McFarland expected to play key role for Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE - With stars Heston Kjerstad, Casey Martin and Dominic Fletcher returning from the everyday lineup of the 2018 national runner-up Razorbacks, you wouldn’t project Jordan McFarland as a key to Arkansas’ 2019 baseball season.

But Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn believes McFarland could be.

With first base open upon the graduation of 2018 first baseman Jared Gates, the junior two-year letterman reserve first baseman was prominently mentioned Friday as Van Horn conducted his fall ball practice wrapup press conference at Baum Stadium.

“Obviously, we know what Fletcher can do and Kjerstad can do, and Martin and some of those guys,” Van Horn said. “But there are some guys that need to step it up this year, some guys that have been in our program like McFarland. He needs to have a good year for us. For us to be a little deeper in our lineup he needs to hit well.”

It isn’t like McFarland hasn’t hit his two previous Razorbacks seasons.

The right-handed hitting first baseman from Waterloo, lll., hit .271 as a freshman in 2017 and .299 in 2018.

But apparently it was a tad too quiet .271 and .299 to suit Van Horn’s taste.

Last year, McFarland had first base for 29 starts, but eventually lost the job to Gates. Gates only hit .241. But in his 133 at-bats, Gates produced six home runs, six doubles and 23 RBIs, while for 117 at-bats McFarland netted three doubles, three home runs and 15 RBIs.

Van Horn sees more coming than what McFarland delivered.

The coach said McFarland’s summer ball in the esteemed Northwoods League in Wisconsin and his fall performances until stricken by mononucleosis shows there is more there.

“The second half of fall ball for about four or five days, he wasn’t feeling well at all right in the middle of some scrimmages,” Van Horn said. “He didn’t play at Little Rock (the exhibition scrimmage against UALR) and he didn’t play in our RedWhite series at the end. That was because I think you have 21 days you have to sit out (after a mononucleosis diagnosis). So that definitely set him back. But he had a really good summer. He was in a wood bat league and hit .300.”

With 2017 slugger Chad Spanberger now playing professionally and Gates graduated, opportunity knocks for the junior first baseman.

“He’s due,” Van Horn said. “I’m hoping this is a situation where you know there is some frustration and he’s just ready to turn the corner. I think back and there have been some guys who didn’t do much until their junior year, and we’re hoping he falls into that category now. If he hits, he’s going to play first.”

Last year as a freshman flash, Martin mainly played third base and occasionally second base when senior All-SEC second baseman Carson Shaddy was briefly sidelined with an injury.

However, with 2018 shortstop Jax Biggers turned pro, Martin is back at the shortstop position he starred at for Lonoke High School.

Two-year letterman Jack Kenley, the shortstop when Biggers missed time with injuries last season, now plays third.

'He (Martin) played awfully well at short,” Van Horn said. “I would say right now Casey and obviously Kenley are the two shortstops. But Jack is such a good third baseman, probably one of the best fielding third basemen in the country. He’s a good shortstop as well. Casey is a little younger and has more experience on the field and has more range. He’s quicker. He may have the best range of anyone in the country. So I would say Casey is our shortstop and Kenley would play third. But it could change.”

Martin always could play second, but Van Horn presently counts on redshirt freshman Jacob Nesbit or Trevor Ezell, the graduate transfer from Southeast Missouri State, contending for second base.

Left field, which Kjerstad played last year but vacates now by moving to right with Eric Cole turning pro, is wide open, Van Horn said.

Van Horn said that it appears that returnees Casey Optiz and Zack Plunkett will split the catching duties with Grant Koch turning pro.