Kjerstad, Martin named to preseason All-American team

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ Heston Kjerstad and Casey Martin have been named first team preseason All-Americans by Perfect Game.

Arkansas is the only program with two position players to garner first team status.

The Perfect Game nod is the second preseason accolade for the duo, as Kjerstad and Martin were recognized by Collegiate Baseball on the outlet’s first & second teams, respectively.

A junior from Amarillo, Texas, Kjerstad put together a .327 batting average last year over 65 starts, leading the team in hits (87) and home runs (17). It was the second consecutive season he’s tallied 87 knocks, as he drove in 51 RBIs and scored 53 runs in 2019.

Martin, a junior from Lonoke, Arkansas, finished his sophomore season with a .286/.548/.364 line at the plate, starting all 66 games.

He tallied 81 hits, 40 for extra bases with 21 doubles, four triples and 15 homers. Martin also recorded 57 RBIs and scored 67 runs, both figures ranking second on the squad last season.

Before the calendar turned to 2020, the Razorbacks picked up a No. 9 preseason ranking from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the first poll revealed for the upcoming season.

It marks the second time in three years the Razorbacks have received a top-10 ranking from the outlet, beginning the 2018 season in third. Last year, Collegiate Baseball put Arkansas at No. 25 in its first poll.

The Razorbacks are coming off a 46-20 season that produced an SEC West division title and the program’s 10th trip to the College World Series in 2019.

Coach Dave Van Horn, entering his 18th season at the helm of the baseball team, has more appearances in the CWS than any active coach in the nation with eight.

The 2020 slate kicks off with Eastern Illinois for the second-straight season, beginning on Friday, Feb. 14, at 3 p.m. at Baum-Walker Stadium.