One Year Later, Speed Rules Change Razorbacks Roster Makeup
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — With the wheels falling off the basketball season, it's now time to shift to better news. Arkansas baseball is roughly a month away from first pitch.
If you need a quick reminder, the way baseball is played was fundamentally changed. Both a run rule and a pitch clock were implemented in 2023. Explained officially by the rule book as follows: A pitcher shall be allowed twenty (20) seconds to begin the activity to deliver each pitch. The pitcher does not necessarily have to release the ball within 20 seconds; however, the pitcher must begin the windup motion or, from a set position begin the motion to deliver the pitch in order to comply with the 20-second rule.
So, in short, 20 seconds between pitches without interference from the hitter. The biggest shift was not that pitchers themselves had to speed up, it was that all the other extraneous stuff had to go. Signs have to come from the catchers instead of the coaching staff.
The coaching staff can no longer tell the pitcher which base to throw to in certain double-steal situations. The burden is now squarely on the catcher. Coach Dave Van Horn talked about the importance of having someone with experience that the Razorbacks can rely on compared to someone who has never handled such responsibility before.
"I think the catchers have done a really good job — at least ours have," Van Horn said last year after a win over Texas A&M. "A&M is catching a young guy (freshman Max Kaufer at the time) so maybe they need to control him more, but for the most part it puts a lot of responsiblity on the catchers.
It will help the Razorbacks that they will have three veteran backstops. Parker Rowland returns after starting almost every SEC game last year. Hudson White transfers in from Texas Tech having led the Red Raiders in starts behind the plate with 35. White has also caught fellow transfer Mason Molina, all which should help smooth over the transition as all the catchers get used to the new rules for the second season.
Hudson Polk also returns and adds more experience. All three should help Ryder Helfrick slowly get accustomed to the ever-changing rules.
The tempo rules are here to stay and the Razorbacks have the roster set up to avoid it becoming a hinderance behind the scenes. The Razorback baseball season is just over a month away, with the Hogs squaring off against James Madison inside Baum-Walker Stadium Feb. 16.
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