Minor league baseball action is in full swing and two former Razorbacks, Carson Shaddy and Grant Koch, reached an individual milestone on Tuesday, both launching home runs for the first time in their professional careers.

Shaddy, a former Arkansas third baseman, has seen action in multiple spots for the Auburn Doubledays, including second base, third base and designated hitter. On Tuesday, Shaddy batted sixth and filled the third base spot, finishing 1 for 3 with 1 run, 1 home run, 2 RBIs and a team-beast .898 ops. With one on and one out in the top of the sixth, the Fayetteville (Ark.) native came up to the plate and smoked his first ever minor league blast, a 2-run bomb. Despite Shaddy’s efforts, the Doubledays fell, 5-4.



He inked his professional deal, signing with the Washington Nationals. The Nats selected Shaddy with the 311th pick in the 10th round. At this pick, the value was expected to be around $136,900, but because Shaddy was a senior and had little leverage, his bonus is officially $10,000. This goes to show why most college players tend to seal the deal after their junior seasons. Jim Callis, a writer for MLB Pipleline, praised Shaddy’s versatility, pop with the bat and “strong makeup.”



A former walk-on, Shaddy sat out his first year as a redshirt. As a redshirt freshman and a sophomore, the Fayetteville (Ark.) native spent time at catcher, third base and outfield before finding a home at second base last season. Starting all 62 games there, Shaddy hit .279 with 62 hits, 40 RBIs and 8 home runs.



Becoming one of the strongest leaders on the 2018 club, Shaddy improved his defensive skills and hit .330 with 65 hits, 55 RBIs and 13 homers. He showed tremendous power and contact throughout the postseason, coming up with numerous clutch hits. Though his time at Arkansas ended with disappointment, his journey from walk-on to All-Conference and All-American is one for the ages.

Shaddy’s currently batting .267 with 12 hits, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 4 RBIs and a .467 slugging percentage. He and the Doubledays play Tri-City in the second of three games on Wednesday night, July 25 at 6:00 pm (CT).



Koch also had a monster game on Tuesday, batting fifth and playing catcher for the West Virginia Black Bears. He finished 2 for 4 with a homer, 3 RBIs, 2 runs and 1 walk. His 3-run shot with two on and two outs in the fourth inning helped lead the ball club to a 14-7 win over the Aberdeen Ironbirds (Blaine Knight’s squad).



The former Hog catcher signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates for a bonus of $364,600, the third-most of any Hog. Koch was picked by the Pirates with the 144th pick in the 5th round, earning his full pick value. MLB Pipeline's Callis spoke about Koch starring with Team USA last summer, complimenting his raw power, glove skills and quick release.



Also a Fayetteville (Ark.) native and high school teammate of Shaddy, Koch earned All-SEC first team honors as a sophomore last season, hitting .264 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs in 63 starts. Koch had his issues with the bat this season, hitting only .245 with 53 hits and 35 RBIs. He managed an impressive .998 fielding percentage and caught baserunners stealing approximately 65 percent of the time.



Through 11 games, Koch is batting .194 with 7 hits, 2 doubles, 1 home run and 5 RBIs. His Black Bears take on the Ironbirds in the second of three contests on Wednesday at 6:05 pm (CT).

