Five Hogs, including infielder Peyton Stovall, left-handed pitcher Mason Molina, infielder Jared Sprague-Lott, catcher Hudson White and infielder Ben McLaughlin, were selected during the second day of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Through the first 10 rounds and 315 picks, six Arkansas standouts, led by pitcher Hagen Smith’s fifth overall selection by the Chicago White Sox, have heard their names called in this year’s draft. Excluding 2020’s COVID-shortened draft, six or more Razorbacks have been selected in each of the last eight drafts since 2016, including a program-record 11 in 2018.
Stovall was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the fourth round with the No. 117 overall pick. The 261st draft selection in Arkansas history and 138th draft pick in the Dave Van Horn era, the Haughton, La., native became the program’s 34th All-American following a strong junior campaign in which he served as a team captain for the second season in a row.
The Razorback second baseman started all 48 games he played in after suffering a broken foot in a preseason scrimmage and missing the first 12 games of the year, slashing a team-leading .340/.409/.535 with nine homers and 38 runs batted in to earn All-America praise from the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings. Stovall, who finished as the team leader in hits (68), doubles (12), batting average (.340), slugging percentage (.535) and on-base plus slugging (.944), recorded a team-leading 19 multi-hit games and logged 10 multi-RBI games during his breakout campaign.
Molina, meanwhile, was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh round with the No. 215 overall pick. The 262nd draft selection in Arkansas history and 139th draft pick in the Van Horn era, the Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., native made 15 appearances with 13 starts in 2024, going 4-2 with a 4.47 ERA and 81 strikeouts over 58.1 innings.
The Texas Tech transfer, who limited opposing hitters to a .193 batting average on the year, logged three double-digit strikeouts games in his one season as a Razorback. In SEC play, Molina went 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 36.0 innings over nine appearances with eight starts, helping Arkansas clinch the Western Division title after making his first relief appearance of the year at #5 Texas A&M on May 17 and spinning three shutout frames with two strikeouts.
