Tag: Austin Ledbetter

Ledbetter quits Arkansas baseball…to play Arkansas football

Ledbetter was an All-American his senior year at Bryant when he led BHS to the state title at quarterback.

Austin Ledbetter can sling it. The Arkansas baseball pitcher threw in 15 games last year for the Diamond Hogs.

But he won’t throw any when springtime rolls around this school year.

That’s because he’s switching which ball exits his right hand.

Ledbetter announced Thursday he would leave Arkansas baseball for Arkansas football. He will be a walk-on for coach Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino at quarterback.

“After talking with Coach Pittman and Coach Petrino, I have decided to pursue a football career at the University of Arkansas,” Ledbetter wrote on Twitter/X. “I am super grateful for this opportunity and ready to get to work.”

Ledbetter will join a quarterback room that features last year’s back-up Jacolby Criswell, Boise State transfer Taylen Green, redshirt freshman Malachi Singleton and incoming freshman KJ Jackson as primary competition.

He shouldn’t feel out of place. Ledbetter threw for 2,926 yards and 42 touchdowns his senior year of high school while leading Bryant to a state title in Arkansas’ highest classification. The year was so good that he earned All-American honors.

Ledbetter Saved by the Bell

It was bound to happen. Austin Ledbetter showed on Wednesday that he is human after all. The Bryant sophomore did not pitch poorly, but Grambling made some better swings on good pitches. Ultimately Ledbetter was unable to get out of the third inning after allowing 3 earned runs on 5 hits in just 2 1/3 IP. The bright spot for Ledbetter is that he did not issue a walk in his 43 pitches.

It was bound to happen. Austin Ledbetter showed on Wednesday that he is human after all. The Bryant sophomore did not pitch poorly, but Grambling made some better swings on good pitches. Ultimately Ledbetter was unable to get out of the third inning after allowing 3 earned runs on 5 hits in just 2 1/3 IP. The bright spot for Ledbetter is that he did not issue a walk in his 43 pitches.

Zack Morris came on in relief and shut down a Grambling rally, tossing 2 2/3 scoreless relief en route to a win.

Tuesday’s pitching performance was far more dominant, but Ledbetter, Morris, Heston Tole, and Nick Griffin combined to shut down a frisky Grambling offense. And they were all largely efficient, with all four combining to only thrown 134 pitches.

Lion Tamers: Meet the Firm of Smith, Wiggins, and Ledbetter

Pitching coach Matt Hobbs and longtime skipper Dave Van Horn pushed a “next man up” mentality amongst the men of the bullpen after projected ace Peyton Pallette went down preseason with Tommy John surgery. The group has clearly embraced the challenge. 

The Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team has won 7 of its first 10 games, but you’d hardly know it by monitoring the levels of concern on Hog Twitter. Only one of the seven wins has been a true laugher (a 15-3 win over Omaha on Wednesday), and the losses have been marred by a dormant offense. The 2021 Hogs used gorilla ball and Kevin Kopps to ride to a 50-win season and near wire-to-wire #1 ranking. That squad pounded 109 homers to lead the SEC, outscoring their opponents by more than 3.5 runs per game.

The 2022 squad has a long way to go to reach those heights. Through 10 games the Sooieville Sluggers have only 8 home runs and are averaging just 5.5 runs/game – about 2 runs/game fewer than last season.

Yet they’ve scraped and clawed their way to those seven wins thanks to a deep and talented pitching staff. Pitching coach Matt Hobbs and longtime skipper Dave Van Horn pushed a “next man up” mentality amongst the men of the bullpen after projected ace Peyton Pallette went down preseason with Tommy John surgery. The group has clearly embraced the challenge.

Several performances jumped off the page over the weekend, but we’d be remiss if we failed to acknowledge the work put in by senior Connor Noland. He took the loss in a weird game on Friday, a result he earned but just barely. Noland has looked brilliant at times, and his steady presence at the top of the rotation gives Arkansas a chance each weekend. The loss to Southeastern Louisiana not withstanding, Noland’s control has set the tone. He throws strikes, strands runners, and looks like a Friday night guy. Hats off to the Greenwood product who has remade himself on the mound and looks ready to fulfill the lofty expectations laid out for him as a freshman.