Kjerstad, Cronin, Fletcher pick up preseason honors from ‘Baseball America’ magazine

PHOTO BY ANDY HODGES | HITTHATLINE.COM

FAYETTEVILLE — Sophomore Heston Kjerstad, as well as junior reliever Matt Cronin and junior Dominic Fletcher added yet another preseason All-America nod to their growing list of accolades Monday afternoon as all three were recognized by Baseball America.

This is the third preseason honor won by Kjerstad and Cronin and second for Fletcher.

Cronin was the lone Razorback on the first team and one of four players from the SEC. Fletcher earned a spot as one of three outfielders on the second team, while Kjerstad earned a spot on the third team.

Arkansas ties with Stanford for the most preseason All-Americans on Baseball America’s list, which was voted on by major league organizations’ scouting departments and was based on performance, talent and professional potential.

On the mound, Cronin returns as one of the top relievers in the nation after setting a UA single-season record with 14 saves. The save total tied for the second-most in the SEC and was the 14th most in the nation.

Over his 48.1 innings, Cronin struck out 59 batters, which was the sixth-most on the staff and he held opponents to a .154 batting average, which was the lowest on the team for the second-consecutive season.

Fletcher returns to captain the outfield after another stellar year both defensively and at the plate.

The junior notched his second-straight year with a .280 average or higher and 10 or more home runs becoming the first Razorback since Rodney Nye (1998-99) to hit 10 or more homers in his first two seasons.

He finished his sophomore season with 23 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games, which were both higher totals than his freshman season.

Fletcher’s best performances came in the postseason as he hit .346 in the College World Series with nine hits, two home runs and eight RBIs.

He was one of only two players in the CWS to record a four-hit game (vs. Texas Tech) last year and he was the first Razorback to do so since Jeff King in 1985.

After winning the 2018 SEC Freshman of the Year award, Kjerstad comes into his sophomore season as one of the most highly touted players in the nation.

Kjerstad was named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA, while also making the All-SEC Second Team and the SEC All-Freshman Team.

The Amarillo, Texas native started all 69 games for the Hogs in left field and finished second on the team with a .332 batting average, while leading with 87 hits, 14 home runs and 58 RBIs. His hit total, home runs and RBIs were all Arkansas freshman records.

Arkansas will open the 2019 season against Eastern Illinois on Feb. 15 at Baum Stadium.