FAYETTEVILLE — Less than a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Dylan Carter could be back on the mound for Arkansas baseball.
Pitchers typically need 12-18 months to recover from the surgery to repair a torn UCL, so the right-hander is a good 2-3 months ahead of schedule in his rehab.
“His rehab has been nothing short of amazing,” his mother, Carmen Carter, told Best of Arkansas Sports last week. “I’ve never seen him so determined to get back on the field.”
Aside from a family vacation to Mexico, Carter has done daily rehab work to ensure he’ll be able to pitch for the Razorbacks this season despite not undergoing the surgery until May 5 last year.
Carter started mound work in December and, if everything continues at the same pace, he’ll be fully cleared in about four weeks, his mother said.
He’s already throwing at about 75% effort in bullpen sessions and is sitting 86-87 mph. The plan is for him to be at full effort the final two weeks of his rehab.
The Arkansas baseball season begins Feb. 16 against James Madison, but everyone is “cautiously optimistic” that Carter would be available to pitch sometime in March. SEC play starts on March 15 with a series against Missouri.
Getting him back would only bolster what is shaping up to be one of the strongest pitching staffs in the country.
Carter was one of the Razorbacks’ best stories of 2023. A lifelong Arkansas fan, he spent two years in junior college and then redshirted his first year in Fayetteville before bursting onto the scene last year.
With multiple injuries leaving the Razorbacks short on arms, he took on a much larger role than expected and was one of their top options out of the bullpen. Before the injury, he was 6-0 with 2 saves and a 3.65 ERA in 37 innings across 16 appearances. Carter could be extended, like he was in 4 2/3 scoreless innings against Tennessee, or pitch twice on a weekend, like he did against Alabama and Ole Miss.
It’s unclear if he’d take on a similar role coming off Tommy John surgery in 2024, but Carter will at least be a veteran presence in a bullpen featuring numerous talented, but young pitchers.
Freshman Dealing with Injury
One of those talented, but young pitchers is left-hander Hunter Dietz, a heralded freshman from Florida.
Unfortunately, he had a minor procedure following fall ball and is expected to miss the start of the season. Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball first reported the news and Best of Arkansas Sports has since confirmed it.
Ranked as the No. 57 overall recruit in the 2023 class by Perfect Game coming out of Calvary Christian in Clearwater, Fla., Dietz is the highest ranked pitcher to make it to campus in nine years.
Although the weekend rotation is seemingly set with Hagen Smith, Brady Tygart and Mason Molina, Dietz figured to carve out a role on the pitching staff as a freshman because of his electric stuff.
The good news is that the Razorbacks are still planning on the 6’6”, 230 pound freshman contributing in 2024, according to Rogers. Understandably, they are being cautious with him.
It’s unclear exactly when Dietz may be available to make his collegiate debut, but Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn is scheduled to meet with the media at 10 a.m. CT Thursday. He will preview the start of preseason practice and perhaps provide more insight on his timeline, as well as give updates on other injured Razorbacks.
2024 Arkansas Baseball Roster
| Num. | Name | Position | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ty Wilmsmeyer | OF | Grad. |
| 3 | Nolan Souza | INF | Fr. |
| 4 | Jack Wagner | INF/OF | Grad. |
| 5 | Kendall Diggs | OF | Jr. |
| 6 | Ben McLaughlin | INF | Sr. |
| 8 | Hudson White | C | Jr. |
| 9 | Wehiwa Aloy | INF | So. |
| 10 | Peyton Stovall | INF | Jr. |
| 11 | Jaewoo Cho | RHP | Fr. |
| 12 | Jared Sprague-Lott | INF | Sr. |
| 13 | Jayson Jones | INF/OF | So. |
| 14 | Ross Lovich | OF | Sr. |
| 16 | Hudson Polk | C | Sr. |
| 17 | Hunter Grimes | OF | R-Sr. |
| 18 | Reese Robinett | INF | So. |
| 19 | Will Edmunson | OF | Jr. |
| 20 | Gabe Gaeckle | RHP | Fr. |
| 21 | Mason Molina | LHP | Jr. |
| 22 | Ty Waid | C/INF | Fr. |
| 24 | Peyton Holt | INF/OF | Sr. |
| 25 | Brady Tygart | RHP | Jr. |
| 26 | Tate McGuire | RHP | Fr. |
| 27 | Ryder Helfrick | C | Fr. |
| 28 | Koty Frank | RHP | Grad. |
| 31 | Dylan Carter | RHP | R-Jr. |
| 32 | Hunter Dietz | LHP | Fr. |
| 33 | Hagen Smith | LHP | Jr. |
| 34 | Diego Ramos | RHP | Fr. |
| 36 | Parker Coil | LHP | So. |
| 37 | Jake Faherty | RHP | Jr. |
| 38 | Colin Fisher | LHP | Fr. |
| 39 | Tucker Holland | LHP | Fr. |
| 40 | Ben Bybee | RHP | So. |
| 41 | Will McEntire | RHP | R-Sr. |
| 43 | Kade Smith | OF | Fr. |
| 44 | Parker Rowland | C | Sr. |
| 45 | Gage Wood | RHP | So. |
| 46 | Christian Foutch | RHP | So. |
| 48 | Cooper Dossett | RHP | So. |
| 49 | Stone Hewlett | LHP | Sr. |
| 51 | Jack Smith | LHP | Fr. |
| 55 | Josh Hyneman | RHP | R-Fr. |
| 61 | Adam Hachman | LHP | Fr. |
***
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