FAYETTEVILLE -- It has been a long seven months since Arkansas ended its 2015 baseball season at the College World Series.
Since then, Baum Stadium has resembled a rehabilitation center at times as bats and gloves were exchanged for casts, slings and crutches for several Razorbacks. At least five Arkansas players have undergone surgery to repair various injuries since last summer.
Those who went under the knife included infielders Clark Eagan (nonthrowing shoulder), Carson Shaddy (Tommy John surgery) and Cullen Gassaway (foot), and pitcher Keaton McKinney (hip). In the most serious case, pitcher Dominic Taccolini had part of a rib removed as a result of a blood clot that formed during the NCAA postseason.
Others like pitcher James Teague (elbow) avoided surgery, but needed rest to recuperate from injuries suffered during last year's run to Omaha.
Despite their misfortunes in the offseason, the Razorbacks were close to 100 percent healthy when preseason practice began in unseasonably warm temperatures Friday. Arkansas is scheduled to practice 18 times before it opens the season with a three-game series against Central Michigan that opens Feb. 19.
Among players who had surgery, only McKinney is still in the rehab phase. Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said McKinney has worked his pitch count up to nearly 40 and said he expects it to climb more after a final meeting with his surgeon in the coming weeks.
"He'll pitch first weekend if everything is good," Van Horn said. "His arm feels great. He's bigger, he's stronger, he looks better physically than he did last year. The ball is jumping out of his hand a lot better than it did last year.
"It's a good feeling to know that we're going to have those older guys to start the season. We have a pretty good opening weekend challenge with Central Michigan."
Led by preseason all-America pitcher Zach Jackson, there are plenty of familiar faces back from a team that finished 40-25 last season. Arkansas returns nine position players who played in at least 28 games last season and pitchers who combined to start 69 percent of its games.
McKinney, who led all SEC freshmen with two complete games last season, and Taccolini are candidates to start on the mound the first weekend. So, too, are Teague and Jackson, although Van Horn said he would like to have Jackson work in the closer role he manned at the end of last year.
"I think these [preseason] scrimmages will help us determine roles for everybody in the nonconference games," Jackson said. "I think until SEC starts, we may be flipping roles."
The biggest question marks for Arkansas appear to be at the corner infield positions. Eagan, who started most games at first base last season, is in contention to play both spots. He is in a position battle with Shaddy, a converted catcher, at third base, and with Gassaway at first.
Eagan may also play in the outfield, where the Razorbacks must replace three starters from last year, including consensus national player of the year Andrew Benintendi.
Arkansas is picked to finish near the middle of the SEC, but is ranked No. 22 in the preseason coaches poll.
"I'm surprised that we're ranked where we are in some of these polls," Van Horn said. "Maybe they know more than I do about what this team is all about because we're still trying to figure it out."
Sports on 01/30/2016