Tag: Jared Wegner

Former Hog Jared Wegner signs deal with Yankees

The Yankees hosed former Arkansas outfielder Jared Wegner and he, unfortunately, didn’t have much of a choice.

The thing about waiting until a senior year to enter the MLB Draft is that whatever team selects a player likely won’t offer him the value for where he’s selected.

With few other options, former Arkansas outfielder Jared Wegner found himself in such a position this week, as he inked a deal with the New York Yankees on Thursday.

Wegner, a ninth-round selection, signed for $72,000. The slot value for where he was chosen was $173,000. Still, Wegner is officially a professional outfielder.

He spent just one season at Arkansas after transferring from Creighton. He slashed .313/.457/.673 for the season in 42 games. Those numbers dropped during SEC play, of which he missed about half because of injury, to .245/.403/.491.

All three of Arkansas’ starting outfielders in 2023 were taken in the draft after centerfielder Tavian Josenberger went first and Jace Bohrofen followed.

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Yankees select Arkansas outfielder Jared Wegner in MLB Draft

Wegner’s selection means the entire starting outfield for Arkansas is gone in the MLB Draft.

The entire Arkansas baseball starting outfield of 2023 is gone.

With Tavian Josenberger going in the third round of the MLB Draft and Jace Bohrofen following right behind him, the third member of the Diamond Hogs’ outfield was just waiting to hear his name called.

It came in the ninth round when Jared Wegner was taken by the New York Yankees with the No. 282nd overall pick.

Wegner was a revelation in his one and only season with Arkansas after transferring from Creighton. He hit .313 with an OPS of more than 1.100 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI in 42 games.

Those numbers were especially eye-catching, considering he missed double-digit games because of a thumb injury. The totals proved Wegner wasn’t just teeing off on lesser pitching while at Creighton. He could do it in the SEC.

Wegner’s college eligibility was finished, either way, so he is a lock to sign with the Yankees.

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Twitter reacts to Kendall Diggs’ walk-off homer lifting Hogs over Aggies in SEC Tourney

Arkansas baseball fans took to social media following Diggs’ walk-off homer. Here’s what they’re saying about Wednesday’s dramatic win in the SEC Tournament.

It took extra innings, but Arkansas baseball was able to get past the Texas A&M Aggies 6-5 to advance in the SEC Tournament. They’ll advance to take on the No. 5 LSU Tigers at 4:30 tomorrow.

The Diamond Hogs got off to a very slow start offensively on Wednesday, and dug themselves in a decently large hole. But the Razorbacks were able to do what they’ve done numerous times already this season – get big hits from the top of their lineup in crunch time.

Arkansas didn’t have a lead until the bottom of the seventh inning when [autotag]Jared Wegner[/autotag] hit a bomb into left field for a grand slam. It was his 13th of the season and put the Hogs up 5-4. They wouldn’t trail the rest of the game.

“Offensively we struggled a little bit. I felt like we started taking better at-bats the second half,” [autotag]Dave Van Horn[/autotag] said after the game. “We were down four runs or three runs, and we had a catcher’s interference, a walk in there, and then Jared [Wegner] got him a fastball in, and I’m sure he was hunting it after his previous at-bat, and he got it and he didn’t miss it.”

[autotag]Kendall Diggs[/autotag] was able to do what he has done countless times at Arkansas, and put an end to things in the 11th inning. Diggs went deep into right field for a solo walk-off home run – his 11th homer on the year.

“Exciting way to end the game,” said Van Horn. “Walk-off homer is about as good as it gets, and just proud of the guys for hanging in there.”

Arkansas’ win came in dramatic fashion and social media was on fire following the Diggs walk-off. Here’s what Razorbacks fans had to say about Wednesday’s win in Hoover.

Remember Jared Wegner? He’s back for Arkansas baseball

Arkansas outfielder Jared Wegner hasn’t played in a month. He’ll be back against Vandy as the Diamond Hogs seek to clinch SEC title.

You’ll be forgiven if you are a so-called Arkansas baseball casual and don’t quite remember Jared Wegner. The fly-by-night, I-don’t-pay-attention-until-the-NCAA-Tournament crowd might not know him.

But if you’re a Diamond Hogs fans – not even a hardcore one, at that – Wegner’s scheduled return Thursday against Vanderbilt has you excited.

The Arkansas outfielder, a transfer from Creighton, hasn’t played since mid-April after suffering a fractured thumb. At the time, he was the Razorbacks’ leading hitter in just about every category. Still, heading into the series opener against the Commodores, Wegner is still second on the team in home runs (12) by just one, third in RBI (44) by just one and he steals leads in slugging and on-base percentage.

Coach Dave Van Horn’s only question is where to plug him back into the lineup. The Razorbacks have been dynamite in his absence, taking first-place to Nashville. Arkansas is one game ahead of Florida and 1 1/2 games ahead of LSU in the West. The top four finishers in the SEC get double-byes at the SEC Tournament next week. The Hogs can’t finish any worse than fourth no matter what happens with Vanderbilt.

First pitch Thursday from Vandy is scheduled for 6 p.m. Expect Wegner in the lineup.

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Wegner, Josenberger still out, but Diamond Hogs expect them back by SEC Tournament

Arkansas outfielders Jared Wegner and Tavian Josenberger should be back from injury before the regular season ends, Dave Van Horn said.

Arkansas’ shot at an SEC West division title is a long one. But the Razorbacks, playing for something greater, will at least have a couple of their best hitters back in time for the real stakes.

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said Monday that outfielders Jared Wegner and Tavian Josenberger should be back in the Diamond Hogs’ lineup before the end of the season. Wegner has been out for three weeks because of a fractured thumb. Josenberger hasn’t played since April 22 because of a hamstring malady.

Van Horn spoke to the Swatter’s Club in the final luncheon of the season. He said Wegner will have pins removed from his thumb next week and that both players should be back before the end of the regular season, just time for the SEC Tournament and the subsequent NCAAs.

Wegner was Arkansas’ best hitter before the injury. He was hitting .351 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI when he was forced out of the lineup. His homer and RBI totals still lead the team.

Josenberger was hitting .322 and was second on the team in walks with 28 when he was hurt. He also leads the team in stole bases (9) and is second in runs (40).

Arkansas will play Lipscomb on Tuesday in North Little Rock. The Diamond Hogs then hit the road proper for a three-game set at Mississippi State on the weekend. The team is two games in the loss column behind LSU in the SEC West standings, but they’re also five games up on third-place Alabama, Texas A&M and Auburn.

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Column: The sky isn’t falling for Arkansas baseball after one series

Arkansas baseball struggled mightily over the weekend, but things are never as bad as they seem. Especially when Dave Van Horn is your coach.

The No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks dropped their second conference series of the season in embarrassing fashion over the weekend. They were swept by the unranked Georgia Bulldogs (23-17, 7-11) and didn’t really look like a team deserving of a No. 5 ranking.

Head coach [autotag]Dave Van Horn[/autotag]’s passionate ejection on Saturday was able to save the Diamond Hogs from a complete collapse in the ninth inning. The Razorbacks led by four heading into the bottom of the ninth, but the struggling Bulldogs were able get a grand slam and solo homer back-to-back to get the win.

Losing is always frustrating. Losing the way Arkansas did Saturday will cause even the most staunch Diamond Hog supporters to ask “what’s going on?” Some delusional Arkansas fans went a little too far with their frustrations on social media but that should be expected.

Arkansas baseball’s struggles are easy to explain right now and Dave Van Horn’s track record of righting things ahead of the postseason should offer some comfort to wavering fans.

First, Diamond Hogs have been decimated by injury this season. They lost their projected ace [autotag]Jaxon Wiggins[/autotag] before the season and the hits kept on coming after play started. Pitchers [autotag]Brady Tygart[/autotag] and [autotag]Koty Frank[/autotag] were each hurt in early March. Tygart should return soon but Frank is out for the season.

Stud outfielder [autotag]Jared Wegner[/autotag] has been out since April 11 with a fractured thumb after sliding into third base. Ahead of Thursday’s first game against the Bulldogs it was announced that starting catcher [autotag]Parker Rowland[/autotag] would not play. Van Horn confirmed later that Rowland would be out indefinitely due to back issues.

“We’re just trying to patch this thing together until we can get all our guys back,” Van Horn said about all of the injuries. “We’re just trying to win enough games to get to a regional. There’s going to be a lot of conference games played without our guys.”

Aside from Wiggins and Frank, Arkansas fans should expect Tygart, Wegner and Rowland back in the near future. That should help ease some of the struggles we saw over the weekend.

The injury issues can’t be helped by Van Horn or anyone else, and it’s disingenuous to let one series sweep negate the dominance we’ve seen from this team at times.

Arkansas fans remember the 2018 team for being one out from being crowned champions, but forget how much that team struggled in the regular season. The Diamond Hogs failed to win a single road series in conference play during that 2018 season.

Until proven otherwise, it would behoove Razorback fans to trust Dave Van Horn to make it six straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

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Diamond Hogs are middle of the SEC pack in everything statistically, so how are they atop SEC West?

It’s easy to say “Dave Van Horn” when trying to explain how the Diamond Hogs are 8-4 in SEC play. Numbers tell the story better.

There isn’t a lick special about this year’s Arkansas baseball team.

And yet.

And yet Dave Van Horn’s bunch finds itself inside the top in the country, atop the SEC West table and a legitimate national title contender. They’re 10th in the SEC in hitting and on-base percentage, ninth in slugging. They’re eighth in earned-run average, ninth in batting average-against and 12th in strikeouts.

Good luck explaining just how Arkansas is 8-4 at nearly the halfway point of league play, then.

But also, if you’re an Arkansas fan, does it matter?

Probably not. Not right now, anyway. The Diamond Hogs have won three of their four SEC series this season and are 26-6 overall with no losing streak longer than two games, and even those came against LSU, the No. 1 team in the nation.

A common refrain heard around this time of year is “Dave Van Horn.” In his 21st season with the Razorbacks, he’s been here a time or two. With seven College World Series appearances in that time, he’s not exactly short on experience.

Arkansas needs all of that it can get. It’s easy to forget, what with the glimmering record, seven of the nine regular hitters are in the first year as starters. Among the rotation guys, only Hagen Smith and Will McEntire have experience in that role.

So how is Arkansas this good, actually? Let’s take a look at some of the numbers that might help explain things.

Arkansas OF Jared Wegner named SEC Player of the Week

Jared Wegner has become a fan favorite for Arkansas after only three games.

No time at all.

That’s how long it took Jared Wegner to make himself known at Arkansas.

The Creighton transfer was named SEC Player of the Week on Monday after a dynamite opening weekend for the Diamond Hogs.

Wegner went 6 for 11 with two home runs, two doubles and eight RBI as Arkansas went 2-1 at the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas on the weekend. The Razorbacks knocked off Texas and Oklahoma State and lost to TCU to open the season.

Wegner’s best game was against the Pokes. He went 2 for 4 with a homer, a triple, five RBI and two runs. Arkansas won the game in seven innings, 18-1, on Sunday.

Arkansas’ turnaround is quick as the Diamond Hogs prepare to host Grambling at Baum-Walker Stadium on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

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Photo Gallery: No. 8 Arkansas run-rules No. 9 Oklahoma State 18-1 in seven innings

In their finale from Arlington, the Diamond Hogs shined. Here’s the best photos from their appearance in the College Baseball Showdown.

Arkansas baseball was able to bounce back from a tough loss on Saturday, and destroyed the No. 9 Oklahoma State Cowboys 18-1 in a run-ruled seven innings. The Diamond Hogs finished their weekend 2-1 with a 3-2 win over Texas on Friday and the 18-1 win over  Oklahoma State yesterday. Their lone loss was 18-6 to No. 15 TCU on Saturday.

“What a great job by the team bouncing back after a tough loss yesterday,” Arkansas head coach [autotag]Dave Van Horn[/autotag] said. “You learn a lot about your team a lot of times after a bad loss or even just a loss. I told the team it was a great weekend as far as learning.”

In the win against the Cowboys, starting pitcher [autotag]Hunter Hollan[/autotag] allowed just one run on three hits, stuck out five batters and walked just two in four innings of action.

Transfer left fielder [autotag]Jared Wegner[/autotag] continued his impressive start to the season going 2-for-4 with a triple, homerun and 5 RBIs to lead the high-octane Razorback offense.

Here’s some of the best photos from Arkansas’ finale in Arlington on Sunday evening.

Diamond Hogs land likely starter for outfield via transfer portal before season ends

Former Creighton outfielder Jared Wegner will play for the Diamond Hogs next year.

As Arkansas baseball prepares for the Super Regionals in North Carolina on the weekend, next year’s roster is rounding into a different shape.

Jared Wegner, who was an All-Big East pick with Creighton this season, committed to play for Arkansas next year from the transfer portal.

Wegner hit 11 home runs, knocked in 53 RBIs, stole 11 bags and hit .343 with the Bluejays. His OPS was 1.094, tops on the team.

The Nebraska native is likely to start in the outfield after doing so primarily in left for his career. Arkansas will lose starters Braydon Webb and Chris Lanzilli to exhausted eligibility after the season. Wegner will join Zack Gregory, Jace Bohrofen as the projected starters.

Wegner’s transfer announcement comes on the heels of an excellent season in which another transfer player, catcher Michael Turner (Kent State), won Stillwater Regional MVP after the Hogs dispatched the hosts, Oklahoma State.

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