FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas right fielder Jace Bohrofen is showing the potential at the plate that made him one of the Razorbacks’ most intriguing hitters when he transferred from Oklahoma 20 months ago.
Entering Wednesday’s 3 p.m. game against Illinois State at Baum-Walker Stadium, Bohrofen, a junior from Oklahoma City, leads Arkansas’ every-day players with a .450 batting average and 1.321 OPS.
During a week-long stretch that included single games against Oklahoma State and Grambling State, and a 3-game series against Eastern Illinois, Bohrofen went 8 for 14, scored 7 runs and had 5 RBI. During that stretch he homered once, doubled 3 times, drew 5 walks and was 2 for 2 in stolen-base attempts.
“It feels good,” Bohrofen said following the Game 2 victory over Eastern Illinois. “I think confidence is everything."
Bohrofen’s team-high six walks have been a key stat to Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn, who moved him from sixth to fifth in the lineup last week. Bohrofen was also hit by a pitch during the EIU series.
“When he gets down in the count, he’ll fight you a little bit,” Van Horn said. “He’s taken his walks, which is huge. And then when he’s gotten a pitch he likes…he’s getting his swing off and he’s letting it go and he’s hitting the ball hard.”
Bohrofen had two doubles during last Saturday’s 10-3 victory over EIU. He nearly had a third when he hit a ball hard to the right-field wall, but was limited to a single because base runners in front of him were only able to advance one base apiece.
He homered in his first at-bat the following day with a 379-foot shot that landed on top of the Hunt Center in right field. The homer had an exit velocity of 106 mph.
Bohrofen has heated up quicker than in 2022 when he was hitless in his first 17 at-bats. Once he found his swing last year, an injury sidelined him for several weeks.
Bohrofen was 3 for 5 with 5 RBI during the second game of a doubleheader against Southeastern Louisiana last March 5, then injured his left shoulder while tracking a fly ball in practice before the team’s next game.
Bohrofen bats from the left and throws with his right hand.
“It was a really freak deal,” Bohrofen said during the preseason of last year's injury. “I think anyone that knows me knows I like to compete and I like to go hard at pretty much everything that I do. We were taking some pre-game fly balls in the outfield…and I went back to track it down. I thought I had a little more time than I did. I was at the warning track and thought I had one more step, and I didn’t.
“I caught the ball in kind of an awkward spot against the wall. My arm kind of hyperextended and went backward.”
Bohrofen did not return to the lineup until April 1. He said it took a couple of more weeks before the shoulder stopped bothering him while swinging a bat.
“It was tough mentally,” Bohrofen said.
Bohrofen’s role by the end of the season was as a late-game substitute, but he kept a positive attitude.
“When I got back I wasn’t feeling as good as I did before,” Bohrofen said, “and at that point I had to take on a different role of being a good teammate and getting my guys ready to play every single day in the dugout, and picking them up when they’re down.”
Bohrofen’s team-first attitude likely contributed to him being voted a team captain prior to this season, along with second baseman Peyton Stovall and pitcher Zack Morris.
“I was obviously a part of the team last year, but I wasn’t like an every-day starter. I didn’t have the greatest season ever,” Bohrofen said. “I think (being voted captain) kind of just speaks to my character as a teammate and as a person on that team.
“It means a lot because it means your teammates respect you.”
Now Bohrofen is gaining respect of opposing pitchers with his recent play.
“I’m really happy for him,” Van Horn said on the Razorback Sports Network prior to the EIU series finale. “It really helps our team a lot. For him personally, he worked hard. This is a big year for him and we need him to be the player he’s being right now, that’s for sure.”