year – when he gave his end-of-season press conference on Thursday. In the meantime, Arkansas continues to use the transfer portal as the only position-player starter expected to return is Peyton Stovall.

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