We’re 10 days away from Arkansas baseball, and Hogbeats continues its lineup preview series for the 2023 Diamond Hogs.
The Razorbacks will return just two starters from last year’s lineup, so fans will soon become familiar with all the new faces.
With scrimmage coverage, weekly notebooks, position previews, the Diamond Hogs podcast and more, Hogbeat offers the best Arkansas baseball coverage.
We continue things with the six-hole spot, which is projected to be filled by junior Jess Bohroffen…
Junior | L/R | 6′ 2″ | 205
Oklahoma City, Okla. / Westmoor HS / Oklahoma
2022: 32 games, .228/.333/.435, 17 R, 21 H, 8 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 10 BB/22 K
Bohrofen enters his second season in Fayetteville with something to prove after his sophomore campaign in 2022 didn’t go as planned.
After being the starter on Opening Day the previous year, Bohrhofen crashed into a wall during pregame warmups before the first game of Arkansas’ series against Illinois–Chicago on March 10. He had suffered a shoulder injury, which did not allow him to see the field. again until April 1 against Mississippi State, and the rest of the year was full of ups and downs for him.
Van Horn said on January 31, “I think he’s fed up with how much he’s got to play and how he plays, the injuries.” “I think he’s poised to have a big year for us. The team selected him as one of our captains. He rarely got a chance to play last year, injuring himself once by hitting that wall in a pregame drill Which was unbelievable when you talk about it.
Bohrhofen saw at bats during the second half of the Hogs’ season, but could not separate himself from Zack Gregory as Arkansas’ starting left fielder. The former Oklahoma Sooner saw only one at-bat during the post-season, and it came in a 4–3 loss to Alabama in the SEC Tournament.
After the Hogs fell to Ole Miss in the College World Series, Bohrhofen hit the road with Arkansas second baseman Peyton Stovall to play that summer for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod Baseball League.
The Oklahoma City native had a .261 batting average across 69 at bats. He recorded 18 hits, seven doubles, two triples, two home runs, and 12 RBIs. He finished his summer with a .923 OPS, which was second on the Commodores behind TCU’s Braydon Taylor.
Bohrofen said that going from playing in front of thousands of fans in Omaha to maybe 500 in the CCBL was a lot different. No batsman was in sight, fielding conditions were not great and he was hitting with a wooden bat.
“It really just teaches you how much you love the game of baseball,” said Bohrofen. “You’re out during the summer, sometimes it can be really hot. You’ve got to have a different switcher different gear to prepare yourself to play that day. And really compete with yourself all this Everyone else is tired, nobody wants to be out. You can take it for granted that day, but I really teach you how much you love the game of baseball.”
Bohrofen is back in Fayetteville and now that he is healthy, he is ready to make a statement.
“There was a strange deal last year,” Bohrofen said. “Sometimes it’s just baseball. Everyone has their own journey. I’m really excited to come into this season and play games and win games and get to Omaha and win the last game of the season.”
As one of three captains, Bohrhofen will be looked to for guidance and leadership on and off the field. He posted a solid downfall at the plate, finishing second on the team with 15 RBIs in scrimmages ridden by Hogbeat. Bohrhofen has continued it this year, as he has shown power down the left side and solid defense in right field through two weeks of scrimmage.
The Diamond Hogs will begin their season on February 17 at the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas. The first game will be against the Texas Longhorns at 7PM CT.