We are 17 days away from Arkansas baseball, and it’s time for HawgBeat to begin its lineup preview series for the 2023 Diamond Hogs.
The Hogs willl return just two starters from last year’s lineup, so fans will soon become familiar with all of the new faces.
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We begin things with the leadoff spot, which Kansas transfer Tavian Josenberger is projected to fill…
Jr. | S/R | 6-0 | 185
Kansas City, Mo. / Park Hill HS / Kansas
2022 (Kansas): 52 games, .276/.357/.386, 13 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 25 BB/33 K, 11 SB
Starting off with a likely unfamiliar face for Arkansas fans, Josenberger is in prime position to be the leadoff man for the Diamond Hogs this season.
A transfer from Kansas, Josenberger slashed .316/.392/.413 as a sophomore for the Jayhawks in 2022, but back issues lingered for him. Even still, he managed to have the fourth best batting average on the team.
Josenberger played in center as a freshman at Kansas, but he was the team’s starting second baseman last year. He told reporters in the fall that he had the idea that he was recruited to Arkansas to play in the outfield, and that certainly seems to be the case.
“I really didn’t care,” Josenberger said. “(Dave Van Horn) told me if I was the best centerfielder, I’d play centerfield. If I was the best second baseman, I would play second base. I kind of had the idea that I was coming here to play outfield. I really just want to get on the field, so wherever I’m needed, I’ll play.”
With the departure of starting center fielder Braydon Webb, who was out of eligibility, the Hogs needed to continue their long streak of talented center fielders. As of now, it seems like Josenberger is in a good position to do so.
Van Horn said that Josenberger has been a well-respected leader in the locker room, and sophomore second baseman Peyton Stovall echoed that sentiment.
“Tavian’s really taken it to another level as being a leader for a team he’s never played for,” Stovall said. “He leads by example a lot, more than he does talking, and I’m excited for him. I think he’s going to have a really great year for us and with the speed that he has and being able to hit from both sides, he’s a perfect prototypical leadoff batter.”
Arkansas also lost a great on-base player in Zack Gregory, who transferred to Grand Canyon University after last season. The Hogs…