FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick came in with all the accolades you could possibly ask for.
He was a Top 50 recruit nationally for the class of 2023, according to Perfect Game. His older brother Leighton, who is a D1 Baseball player at UC Davis in his own right, remembers Ryder getting all the recruiting buzz, despite being in the class behind him.
In the spring of 2024, coach Dave Van Horn compared Helfrick to MLB All-Star catcher and former Razorback James McCann. He even thought that Helfrick was ahead of McCann for his freshman year.
“Freshman Ryder Helfrick is as talented a freshman catcher as I’ve ever had,” Van Horn said in January 2024. “I had James McCann in here who was pretty darn good.”
The rest of the SEC coaches sung his praises as well. After Helfrick cranked a 400+ foot homer in his first SEC at-bat on the road at Auburn in March, coach Butch Thompson had this to say about the now sophomore catcher, from Discovery Bay, Calif.
“I think everybody in America tried to recruit that guy,” Thompson said. “[We] were [all] just waiting our turn.”
Outside of those rays of bright spots, even a prospect as heralded as Helfrick wasn’t immune from prolonged struggles as a freshman. He hit under .200 and is still searching for his first multi-hit game in a Razorback uniform.
Helfrick went to the Cape Cod League to find himself again, and find himself he did. He led the league with 11 homers in just 36 games.
“It was good just to get out there and just play baseball and kind of relax and let go,” Helfrick said. “That was a big thing, just finding myself again and playing how I play. It was a good summer and I enjoyed it a lot.”
Helfrick is ready to take on an expanded role. With Hudson White graduating to professional baseball, Helfrick is penciled in as the opening day starter behind the plate. He’s been playing with the starters every day in the scrimmages and his power was on display again Friday with a 397-foot homer to left field. With a new season comes a different approach.
Home run metrics from spring scrimmage № 4:
Becker: 337 ft / 93 mph
Souza: 330 ft / 90 mph
Helfrick: 397 ft / 104 mph pic.twitter.com/Es21Zz06bS— Arkansas Baseball Player Development (@HogsPlayerDev) February 1, 2025
“Being through it [and] knowing what to expect and knowing what to be ready for is a big thing,” Helfrick said. “Last year, I was just excited to be out here, but this year it’s a little bit of a different mindset. Just ready to get to work.”
Arkansas will continue with two more preseason scrimmages this weekend. First pitch for both Saturday and Sunday is scheduled for noon. All scrimmages are free and open to the public.
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