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Former ECU pitcher Zach Root announces transfer to Arkansas

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels07/01/24ChandlerVessels
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(Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Former East Carolina pitcher Zach Root will transfer to play for Arkansas in 2025, he announced Monday via X. The left-hander spent the past two seasons with the Pirates and appeared in 13 games with 12 starts this past season.

Root finished this year with a 3.56 ERA and 76 strikeouts against 21 walks across 68.1 innings pitched. An injury limited him as he missed nearly a month in the middle of the season before returning for the conference tournament.

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Root also pitched two games for the Pirates during Regional play of the NCAA Tournament. He threw eight total inning, allowing four runs on six hits.

As a freshman in 2023, Root played 20 games with 13 starts to compile a 3-3 record. He finished with 54 strikeouts against 27 walks across 53.2 innings to earn AAC All-Conference honors.

Root played for Fort Meyers (FL) High School and had a chance to be selected in the 2022 MLB Draft before opting to go the college route. He is listed as the No. 23 overall prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft according to D1Baseball.

Arkansas is coming off of a 44-16 record this past season but lost in Regional play. They will need to replace national pitcher of the year Hagen Smith and several other key members of its rotation, so the addition of Root in much needed.

He is the 10th transfer to join the Razorbacks so far this offseason.

TCU OF Logan Maxwell transfer to Arkansas

TCU baseball outfielder Logan Maxwell found a new home after entering the transfer portal this offseason, also announcing his commitment to Arkansas.

Maxwell batted north of .300 over the last two seasons, including a .335 mark in 2024. He’s not much of a slugger with just three home runs on the year, but his .447% on-base percentage makes him a reliable hitting presence.

Now, he’ll head to the SEC to join up with one of the best teams in the country from 2023. Maxwell is also a rising senior who spent three years in Fort Worth. So he’ll have just one more year of eligibility in Fayetteville.

On3’s Alex Weber contributed to this report.