Arkansas' best high school baseball players: Meet the state's top third basemen
By Kevin Bohannon
SBLive is looking at the best high school baseball players in Arkansas. Today, we feature third base, also known as the “hot corner.” Arkansas has produced some very good third basemen the past few years that have gone on to success in college. This is a very good group of players that usually play more than one position on their team. Players that play multiple positions might be featured on other lists. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list as there are hundreds of great players statewide.
Photo of Taylor's Peyton Smith by Tommy Land
Levi Lang | Harding Academy | SR
Lang finally had a full season of baseball and he did not disappoint. The Northwest Mississippi Community College commit hit 7 home runs and drove in 45 runs while hitting .490 for the 3A state champions. He also served as the Wildcats No. 2 pitcher getting a complete game win in the semifinals over Bismarck.
Peyton Smith | Taylor | SR
The SAU signee hit .476 for the Tigers this season en route to a second straight state championship. Smith earned all-state honors hitting 5 home runs with 34 RBI and 17 doubles. He was also named second team SBLive All Arkansas as an infielder.
Hutson Guinn | Greene County Tech | SR
The Eagles were due for a big season with Guinn in the middle of the lineup. The power-hitting Louisiana Tech signee had some tape measure shots this season as GCT advanced to the state tournament after finishing third in the 5A-East.
Jared Wray | Rose Bud | SR
Wray hit over .400 for most of the season ending at .383 for the Ramblers. He was their most consistent player this season and contributed big innings on the mound. A disciplined hitter, Wray had twice as many walks (20) as he did strikeouts (9).
Gael Salinas | Rogers | SR
Salinas led the Mounties with a .448 average and 48 RBI this season. He earned all-state honors for a team that finished 27-3 and was ranked No. 1 most of the season.
Braden Brown | Camden HG | SR
Brown had a breakout year for the Hornets hitting .443 with 12 doubles. he was also 6-1 on the mound with 46 strikeouts and a 2.58 ERA. While they didn’t make the state tournament, Brown’s play earned him the chance to play collegiately for UAM next season as a two-way player.
David Sorg | FS Southside | SR
Sorg has played multiple corner infield positions in his time at Southside. An injury kept him from contributing on the mound this season, but he had a solid year in the field and at the plate. Sorg signed to play for Oklahoma in the fall.
Abe Owen | Cabot | SR
Owen follows up a great junior season with another solid year for the Panthers. Owen was the anchor in the middle of the lineup for the 6A Central conference champions. Owen had a great year in football and baseball for Cabot.
Justin Trucks | Gravette | SR
Gravette made a run to the semifinals this season behind an all-state performance from Trucks. He hit .335 with 17 RBI and logged 40.1 innings on the mound with a 5-3 record and 41 strikeouts.
Kyler Spencer | Conway | SR
Spencer has the frame and size college and pro scouts dream about. He will take his talents to Eastern Oklahoma State College next season and will have a chance to get to a D1 school after junior college. The biggest thing Spencer needs is reps and he will get them next season.
Conner Cunningham | Batesville | JR
Baseball runs through Conner’s veins. His dad is the head coach at Lyon College. Conner had a banner year for the Pioneers hitting .449 with a .545 OBP and 20 extra base hits including 8 triples. He played multiple positions for the Pioneers who made it to the quarterfinals of the 5A state tournament.
Weston Speir | Brookland| JR
Speir made his biggest contributions on the mound this season with three straight complete games to end the season. He had 90 strikeouts and a 1.42 ERA for the Bearcats. Offensively he hit 3 home runs and drove in 20 runs earning all-state honors.
Eli McCall | Bentonville | JR
McCall was clutch for Tigers in their run to a second straight state title game. He hit .370 in conference play and hit two home runs in the state tournament. For the season, McCall his .299 with 10 doubles, 3 home runs and 24 RBI.
Cory Jines | Norfork | JR
The Panthers made the state tournament for the second straight season and finished as the regional runner-up. Jines had a big game in the regional semifinals against conference rival Viola driving in a couple runs in a 4-3 win.
Rex Tedder | Walnut Ridge | JR
Tedder’s future is likely as a pitcher in college but he provided plenty of offense for Walnut Ridge this season while playing solid defense. Tedder’s fastball is consistently in the mid 80s and can get as high as 89 MPH.
Greyson Westbrook | Wynne | SO
Westbrook is a very good two-way talent with a big upside. He made all-conference for Wynne this spring and is really coming into his own as a pitcher as well. His fastball has been clocked at 87 MPH recently.
Luke Cornelison | Har-Ber | SO
The Razorback commit started his high school career in grand fashion winning a state championship and earning all-state honors. He hit .337 with a .439 OBP with 4 home runs and 30 RBI.
