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Brady Slavens nearing a return? Dave Van Horn hints at a timetable for the injured first baseman
By Keith Farner
Published:
Arkansas could get a significant boost to its quest to reach Omaha with the return of injured first baseman Brady Slavens. Coach Dave Van Horn offered an update on the bum ankle Slavens is recovering from since he injured it on May 26 against Georgia in the SEC Tournament.
Van Horn said Saturday that Slavens is “right there” in terms of returning to action.
“He could have almost gotten some at bats tonight,” Van Horn said following the Razorbacks’ 5-1 victory over Nebraska in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional, per Whole Hog Sports.
Slavens missed a fifth consecutive game as the Razorbacks are in the window of the original timetable, which was set for one to three weeks after a negative X-ray the day following the injury.
“You know you might end up seeing him on the field,” Van Horn said of Sunday’s regional championship against either Nebraska or NJIT. “I’m not sure.”
Slavens is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy as national player of the year, leads the Razorbacks with 60 RBI. He is tied for team leads with 13 home runs and 3 triples.
In the mean time, Matt Goodheart helped fill a power surge void as he on Saturday launched Arkansas’ 99th of the season in its 58th game of the year, surpassing the previous program record of 98 home runs by the 2018 Hog squad in 69 games.
Goodheart’s two-hit game, including his leadoff homer, led the Hogs offensively. It was also Arkansas’ 10th straight victory.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
