Saturday was a spectacular day for Arkansas baseball. The program watched three of its stars get picked in the first 35 selections of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft. Catcher Ryder Helfrick led the way, going at No. 15 to the Arizona Diamondbacks. MLB.com has more on that story:
"With the No. 15 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, the D-backs selected right-handed-hitting catcher Ryder Helfrick out of the University of Arkansas. A strong defensive catcher with power at the plate, Helfrick emerged as a top Draft prospect in the summer of 2024, when he tied for the Cape Cod League lead with 11 homers and then slugged .616 with 15 homers over 190 at-bats for the Razorbacks the next season. Coming out of high school, Helfrick was ranked among the top prep catchers in the 2023 Draft class, but he had an up-and-down senior season and decided to go to Arkansas.
"As a sophomore with the Razorbacks, Helfrick was named to the ABCA/Rawlings South All-Region Team (First Team), as well as the NCAA Fayetteville Regional All-Tournament Team. He was also the 2025 NCAA Fayetteville Regional Tournament MVP after posting a .545/.643/1.364 slash line with three home runs. During that tournament, Helfrick caught the third no-hitter in College World Series history and first since 1960, Gage Wood's 19-strikeout gem against Murray State on June 16, 2025.
"The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Helfrick, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 11 prospect in this year's Draft class, is advanced as a defensive backstop, calling pitches and handling a pitching staff with aplomb. He has a strong arm and is a solid receiver, framer and blocker. His throwing will get better if he improves on his transfer from glove to hand, as well as his accuracy. Although he has a tendency to chase pitches out of the zone when at the plate, with Helfrick's prowess behind the plate, he profiles as a regular backstop at the Major League level."
The Arkansas MLB Draft gold rush continued with the New York Mets taking Razorback pitcher Carson Wiggins at No. 27. Arkansas pitcher Hunter Dietz went to the New York Yankees at No. 35. The Mets definitely needed more starting pitching, and the Yankees - who have elite right-handed starting pitching with Gerrit Cole and Cam Schlittler -- went for Dietz, the lefty, to balance out their future starting rotation.
What a great selling point it is for Dave Van Horn to be able to tout three top-35 MLB draft picks. It offers good reason to think Arkansas can really clean up in future recruiting and portal cycles.
