FAYETTEVILLE — Dave Van Horn confirmed on Tuesday that freshman reliever Bryce Bonnin is transferring from Arkansas.
At his 2018 season wrap-up press conference, Van Horn said Bonnin's departure was more the staff's idea. Razorbacks coaches see Bonnin as a reliever, but Bonnin has a desire to be a starting pitcher.
"Just up and down. There's a lot to it, I guess," Van Horn said. "[Transferring] is what he needed in my opinion, and I don't know where he's going to end up. He needs to go to junior college where they can put him on the mound and he can pitch.
"He has a lot of talent with arm strength, but he's got to be able to take that into the game with him consistently. Hopefully he picks the right place, and I hope he has a lot of success."
Bonnin appeared in 11 games in 2018 and made one start. He finished 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA over 19 innings in which he allowed 17 hits while striking out 16 and walking 12. Bonnin’s final appearance of the season came in Arkansas’ 11-5 win over Texas at the College World Series.
Bonnin came on in relief three times during the Razorbacks’ postseason run, but did not last more than 1 1/3 innings in any outing. He issued four walks and struck out one in those appearances.
The right-hander was the 104th ranked prospect out of Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, and the No. 9 player in the state by Perfect Game. Out of high school, Bonnin was a 26th round selection of the Chicago Cubs in the 2017 MLB Draft.
Cole Turney, Hunter Milligan and Weston Rogers are among other players who will not return, Van Horn said.