Courtesy of Oliver Grigg
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas’ Ryder Helfrick has been named a finalist for the Gold Glove Award.
The American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Gold Glove winners, which will be announced on June 17, were first recognized in 2007 and are presented annually to the top defenders from each division of collegiate and high school baseball. Finalists were voted on and selected by the ABCA NCAA Div. I All-America and Coach of the Year Committee.
Helfrick, the Razorbacks’ SEC All-Defensive catcher, graded out as college baseball’s best defender this season, leading the nation in defensive runs saved (27.00), framing runs saved (24.49), and defensive wins above replacement (1.99). A semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy, Helfrick slashed .283/.417/.562 with 18 home runs and 53 RBI while leading the Hogs in walks with 55, fourth on the program’s single-season top 10 list, across 62 games.
The Discovery Bay, California, native became the third Arkansas catcher in program history and the first catcher in the Dave Van Horn era to achieve All-America status, joining Ron Reynolds (1979) and Andy Skeels (1987) in elite company.
Helfrick, one of three ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove finalists at the catcher position along with Georgia Tech’s Vahn Lackey and Texas’ Carson Tinney, is vying to become the second Razorback in history to win a Gold Glove. Robert Moore was the first Arkansas player to accomplish the feat, winning a Gold Glove at second base following the 2022 campaign.
