Helfrick coming into his own for Razorbacks in time for postseason run

It's not just the LSU series that has seen Helfrick break out.

Over the past 32 games, since he got his first multi-hit game in his career on March 18, he has the highest batting average on the team by a country mile. In the 32-game stretch, Helfrick is 34-for-88 (.386).

Here's how the other qualified hitters compare in that stretch:
Wehiwa Aloy: .355
Charles Davalan: .347
Justin Thomas Jr.: .329
Cam Kozeal: .328
Kuhio Aloy: .320
Logan Maxwell: .301
Brent Iredale: .245

Hogs coach Dave Van Horn moved Helfrick up three spots in the order to fifth for the first time all year Sunday because of his hot stretch. Helfrick rewarded his coach with two doubles and two walks.

"I was thinking about it just watching his at-bats this weekend." Van Horn said about the change. "He was on it, laying off borderline pitches and hitting balls hard."

Helfrick had the weight of the world on his shoulders as a true freshman.

He was the No. 46 overall prospect for the Class of 2023, according to Perfect Game and the highest-ranked recruit to actually make it to campus out of a loaded 2023 Razorback class that featured nine Top 100 overall players.

"Everybody in America wanted tried to recruit that guy," Auburn coach Butch Thompson said after Helfrick hit a go-ahead homer against the Tigers in March 2024."[Everybody was] just waiting their turn. He got a pitch to hit and hit it out."

Here's how Perfect Game described Helfrick in his high school player profile:

"Loud contact seemingly every time he steps in the box," his profile reads. "[He] stands out defensively, too."

As a freshman, he started 26 games as the team's No. 2 catcher including 15 behind the plate. Helfrick had his moments like the homer against Auburn, but the holistic resume was not good.

He hit just .179 at the plate in 84 at-bats with 28 strikeouts. His freshman numbers were only good for one thing, motivation.

The unsightly numbers became the only thing Helfrick would see every time he turned on his phone. He set his Baseball Reference page as his phone wallpaper, showcasing his average that began with a one.

It worked. Helfrick broke out for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League over the summer.

He tied South Carolina's Ethan Petry for most homers in the league (11) and led the league in RBIs (37), seven more than second place.

Everything was on course for Helfrick to carry the momentum from the summer to the regular season.

He hit over .350 in both the fall and spring scrimmages, according to unofficial stats kept by the media. Helfrick also played with the starters on a consistent basis for the first time.

Once the season started, Helfrick produced more unsightly numbers. Through the first 20 games of the season, he hit just .192 and struck out 20 times in first 52 at-bats, a rate even higher than his freshman year.

Van Horn continued to pencil Helfrick in the line-up, but the pressure was mounting. He had appeared 50 games as a Razorback and still failed to get a multi-hit game. 51st time was the charm, a 2-for-3 day against Oral Roberts got that monkey off his back.

Since then, Helfrick's contributions have taken off on both sides of the ball. Not only has he put 122 points on his batting average, he's started all 27 SEC games behind the plate.

"He wants to be out there," Van Horn said after Helfrick started both games of a doubleheader against Missouri on April 6. "He's been built up to catch like that. We've given him some breaks on Tuesday games and bring him in if we need him. It's good to see him getting going with the bat."

Van Horn has also long lauded Helfrick's pitch framing abilities as one of the best, something that has helped the pitching staff immeasuably.

Everyone wanted Helfrick. The Razorbacks got him.

It took a while, but they're finally reaping the reaping the rewards of Helfrick's prowess, providing another key bat for the stretch run into the postseason.

Arkansas concludes its regular season against Tennessee. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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