Arkansas baseball unveils Kevin Kopps bobblehead
Kevin Kopps firmly cemented himself as one of the greatest players ever to suit up for the Arkansas Razorbacks during his time in Fayetteville. He won 2021 SEC Pitcher of the Year honors, becoming just the second player in Hogs baseball history to do so. Kopps also racked up an extensive list of other honors and accolades, en route to leading Arkansas to a 50-13 overall record his senior year.
On Thursday evening, their baseball program decided to honor one of their legends by breaking out bobbleheads.
Bobbleheads are one of the more popular pieces of memorabilia out there. As a matter of fact, there’s actually a National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Kevin Kopps helped guide the Razorbacks to the Super Regional in 2021, where they fell to NC State, 2-1 in the series. He finished with an impressive record of 12-1 overall in his final season.
Among many other awards, Kopps won the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy, two of the highest honors in all of college baseball. He became just the 20th player in college baseball history to win both awards. As the most dominant pitcher in the game, he finished 2021 with 11 saves to go along with his 12 wins. Kopps posted the nation’s lowest ERA (0.90) and WHIP (0.76), striking out 131 in 89 2/3 innings of work. Opposing batters finished with a .162 batting average against the right-hander, setting the program’s single season record for ERA during his historic year.
A native of Sugar Land, Texas, he was also named the National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and D1Baseball.
Kopps went on to be drafted in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft, getting selected by the San Diego Padres with the No. 99 overall selection.
Arkansas has gotten back to being one of the best teams in college baseball this year. They currently boast an overall record of 40-9 and they’re expected to get a high seed in the upcoming 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Hogs currently sit at 17-7 in the SEC. Arkansas won one game in their recent three-game series with No. 8 Kentucky, winning on Friday, May 3rd, 10-3.
Up next, the Hogs will have a three-game series with Mississippi State (May 10-12) and Texas A&M (May 16-18). Those will be their last games in the regular season this year, before the 2024 SEC Tournament begins on Tuesday, May 21. After the SEC Tournament, they’ll begin preparing for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, which begins on May 31st.