Arkansas freshman outfielder Mason Neville plans to enter the transfer portal, a team representative confirmed to HawgBeat. Matt Jones of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette was the first to report the news.
A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Neville spent just one season with the Razorbacks. He was drafted in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds, but he elected not to sign so he could go to school.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound outfielder appeared in 19 games as a Razorback. Neville slashed .111/.250/.148 with three hits, one double and two RBIs on the year.
Coming into Arkansas, Neville was an option to battle for the starting spot in centerfield with Tavian Josenberger — a third round selection by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2023 MLB Draft. Josenberger won the job and Neville made spot appearances in the outfield throughout the season. In his time, Neville made 15 put-outs with one error and finished with a .938 fielding percentage.
The Basic High School prospect was rated by Prep Baseball Report as the No. 50 overall recruit and the No. 11th outfielder in the country. Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 86 overall player in the country and No. 21 outfielders.
Arkansas has now seen three players from the official 2023 roster hit the portal this offseason, as infielder/outfielder Isaac Webb and shortstop Harold Coll also hit the portal.
With Missouri transfer outfielders Ty Wilmsmeyer and Ross Lovich coming to Fayetteville, the move for Neville to enter the portal makes sense. Kendall Diggs is an option for a starting outfield spot in 2024 as well.
For a full outlook of Arkansas’ 2024 roster, click here.