Dave Van Horn addresses Dylan Carter's status for next season after Tommy John surgery

Few teams had it tougher in the 2023 season when it came to the injury bug than Arkansas, which was gutted with hit after hit coming during the campaign. Pitcher Dylan Carter suffered a torn UCL late in the campaign and will need Tommy John surgery as a result.

As a result of the timing of the injury it’s unclear whether he might be ready for the start of fall ball or the 2024 season.

“I don’t think anybody can outwork him, and he’s tough as can be,” coach Dave Van Horn said. “I think if he does pitch it would be late in the season, but we’ll just try to evaluate that as best we can through late fall, January.”

Carter was a perfect 6-0 as a starter for the Razorbacks this season, putting together a 3.65 ERA and striking out 26 batters in 37.0 innings of work.

Opponents hit .264 off him, with Carter facing 156 batters before shutting it down ahead of a Tommy John surgery.

Part of the issue in Van Horn not being able to give a more concrete answer on Carter’s availability is the way roster reporting works. There’s a numbers crunch and when it comes to the SEC every single spot matters.

So having a decent idea where Carter is at in his recovery from Tommy John surgery this winter will be key to any decision.

“The issue is you’ve got to turn in a roster, but they’ve raised the number on the roster to 40 instead of 35,” Van Horn said. “You used to have to turn in a roster of 35, so now we can go to 40 unless that changes, because, you know, things change. It really would just be up to how he feels.”

Carter was one of several season-ending injuries for Arkansas during the 2023 campaign.

Along with Carter, fellow pitchers Jaxon Wiggins and Koty Frank were both lost for the year due to season-ending injuries. Both also had UCL injuries and will need Tommy John Surgery.

Star second baseman Peyton Stovall was also lost late in the year due to injury.

Despite the slew of injuries, Arkansas managed to win the SEC, sharing the overall league crown with Florida after going 20-10 in conference play. The Razorbacks hosted an NCAA Regional but came up short, with TCU advancing to the Super Regionals from the group.