Dave Van Horn provides injury update on Hunter Dietz and Kuhio Aloy
The talk of the SEC Tournament surrounding Arkansas last week was primarily focused on two injuries in two consecutive games.
Arkansas designated hitter Kuhio Aloy went down against Tennessee and had to undergo hamate bone surgery, while lefty ace Hunter Dietz took a 105 mph ball to his lower leg against Texas. He was taken out in the first inning and only threw 21 pitches.
Head coach Dave Van Horn met with the media before the team left for Lawrence, Kansas, on Wednesday and provided an update on his two players.
Aloy underwent surgery to remove his hamate bone on Tuesday and is in a cast, but Van Horn said there’s no pain for the Hawaiian smasher.
“It was a clean break, we saw that with the X-rays,” Van Horn said. “They didn’t have to go in and chip away at it or anything like that so invasive. Basically you go in there, remove the bone, sand out the other part and sew it back up.”
Van Horn said Aloy joked with him that he was ready to take the cast off, but the doctors would like to keep it on for a while. He’s unlikely to play in the Lawrence Regional.
Arkansas’s pitching plans for this weekend are still a mystery, and Van Horn said that will be made known soon. But whatever day he throws, Dietz will be ready to go. He threw a bullpen session on Wednesday.
“Coach (Hobbs) said it went good,” Van Horn said. “Sounds like he’s going to be good to go this weekend, whether it’s Friday, Saturday or Sunday if needed.”
The Razorbacks will take on the Missouri State Bears on Friday in the Lawrence Regional. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT and the game will air on ESPNU.
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