FAYETTEVILLE — When University of Arkansas second baseman Peyton Holt is running the bases, watch for his batting helmet to fly off his head.
“I think Peyton likes that, because it gives him a chance to show off his hair,” Razorbacks pitching coach Matt Hobbs said with a laugh. “He’s got a really great head of hair.”
Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said he hasn’t paid much attention to Holt’s hair.
“I don’t really care, just as long as he’s running around the bases,” Van Horn said. “That means he got a hit.”
Holt, a redshirt junior from Greenwood, has been getting plenty of hits in recent weeks since taking over at second base because of Peyton Stovall’s season-ending shoulder injury.
Over the last 11 games, all against SEC teams, Holt is batting .488 (20 for 45) — including 4 doubles and 1 home run — with 11 runs driven in and 11 runs scored. He’s also reached base an additional 6 times in that stretch being hit by 3 pitches and with 3 walks for a .578 on-base percentage.
Holt’s play, including stellar defense, helped the Razorbacks (41-16) share the SEC regular-season championship with Florida and be the NCAA Tournament’s No. 3 overall seed.
Arkansas will host the Fayetteville Regional and open against Santa Clara at 2 p.m. Friday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
“It’s been a lot of fun, especially since we’re winning most of the games,” Holt said of getting the chance to start. “Just kind of going out there and doing my thing. Not trying to make it bigger than it is.
“Playing in big games, it’s kind of easy to get sped up. I’m just trying to go out there, stay relaxed and play the game. Let it come to you.”
Since going 0 for 4 in his first SEC start at Mississippi State on May 5, Holt has raised his batting average from .267 to .394. His nine-game hitting streak is against teams in the NCAA Tournament — South Carolina, Vanderbilt, LSU and Texas A&M.
“Gritty player, does the things that help your team win,” LSU Coach Jay Johnson said of Holt. “Stovall is a great player. He’s from [Haughton] Louisiana. I would have liked to have had the opportunity to recruit him. I wasn’t here in time.
“That’s a tough loss for them because he’s super talented, too, and you throw him in there with those guys, it makes them even deeper.
“But you look at what Holt has done, you can’t do much better than that over the last few weeks.”
Holt went 2 for 4 with an RBI and scored a run in the Razorbacks’ 5-4 victory over the Tigers in the SEC Tournament.
But Holt’s biggest play might have been on defense.
Arkansas led 5-2 when Hayden Travinski and Tre’ Morgan hit singles to start the sixth inning for the Tigers.
Jordan Thompson followed with a grounder to shortstop Harold Coll, who fielded the ball and threw to Holt at second base for one out.
Holt faked a throw to first base, then whirled and threw to Caleb Cali at third behind Travinski. Cali tagged out Travinski when he took too big of a turn towards home plate.
“That was a head’s up play by Peyton and really a momentum killer for LSU,” Arkansas right fielder Jace Bohrofen said. “It brought the momentum back on our side.
“[Thompson] can run a little bit, so Peyton knew he probably wasn’t going to get him at first base. Then to arm fake and throw it back to third with Cali being there is some extreme awareness.”
Holt said it was a play he tried at Crowder (Mo.) College, where he played before transferring to Arkansas this year, and it had never worked.
“For it to be perfect, Cali being there, it was pretty cool for it finally to be executed.” Holt said. “It actually changed the game for us.”
Holt laughed when asked if he threw the ball in the dugout when he tried to make that play at Crowder.
“No, didn’t throw it in the dugout, “ he said.
“But most of the runners wouldn’t come off the bag, or the third baseman wouldn’t be there.
“Cali being there, it was really head’s up for him, too.”
Hagen Smith and Hollan Hunter pitched for the Razorbacks in their SEC Tournament victory over LSU.
“I’d say it’s been unbelievable the plays that Peyton has made,” Hollan said. “He’s a guy that came off the bench and had to step up, and he did.
“He’s swinging it unbelievable, and the plays that he’s making in the field are huge.”
Holt batted .425 with 10 home runs, 21 doubles and 77 RBI last season when Crowder was 54-13 and advanced to the Junior College World Series. As a second-year freshman in 2021, he batted .370 with 11 home runs and 64 RBI for a team that also played in the Junior College World Series and finished 55-8.
“Peyton played at Crowder for teams that won, and he was a big part of it, and he played in the national tournament,” Van Horn said. “I don’t feel like this stage he’s on now is too big for him.
“He’s older. He’s confident. He got off to a good start when he got in there full time, and he hasn’t slowed down.
“He brings a lot of attitude and toughness to our lineup. I just appreciate his effort. He’s been great.”
Holt has played in 29 games this season with 18 starts.
“We hit him all over the place in fall ball. We played him all over the place,” Van Horn said. “We felt like he would be a utility guy.
“And he had some good days at the plate, but he had some bad days, too. Like a lot of guys do in the fall, trying to hit our pitching. We had more arms at the time, and we just kept coming at him with guys.
“We knew that he was going to help us this year. We didn’t know if he was going to be an every day starter or not, but we thought he would be in our lineup at different positions, including outfield.”
The Razorbacks also were hit hard by injuries in the outfield with the losses of Tavian Josenberger and Jared Wegner, who now both are healthy and back in the lineup.
Holt is entrenched at second base.
“It’s been good watching him and seeing the success he’s had,” Van Horn said. “His teammates really like him. You can tell that.”
Holt has been hitting in the 7-hole.
“It’s nice having somebody down there in the bottom third of the order starting rallies and also driving in runs,” Van Horn said.
In addition to getting regular at-bats, Van Horn said Holt has benefitted from an adjustment in his swing.
“It’s a lot flatter now,” Van Horn said. “He dipped his head a little bit more in the fall.
“I think he’s really worked on that. He’s just done a good job.
“He has bat speed, he has strength and he’s got good at-bats under his belt. They’re not all at the Division I level, but he’s gone against guys that throw well.
“You’ve got to take a step forward at the Division I level in the SEC, and he’s done it.”
Holt smiled when asked about his batting helmet constantly flying off his head.
“I could get a smaller helmet probably, but at this point with how we’re playing, I don’t want to stir anything up,” Holt said. “So I’m just going to keep that helmet for now.”