FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas pitcher Hunter Hollan as well as outfielders Tavian Josenberger, Jace Bohrofen and Jared Wegner heard their names called on day two of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Hollan was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the third round (No. 74 overall) before Josenberger was picked up by the Baltimore Orioles later in the same round (No. 100 overall). Bohrofen was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth round (No. 184 overall), and Wegner was scooped up by the New York Yankees in the ninth round (No. 282 overall).
Through 10 rounds, five Razorbacks have been selected in the 2023 MLB Draft, tying for third most among all SEC programs. Pitcher Jaxon Wiggins was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the second round (No. 68 overall) yesterday.
Hollan, the 18th Arkansas pitcher drafted since 2019 and the 14th taken in the top 10 rounds, posted a stellar 8-2 record with a 4.13 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 80.2 innings of work this past season. He led the Razorbacks in quality starts with six, including one complete game, and made a pair of relief appearances, recording one save in the process.
The Hallsville, Texas, native was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week as well as the NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week after tossing a nine-inning complete game with a career-high 10 strikeouts against No. 6 South Carolina on May 14. He became the first Arkansas pitcher since 2016 to throw a complete game of at least nine innings against an SEC foe.
Josenberger, who landed on the SEC All-Defensive Team, was the Razobacks’ leadoff hitter and everyday centerfielder in 2023. The switch-hitting speedster slashed .286/.414/.490 with 10 home runs and 33 RBI, finishing second on the Hogs in multi-hit games with 19. He also led the Razorbacks in stolen bases with 13 on the year.
Defensively, Josenberger logged a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in center field. The Kansas City, Mo., native did not record an error in 137 total chances and carded a team-high seven outfield assists with five double plays turned.
Bohrofen, one of the Hogs’ three team captains in 2023, started all 60 games played in and slashed a team-leading .318/.436/.612 with 16 home runs and 52 RBI. He finished the season as the team leader in runs scored (54), hits (68), doubles (15), home runs (16), extra-base hits (31) and total bases (131).
The Oklahoma City, Okla., product also drew 32 walks and was hit by a team-high 16 pitches on the year. He racked up a team-leading 21 multi-hit games and 17 multi-RBI games during his tremendous junior campaign.
Wegner, who came to Arkansas as a graduate transfer from Creighton, slashed .313/.457/.673 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI in his lone season as a Razorback. Despite missing nearly 20 games dues to injury, he led the Hogs in slugging percentage (.673) and finished second on the team in both home runs (15) and runs batted in (52). Wegner matched a a single-game program record with five walks in a game against Louisiana Tech on March 12.
The Kearney, Neb., native racked up numerous accolades during his one season at Arkansas, including preseason All-America praise from the NCBWA, player of the week honors from the SEC and midseason All-America recognition from D1Baseball. He was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team at the year’s end.
Additionally, through the first 10 rounds of this year’s draft, six Razorback signees – infielder Aidan Miller (1st round, No. 27 overall – Philadelphia Phillies), outfielder Kendall George (1st round, No. 36 overall – Los Angeles Dodgers), infielder Nazzan Zanetello (2nd round, No. 50 overall – Boston Red Sox), infielder Walker Martin (2nd round, No. 52 overall – San Francisco Giants), pitcher Dylan Questad (5th round, 150th overall – Minnesota Twins) and pitcher Barrett Kent (8th round, 234th overall – Los Angeles Angels) – have been selected. Arkansas leads all teams with six drafted signees.
The MLB draft concludes today with rounds 11-20 slated to begin at 1 p.m. CT.
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Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly and in its entirety from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Oliver Grigg.
