FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — After nearly a season and a half of struggles and growing pains, Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick is stepping into the spotlight at just the right time. As the Razorbacks gear up for their postseason campaign, Helfrick is becoming not only their go-to catcher but also one of their most dangerous hitters.
His recent performance against No. 3 LSU was nothing short of spectacular. In the three-game series, Helfrick went 6-for-10 with four doubles, standing out even more considering that standout teammates Kuhio and Wehiwa Aloy managed just five hits in 22 combined at-bats. Thanks to Helfrick’s efforts, Arkansas avoided being swept, winning the finale and injecting momentum into their season’s final stretch.
But this wasn’t just a one-off weekend. Helfrick has been steadily heating up over the last two months. Since notching his first multi-hit game on March 18, he’s become the Razorbacks’ hottest hitter. Over his last 32 games, he’s hitting a scorching .386 (34-for-88)—a pace far ahead of any other regular on the team. During that span, the next-best averages belong to Wehiwa Aloy (.355), Charles Davalan (.347), and Justin Thomas Jr. (.329).
Recognizing this upward trend, Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn moved Helfrick up in the batting order for the first time all season—slotting him fifth on Sunday. The sophomore rewarded that confidence with two doubles and two walks.
“I was thinking about it just watching his at-bats this weekend,” Van Horn said. “He was seeing pitches well, laying off borderline ones, and driving the ball hard. It was time.”
It’s a far cry from where Helfrick began his college career. Arriving in Fayetteville as the No. 46 overall recruit in the 2023 class according to Perfect Game, expectations were sky-high. He was the highest-ranked player from that highly-touted Arkansas class to make it to campus rather than signing a pro deal.
His raw talent was evident. Perfect Game described him as a player who made “loud contact” nearly every time he stepped to the plate and praised his standout defensive skills behind the plate.
But in his freshman year, the results didn’t match the hype. He started 26 games (15 of them behind the plate), hit just .179 in 84 at-bats, and struck out 28 times. It was a rough welcome to SEC baseball.
Rather than hide from those numbers, Helfrick confronted them head-on. He set his Baseball Reference page—with that sub-.200 batting average—as his phone’s wallpaper. It was a daily reminder of the work he still needed to do.
“I used it as motivation,” Helfrick admitted.
And it worked. Over the summer, he joined the Brewster Whitecaps of the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League and completely flipped the script. There, he tied South Carolina’s Ethan Petry for most home runs in the league with 11 and led the Cape in RBIs with 37—seven more than the next closest player.
That breakout performance carried over into Arkansas’ fall and spring practices. According to media tracking unofficial scrimmage stats, Helfrick batted over .350 in both fall and spring, and for the first time, he was consistently working with the Razorbacks’ starting unit.
Still, the regular season brought more early frustration. Through Arkansas’ first 20 games, Helfrick was hitting just .192 with 20 strikeouts in 52 at-bats. The slump mirrored his freshman struggles, and the pressure continued to mount. Through 50 career games in a Razorback uniform, he still hadn’t recorded a multi-hit game.
Finally, on March 18 in game No. 51, Helfrick went 2-for-3 against Oral Roberts. That game sparked a stunning turnaround.
Since then, he’s not only added over 120 points to his batting average, but he’s also become a reliable, everyday catcher—starting all 27 of Arkansas’ SEC matchups behind the plate.
“He wants to be back there,” Van Horn said after Helfrick caught both games of a doubleheader against Missouri in early April. “He’s built for it. We give him midweek breaks, but he’s the guy. And now the bat’s starting to come around too.”
Van Horn has been especially vocal about Helfrick’s value behind the scenes—particularly his elite pitch framing. That skill has had a major impact on the Razorbacks’ pitching staff and overall defense.
It’s not lost on other coaches either. Auburn’s Butch Thompson summed it up earlier this year after Helfrick hit a go-ahead homer against the Tigers: “Everybody in America tried to recruit that guy,” Thompson said. “He got his pitch and crushed it.”
The signs were always there. But now, the results are finally catching up to the potential. Helfrick is no longer the struggling freshman buried under the weight of lofty expectations. He’s a leader, a steadying presence behind the plate, and a dangerous hitter in the middle of the lineup.
As Arkansas prepares for its regular season finale against Tennessee—set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPN2—Helfrick has solidified his place as a crucial piece of their postseason puzzle.
The Razorbacks bet big on Ryder Helfrick. Now, they’re starting to cash in.
