Arkansas baseball star Brady Slavens shares message following elbow surgery
Arkansas slugger Brady Slavens had freon coursing through his veins at times when the ‘Hogs baseball team needed him the most this season. He helped propel the Razorbacks all the way to the College World Series this season in Omaha, Nebraska and nearly guided them to the national championship series. The star slugger recently underwent surgery to repair ulnar nerve instability, a nerve in the elbow. He posted a picture on his Twitter page to let Hog fans know the surgery went well.
Slavens recently said the surgery will keep him out for 10-12 weeks and will require him to miss part of Arkansas’ fall practice season, per a report from Matt Jones of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. He also said that he thinks the injury to his elbow partially contributed to him not being drafted in the 2022 MLB Draft.
His return to Arkansas is massive news for a program that is losing seven out of the nine batters from their starting lineup in the College World Series against the Ole Miss Rebels. Peyton Stovall is the only other returning starter. Earlier this week, pitcher Zack Morris announced he will be coming back to Fayetteville for the 2023 season. Both Slaven and Morris went undrafted.
Slavens broke a College World Series Record
In the Hogs’ first game against Ole Miss in the College World Series, Slavens blasted a solo shot in the fifth inning that not only gave Arkansas the lead, but he also broke the record for the longest home run in Charles Schwab Field history at 436 feet.
More specifically, Slavens became the third player to ever hit a home run in any college game into the gap between the seats in center field at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, according to NCAA Baseball on Twitter. Florida‘s Pete Alonso and Florida State‘s Dylan Busby were the first two to accomplish the feat – both of which also came during the CWS.
The solo shot broke a 1-1 tie after two consecutive innings that saw no runs from either team. Prior to Slavens’ home run, teammate Chris Lanzilli homered to left field in the second inning before Ole Miss outfielder Kemp Alderman earned that run back with a solo shot of his own.
In Arkansas’ NCAA Stillwater Regional Matchup against the Oklahoma State Cowboys—Slavens blasted a solo shot to put the Hogs up 1-0 in the first inning of that game.
This season, he batted .255 at the plate, while blasting 16 home runs with 58 RBIs. He tied Cayden Wallace for the team lead in home runs.
As a junior, Slavens made the ABCA South All Region Second Team. Before ending up in Fayetteville, he played for Wichita State (2019) and Johnson County Community College (2020). While at junior college–he was named the JUCO Baseball Blog National Player of the Year.
On3’s Barkley Truax also contributed to this article.