THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
College  | Story | 3/10/2020

Scout Take: Arkansas

Photo: Heston Kjerstad (Arkansas Athletics)

College Player Database | College Player Rankings
Shriners Notebooks: Day 1
 | Day 2 | Day 3

Scout Takes: Florida | Miami | Mississippi State | Long Beach State | Iowa | Purdue | Minnesota

Arkansas Razorbacks

What Happened: The Razorbacks came into the Shriners College Classic riding a very good start to the season, but while they played three close games, they left Houston 0-3 in the event with losses to Oklahoma, Texas and Baylor. They got solid starts from Connor Noland and Kole Ramage, but couldn't string together enough hits in those outings. The offense showed up on Saturday but couldn't quite climb out of an eight-run hole they fell into early on. It was a story as old as time with baseball teams at any level: when the pitching was right, they couldn't hit, and when the bats were hot, the pitching lacked. 

Carrying Tool: Big bats, right now. Heston Kjerstad and Christian Franklin are both performing at a high level right now and really carrying the offense. It's not to say that the others aren't performing, as Casey Opitz, Robert Moore, Matt Goodheart and others all have respectable lines, but there wasn't a lot of consistency in their weekend at Shriners and the missed opportunities were plentiful. Star shortstop Casey Martin has seemingly turned things around in the interim, but it was a rough Shriners for him both offensively and in the field. If he gets back to his usual level of performance and the aforementioned guys keep ticking up, the offense will take on a very loud, very deep look. 

Concerns: Starting pitching. Arkansas has one of the best pitching coaches at any level of baseball in the world in Matt Hobbs, and a stable of young, exciting arms, but right now the starting pitching outside of Friday starter Connor Noland is a bit suspect. Sophomore Patrick Wicklander has been extremely hittable thus far and Kole Ramage has been just okay. True freshman Blake Adams was expected to be a piece in the rotation but hasn't really found his consistency yet, though watch out for young arm Caleb Bolden, who showed real stuff out of the bullpen in Houston and could be a guy in that rotation eventually. 

Best Player on the Field: Heston Kjerstad, with an honorable mention nod to Robert Moore. Kjerstad has performed at a very high level thus far overall in 2020 and was loud at Shriners as well. His veteran presence in the middle of the order along with his obvious high-level hitting tools give him first round upside. Robert Moore is playing at a high level as a still 17-year old freshman who early enrolled in January; the game just moves so slowly for him that it's really incredible to watch. 
 
Fearless Forecast: Deep postseason run. The Razorbacks are taking a bit to find their rhythm early on in 2020, but make no mistake, with a team as talented as this and with an offense with the upside that their's possesses, there's certainly no reason to panic yet. They started to find their stride with a series win over South Alabama most recently, and as they continue to find the right combination in the weekend rotation, this should be a club that competes for Omaha, as they do every year.

Previous player reports:
Feb. 28: Connor Noland
March 1: Kole Ramage, Elijah Trest

Players covered: Heston Kjerstad, Robert Moore, Casey Opitz, Patrick Wicklander, Matt Goodheart



Heston Kjerstad, OF
Arkansas corner outfield and presumptive first round pick Heston Kjerstad has been on fire to start 2020 with a 1.299 OPS through roughly 70 plate appearances thus far, hitting for the power that was expected with five doubles and six home runs, and also doing a noticeable job of cutting down on his strikeouts.

This is PG 'DiamondKast' Level content.
You must be either an DiamondKast, Crosschecker Rankings & Scouting Reports, or Scout subscriber to read the rest.

Sign in Subscribe Now

College | Recruiting | 11/12/2026

Head of the Class: No. 4 Arkansas

Jordan Gates
Article Image
Complete 2027 Arkansas Recruiting Class No. 4 Arkansas Head Coach: Dave Van Horn | Recruiting Coordinator: Nate Thompson Total Signees: 18 | Top 100 Signees: 3 Top 5 Recruits: Rk. Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 42 Christopher (CJ) Wall C 6-1 195 L-R Georgia Premier Academy Statesboro GA 52 Jake Ivey LHP 6-3 200 L-L Gunter Gunter TX 91 Conor Rae SS 6-1 170 R-R Corona Del Sol Gilbert AZ 102 Charlie Sarsfield OF 5-10 170 L-R Linn-Mar Cedar Rapids IA 107 Bear Calvo SS 6-1 200 R-R Orange Lutheran Fullerton CA Over the last decade, Arkansas has found themselves ranked inside the top ten in recruiting classes eight of the last ten years. They are no stranger to being ranked towards the top either with a handful of top five finishes, with their 2027 class checking in at number four. While the transfer portal has had the largest impact on college baseball and sports in general, the...
College | Recruiting | 11/12/2026

Head of the Class: No. 3 Texas A&M

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Complete 2027 Texas A&M Recruiting Class  No. 3 Texas A&M Head Coach: Michael Earley | Recruiting Coordinator: Nolan Cain Total Signees: 17 | Top 100 Signees: 6 Top 5 Recruits RK. Name Pos. HT WT High School Hometown State 11 Striker Pence RHP/1B 6-6 215 Santiago Corona CA 15 Brady Cunningham 3B/RHP 6-3 225 Brother Rice Mokena IL 40 Isaiah Snavely SS 6-3 195 Zionsville Community Zionsville IN 77 Jordan Ayala RHP 6-1 185 Norco La Habra CA 88 Clyde Williams III OF 5-11 178 Magnolia Magnolia TX The Aggies jumped into the top 10 with their 2026 high school recruits and in his third season Michael Earley has achieved a the highest ranked recruiting class of his career at No. 3 for the 2027 class. Credit due as well to RC Nolan Cain who rejoined the Aggies just this past summer.  There’s star power littered throughout this class including four PG All-Americans, led by...
Tournaments | Championship | 11/12/2026

Texas Defends Home Turf at All State

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
Texas American Dominates for the 12U All-State Select Championship A run-rule, 11-3 victory over California National sealed the deal for Texas American’s 12U PG National All-State Select Championship win. 6 different players combined for Texas American’s 11 total runs - Ishmael Ruiz knocked in 2 runs with a double in the bottom of the second, Cannon Hughes knocked in 5 runs with 2, 2-run home runs in the first and second innings and an RBI walk to seal the game. Though it’s clear Texas American’s offense was explosive, right-handed pitcher Martin Vazquez did his part on the mound, striking out 6 batters and only dealing 1 walk in his 4 innings and 61 pitches of work. Earlier in the tournament, Lucas Bingham, the tournament’s MVPitcher, struck out 11 batters over 6.1 innings in his outing - and despite that impressive stat line - Bingham said he was not...
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 11/12/2026

2027 Draft Board Update: Biggest Risers

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2027 MLB Draft Content Hub With our latest draft board update, several prospects have made significant moves up the rankings following strong performances throughout the fall. From prep talent finishing off the circuit to college players ramping up for the spring, the latest update features plenty of new names and notable jumps. Here we will take a closer look at some of the biggest risers, highlighting the players who have done the most to improve their draft stock and have positioned themselves well heading into the winter.  Biggest Riser John Hucko (‘27 NC) lifts this one into RF for an RBI 2B, does a nice job of recognizing off speed w/ good adjustment; athletic frame w/ strength present. @AuburnBaseball commit #WWBAWorlds @PG_Coastal https://t.co/GXnZlsMidh — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 8, 2026 OF John Hucko, Charlotte Catholic | Pres. Rank: 23...
College | Recruiting | 11/11/2026

Head of the Class: No. 5 Vanderbilt

Kyler Peterson
Article Image
Complete 2027 Vanderbilt Recruiting Class No. 5 Vanderbilt Head Coach: Tim Corbin | Recruiting Coordinator: Scott Brown Total Signees: 16 | Top 100 Signees: 5 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 21 Ethan Gustus RHP 6-6 192 R-R Roseville Roseville CA 55 Broder Katke C 6-2 205 R-R Brother Rice Bloomfield Hills MI 61 Graham Keen 3B/RHP 6-4 185 R-R Mt Lebanon Pittsburgh PA 63 Stephen Bobo OF 5-11 175 L-L Shelbyville Central Shelbyville TN 85 Derek Yormack RHP 6-3 220 R-R Bellmore JFK Merrick NY The Dores check in at No. 5 in the recruiting rankings with a loaded 2027 class. The class holds five players currently ranked in the top 100 and ten total ranked within the top 200. Coach Corbin and his staff dipped into the west coast to head their class with one of the best arms in the country, California native Ethan Gustus. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has touched triple...
College | Recruiting | 11/11/2026

Head of the Class: No. 6 Alabama

Jay Vossler
Article Image
Complete 2027 Alabama Recruiting Class Head Coach: Rob Vaughn | Recruiting Coordinator: Jason Jackson Total Signees: 17 | Top 100 Signees: 4 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 29 Finnian O'Loughlin OF 6-2 200 R-R Delbarton Jersey City NJ 31 Mac Morris SS 6-0 187 R-R Dorman Taylors SC 47 Harry Chubb Jones Jr. * SS 6-4 190 R-R McEachern Douglasville GA 86 Anderson Lambert OF 6-0 180 R-R McDonogh Laurel MD 108 Jude Carter RHP 6-5 210 R-R Alexander Central Taylorsville NC * denotes enrolling early for upcoming spring After three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a trip to Omaha in 2026, Rob Vaughn and the Alabama Crimson Tide have seen their recruiting class skyrocket in the rankings. After checking in at 24 in 2024, they took a huge leap up to 8 in 2025, stayed close to that at 13 in 2026, and now sit at 6 in 2027, the highest under Rob Vaughn....
Tournaments | Championship | 11/11/2026

Florida Offense Paces All State Crown

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
Florida National got off to a hot start in Monday’s championship game against Texas National. Scoring all their runs in the first and second inning, Florida National held off Texas National and won 5-3 for the 14U PG National All-State Select Championship title. An electric and fun-filled weekend all led up to this final game on Field 3 at Premier Baseball of Texas. The players geared up under the lights for what would surely be another great meeting between stacked teams. Texas National was up to bat first, but Florida’s pitcher, Lucas Diaz, struck out 2 batters in a row before fielding a ground ball for the third out. Though the bottom of the first started with a strikeout for Florida National, Diaz reached first base on a dropped passed ball and Jayden Portes got on with a walk. With two on and only one out, Florida National was primed to pounce. Lucas Viera singled to...
Tournaments | Story | 11/10/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 3

Donovan May
Article Image
14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 Cody Bloomfield ('31, FL) tallied three hits on Championship Monday and capped off an impressive weekend at the plate, finishing with a .455/.538/.636 slash line. Repeats a compact stroke and consistently gets the barrel to the baseball. Shows present strength in the hands and lower half with the ability to drive the ball from gap to gap. Mature all-fields approach continued to produce quality at-bats throughout the event.  Levi Munoz ('31, CA) worked 6.0 innings and struck out five in a strong start on the mound. Attacked hitters with a 77-80 mph fastball that showed life through the top of the strike zone and paired it with a mid-60s curveball featuring 12-to-6 shape. Worked ahead in counts throughout the outing and consistently controlled the tempo. Flashed present swing-and-miss stuff while maintaining command of the...
College | Recruiting | 11/10/2026

Head of the Class: No. 7 TCU

Quinton Hall
Article Image
Complete 2027 TCU Recruiting Class No. 7 TCU Head Coach: Kirk Saarloos | Recruiting Coordinator: John DiLaura Total Signees: 16 | Top 100 Signees: 5 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 19 Cooper Goff OF 6-0 185 L-R Mountain Ridge Herriman UT 41 Andrew Carlson RHP 6-3 230 R-R Trinity Classical Academy Valencia CA 79 Joe Mendazona Jr C 6-3 200 L-R Central Monmouth OR 94 Cooper George LHP 6-3 175 L-L Long Beach Wilson Long Beach CA 98 Blake Ragsdale SS 6-0 175 R-R Lyons Twp Burr Ridge IL Head Coach Kirk Saarloos and his staff have put together another impressive recruiting class, landing at No. 7 in the Class of 2027 Recruiting Rankings. With 16 commitments spanning 11 different states, including five prospects ranked inside the Top 100 nationally, the Horned Frogs have made their presence felt across the country. Leading the offensive talent is PG All-American...
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 11/10/2026

2027 MLB Draft Reports: 101-200

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2027 MLB Draft Board: Top 200 2027 MLB Draft Reports: 1-100   101. Cooper Williams | LHP | LSU | L-L | Alvin, TX Williams is a lanky, projectable left-hander, standing at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds. A loose, whip arm hides the ball well into a tough low 3/4 slot. The fastball sits in the low-90’s. Both a sweeping slider and curveball are spun well. Williams shows strong pitchability with the ability to add and subtract. Strikes will need to improve if he is to stick as a starter long term. 102. Christopher Ramirez | SS | Tennessee | R-R | Corona, CA Ramirez was the WAC freshman of the year and followed it up with an even better sophomore campaign. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound shortstop has now transferred to Tennessee for the ‘27 season. The right-handed hitter Ramirez showcases premium contact skills, especially in-zone. The approach will get overly aggressive at times, resulting...
Loading more articles...