MLB Draft Rewind: 2018

The 2018 season was, arguably, Van Horn’s best as the Razorback skipper, winning 48 games and reaching the College World Series Finals for the first time in his career and second time in program history (1979). The 48 wins was the most for any Van Horn-led team in Arkansas history and the Hogs made a near impeccable run through the NCAA Tournament.

The Razorbacks, the No. 5 overall seed, went a perfect 3-0 through the NCAA Fayetteville Regional last year defeating Oral Roberts, Southern Miss, and Dallas Baptist to reach its seventh NCAA Super Regional in school history. In the next week, the Hogs secured their spot in Omaha for the ninth time in school history, winning a three-game series with SEC-foe South Carolina, 2-1.

In Omaha, Arkansas barreled through the winner’s bracket, defeating Texas, Texas Tech, and defending national-champion Florida for a spot in the finals. Arkansas won the first game of the finals against Oregon State, but the Beavers came out on top in games two and three. Nonetheless, the state of Arkansas was well-represented on the national stage as the Razorbacks are now one of only 13 teams with five or more College World Series appearances since the year 2000.

Seven different Razorbacks earned either All-American or All-SEC status at the end of the season, including Carson Shaddy, Heston Kjerstad, Blaine Knight, Casey Martin, Eric Cole, Grant Koch, and Dominic Fletcher.

Shaddy was named an All-America Third Team player by D1Baseball.com and was the only All-SEC first teamer on the team. Right-handed pitcher Blaine Knight was named a First Team All-American by D1Baseball.com and Second Team All-American by the National College Baseball Writers’ Association (NCBWA). Heston Kjerstad and Casey Martin both turned in one of the best seasons by a freshman duo in the nation and were named consensus All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA, and D1Baseball.com.

Along with the numerous postseason honors, Kjerstad was named the SEC Freshman of the Year after hitting .332 over 69 games with an Arkansas freshman record 87 hits, 14 home runs, and 145 total bases. Martin turned in nearly identical numbers, leading the team with a .345 average over 67 games and matching Kjerstad with 87 hits of his own. He hit 13 home runs and drove in 49 RBIs, while stealing eight bases.

The 2018 draft class matched a program record 11 Hogs drafted, which featured two future big leaguers in the 2013 group.

2018 MLB DRAFT
Blaine Knight (RHP) – Baltimore Orioles – 3^rd Round (87)
Eric Cole (OF) – Kansas City Royals – 4^th Round (122)
Grant Koch (C) – Pittsburgh Pirates – 5^th Round (144)
Jax Biggers (INF) – Texas Rangers – 8^th Round (239)
Carson Shaddy (INF) – Washington Nationals – 10^th Round (311)
Kacey Murphy (LHP) – Detroit Tigers – 11^th Round (315)
Evan Lee (LHP) – Washington Nationals – 15^th Round (461)
Barett Loseke (RHP) – New York Yankees – 17^th Round (517)
Jake Reindl (RHP) – Chicago Cubs – 17^th Round (518)
Isaiah Campbell (RHP) – Los Angeles Angels – 24^th Round (721)
Zack Plunkett (C) – Arizona Diamondbacks – 37^th Round (1,119)

Knight returned to Arkansas for his junior season and was the definition of dominant on the mound. Starting all 19 games he played, Knight went 14-0 with a 2.80 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 112.1 innings. He earned First Team and Second Team All-America honors for his performance, helping the Hogs become Omaha bound, setting the single-season record for wins, finishing his collegiate career with 24, good enough for sixth at Arkansas. His 102 strikeouts didn’t crack the top 10 for a season in 2018, but it did help him reach fifth in a career by a Hog with 244. Knight improved his draft stock from a 29^th round selection to a third-round pick by Baltimore in the 2018 event. He’s spent two years in the minors, working his way up to High-A Frederick. He has pitched in 27 games, starting 26, with four wins and a 4.64 ERA with 97 strikeouts over 120.7 innings of work.

Cole, from Southlake Texas, played three years for the Hogs as an outfielder from 2016-18. He played in 32 games as a freshman, recording 27 hits, while following it up with 58 knocks in 55 games as a sophomore. He enjoyed his best year at the plate in 2018, producing a .313 average with 88 hits in 69 games, including 29 for extra bases with 14 doubles, a triple and 14 homers, driving in 52 runs and scored 64, earning All-SEC honors in the process. He led the team in home runs that year with 14, while coming to the plate the second-most times in school history with 281 at-bats, playing in the most games with several others at 69 in 2018’s magical season. Cole has played two years of pro ball in the Royals system, reaching Single-A Lexington in 2019. He has 159 hits in 169 games in two years, racking up 112 last year with 71 RBIs and 55 runs scored for the club.

Koch, a hometown kid from Fayetteville, spent the 2016-18 seasons catching for the Hogs before getting selected as a fifth-round pick by Pittsburgh. He played in 29 games as a freshman, producing 21 hits, 14 RBIs and 21 runs scored. He followed it up with a 62-hit performance in 63 games in 2017, with 14 doubles, a triple and 13 homers to go with 42 RBIs and 40 runs scored. He added 53 more hits in 66 games in 2018, 14 for extra bases, with 35 runs driven in, scoring 36 times for a collegiate average of .258 and 136 total hits. He spent his first two years of pro ball in the Pirates system, playing with Single-A Greensboro in 2019. He had 68 hits, 15 doubles and eight homers, in 94 games last year, with 34 RBIs and 39 runs scored.

Biggers, a native of Missouri City, Texas, spent his first year of college ball at Cisco Junior College, hitting .385 with 92 hits before heading to Arkansas. He played in 63 games as a sophomore in 2017, producing 72 hits, 14 doubles, four triples and four homers to go with 37 RBIs and 48 runs scored, topping out at a .338 clip. He saw nearly the same amount of at-bats as a junior but produced 58 knocks, nine doubles and four home runs, with 26 RBIs and 35 runs scored during the 2018 season. He has played two years in the Rangers system, spending last year in Single-A Hickory, where he recorded 72 hits in 76 hits, finishing with a .282 batting average.

Shaddy, another local kid from Fayetteville, was a four-year guy for Van Horn’s club, putting together a career .316 batting average in 219 games while wearing an Arkansas uniform. As a redshirt-freshman, he played in 44 games and recorded 30 hits for a .337 clip. Despite nearly triple the amount of at-bats in 2016, his average stayed about the same at .332 with 70 hits in 54 games, including 12 doubles, two triples and eight homers, as well as 35 RBIs and 41 runs scored. The 2017 campaign featured 62 hits in 62 games, donning the captain mark designated by his teammates, as 20 of his knocks were extra-base hits, once again improving his RBI (40) and runs scored (48) figures. In his final year of college ball, he tallied 65 hits in 69 contests, with 12 doubles, two triples and 13 home runs, one shy of the team lead, with 55 runs driven in, scoring 45 times for a .330 average at the plate. Shaddy earned First Team All-SEC honors, as well as All-America status for his showing in 2018, heading off to play one year of pro ball for the Auburn Doubledays before calling his baseball playing career quits. He had 37 hits in 42 games, 12 for extra bases, with 18 RBIs and 21 runs scored during his time as a professional.

Murphy, another Arkansan from down the road in Rogers, pitched three years and 51 times for the Razorbacks from 2016-18. He was a reliever as a freshman, appearing in 14 games, striking out 14 in 11.2 innings of work. He started almost half of his outings in 2017, relieving nine of 19 appearances, putting together a 5-1 record with a 3.65 ERA, ringing up 68 in 49.1 frames on the mound. He enjoyed his best season as a collegian in 2018, going 8-5 in 17 starts, 18 outings, with a 3.20 earned run average and 85 K’s in 101.1 innings. He went on to play two years of pro ball in the Detroit system, pitching for the West Michigan Whitecaps in Single-A in 2019, making eight starts and win one game with 23 strikeouts. Murphy spent the 2020 season as a student assistant for the Razorbacks, serving as one of the bullpen coaches.

Lee, from Bryant, Arkansas, was a two-way guy during his time on the Hill, putting together a career .315 average in 35 games, with 29 hits, five doubles and three homers, as well as 23 RBIs and 23 runs scored. He would be drafted by the Nationals as a pitcher, after totaling 30 games over his two years, with two starts and two saves, going 4-3 as a sophomore in 2018 with 14 strikeouts in 18 innings. He has pitched two years in the pro system, spending the 2019 campaign with the Auburn Doubledays, going 3-2 in 12 games, three starts, tallying a 2.65 ERA and 44 K’s in 34.0 innings.

Loseke, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, pitched the 2016-18 seasons for the Razorbacks before getting drafted by the Yankees. He worked 17 games as a freshman, six starts, with one win and a 3.03 ERA with 365 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. He saw 15 appearances in 2017, with two starts, putting together a 3-0 record and a 4.21 earned run average with 28 strikeouts over 25.2 frames. He had his best season in 2018 as a junior, going 4-2 with four saves in 27 outings and two starts, punching out 68 in 53.2 innings. Loseke has pitched two years in the Yankees system, working 28 games in relief, with a 4-2 record & five saves, as well as a 3.15 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 37.1 frames of pro ball.

Reindel, also from Fayetteville, pitched three years and 57 games for the Hogs from 2016-18 before heading off to pro ball. He only pitched in six games as a freshman, totaling five innings and five strikeouts. As a sophomore, he saw 24 outings, working a 4-1 record and three saves, putting together a 2.31 ERA, striking out 49 in 50.2 frames. He had another strong year as a junior, pitching in 27 games, making one start, with a 3-1 record and five saves for a 2.91 earned run average, punching out 66 in 55.2 innings, giving him 120 K’s as a collegian. Reindl has pitched two years of pro ball, spending the 2019 season at Eugene, working 13 games, all in relief as a pro, with a 1.50 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 18 innings.

Isaiah Campbell, from Olathe, Kansas, became a four-year Hog after turning down a 24^th-round pick in 2018. He pitched in 13 games as a freshman, starting six games, working a 3-1 record with a 3.69 ERA, striking out 23 in 31.2 innings. He only worked one game in 2017, then returned to start 17-of-18 games in 2018, producing a 5-7 record and a 4.26 earned run average, punching out 75 in 69.2 innings as a redshirt-sophomore. Just like Knight, Campbell returned to school and put together a dominant 2019 campaign…

Plunkett, from Hurst, Texas, spent his first two years of college ball at TCU, recording 12 hits in 39 games, while also pitching in one game. He played two years for the Hogs from 2018-19, appearing in 33 games, with 15 hits, five doubles, three homers, 11 RBIs and 13 runs scored. Plunkett’s first year of pro ball was spent on the mound instead of behind the plate, pitching in 10 games, with one start, putting together a 0.84 ERA with 18 K’s in 10.2 innings.

On June 9, we’ll take a look at the 2019 draft, which featured seven Hogs drafted to big league organizations.