A current player and a signee have decided to pursue other opportunities as Arkansas continues to whittle its baseball roster down this summer.
Right-hander Louis Stallone has entered the NCAA transfer portal, HawgBeat has learned, while junior college signee Zac Vooletich announced Saturday that he’d be playing at Texas Tech instead.
These moves come on the heels of the Razorbacks making it through the 2021 MLB Draft about as well as they could have hoped, with first baseman Brady Slavens and shortstop Jalen Battles choosing to return and several incoming freshmen going undrafted or announcing their intention to come to school.
It wasn’t particularly surprising for Stallone’s name to pop up in the portal. The 6-foot-9 New York native was the only non-injured true freshman pitcher who didn’t get on the mound at all this season, as he redshirted in 2021.
Even with the loss of key contributors Kevin Kopps, Patrick Wicklander, Lael Lockhart and Caleb Bolden, innings would have been hard to come by for Stallone, especially after top-130 recruits Hagen Smith, Brady Tygart and Vincent Trapani went undrafted.
“I really enjoyed Arkansas and all of the fans,” Stallone told HawgBeat. “I appreciated my time and everything the school has done for me. Best fan base in the country.”
He is the sixth Arkansas player to enter the portal since May, following Blake Adams, Jacob Burton, Nate Wohlgemuth, Cason Tollett and Bolden. Adams (Kansas State), Wohlgemuth (San Jacinto J.C.), Tollett (Arkansas State) and Bolden (TCU) have landed elsewhere, while Burton has announced he is stepping away from the game.
Vooletich, who committed to Arkansas in March, spent the 2021 season at Navarro C.C. after beginning his career at J.C.
A versatile player capable of playing multiple positions in the infield and outfield, or even catcher, the Brandeis, Texas, native slashed .349/.479/.582 with six home runs and 41 RBIs in 41 games this year. He also had 27 stolen bases and more walks (27) than strikeouts (24).
Instead of coming to Fayetteville, Vooletich will head to Texas Tech, which has become a common landing spot for Arkansas transfers. Bryce Bonnin and Easton Murrell were freshmen on the Razorbacks’ 2018 national runner-up team before continuing their college careers with the Red Raiders and just this past winter, 2020 signee Jackson Cobb transferred there after one semester at Arkansas.
Both of the junior college position players the Razorbacks signed in their 2021 class have now moved on, as Weatherford C.C. second baseman Brenden Dixon – who began his career at Texas – was drafted and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Their decisions were likely the result of Slavens and Battles returning, as well as heralded recruits Peyton Stovall and Drake Varnado making it to campus. With a loaded infield, playing time probably would have been difficult to earn.
With Stallone and Vooletich no longer in the fold, Arkansas’ projected 2022 roster is down to 48 players. The Razorbacks must get down to 40 by next spring. (The roster limit is usually 35, but it was increased in response to the pandemic.)
That number assumes Wicklander and Elijah Trest – Arkansas’ two remaining unsigned draft picks – begin their professional careers, while Braylon Bishop and Drake Varnado – its two signees who were drafted and have yet to sign professionally – make it to campus.
Position Players (21)
Ethan Bates – INF/OF
Jalen Battles – INF
*Braylon Bishop – OF
*Jace Bohrofen – OF
*Gabe D’Arcy – OF
*Kendall Diggs – INF
Zack Gregory – OF
*Cameron Leach – OF
Dylan Leach – C
*Reece McWilliams – INF
Robert Moore – INF
*Jade Putz – INF
Brady Slavens – INF
*Max Soliz Jr. – C
*Peyton Stovall – INF
*Michael Turner – C/INF
*Drake Varnado – INF
Cayden Wallace – INF/OF
Braydon Webb – OF
Zac White – INF/OF
*Landrey Wilkerson – OF
Pitchers (27)
Mark Adamiak – RHP
Issac Bracken – RHP
Tyler Cacciatori – RHP
*Dylan Carter – RHP
*Jake Faherty – RHP
Evan Gray – RHP
Nick Griffin – LHP
*Austin Ledbetter – RHP (also 3B)
Matthew Magre – LHP
Will McEntire – RHP
*Isaac Mitchell – LHP
Zack Morris – LHP
*Nick Moten – RHP
Connor Noland – RHP
Peyton Pallette – RHP
Miller Pleimann – RHP
Kole Ramage – RHP
Nathan Rintz – RHP
*Hagen Smith – LHP
Corey Spain – LHP
Gabriel Starks – RHP
Evan Taylor – LHP
Heston Tole – RHP
*Vincent Trapani – RHP
*Brady Tygart – RHP
Zebulon Vermillion – RHP
Jaxon Wiggins – RHP
*newcomers
Exhausted Eligibility
~LHP Lael Lockhart (also drafted, signed)
~INF Cullen Smith
Retired
~RHP Jacob Burton
~INF Jacob Nesbit
Transfers/Headed Elsewhere
~RHP Blake Adams (Kansas State)
~RHP Caleb Bolden (TCU)
~RHP Louis Stallone
~C/1B Cason Tollett (Arkansas State)
~INF/C signee Zac Vooletich (Texas Tech)
~RHP Nate Wohlgemuth (San Jacinto J.C.)
Drafted/Beginning Pro Career
~OF signee Braylon Bishop – ANNOUNCED HE’S COMING TO SCHOOL
~RHP Ryan Costeiu (signed)
~OF Christian Franklin (signed)
~DH/1B/OF Matt Goodheart (signed as UDFA)
~LHP/OF signee Drew Gray (signed)
~RHP Kevin Kopps (signed)
~LHP Caden Monke (signed)
~OF signee Max Muncy (signed)
~C Casey Opitz (signed)
~RHP Elijah Trest
~INF signee Drake Varnado – ANNOUNCED HE’S COMING TO SCHOOL
~OF signee Jordan Viars (signed)
~C/1B Charlie Welch (signed)
~LHP Patrick Wicklander