Dayton Moore’s son and other KC stars help Arkansas baseball reach No. 1 in nation
There apparently is no doubt about which college baseball team is the best in the country.
The Arkansas Razorbacks are ranked No. 1 in six national polls thanks to a 10-0 record. The Razorbacks said it’s only the third time they’ve ever won their first 10 games of a season.
It’s likely Arkansas wouldn’t be unbeaten without second baseman Robert Moore. He’s the son of Royals general manager Dayton Moore and a former Shawnee Mission East star.
On Friday, Moore clubbed a pair of two-run homers, including one in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Razorbacks rallied and beat Murray State 7-6 in Fayetteville.
Moore’s home runs came while batting left-handed, but he’s a switch-hitter who is a naturally right-handed hitter.
“I have a lot more left-handed at-bats, so it’s easy for me to get in a groove that way than it is right-handed,” Moore told WholeHogSports.com. “Right-handed, my swing is a lot more simple just because the natural side is the stronger side and I’m able to just repeat things a little better.”
A sophomore, Moore is batting .375 with three home runs and seven walks while starting all 10 games. He’s also stolen five bases.
“Robert could have played anywhere in the country,” Nate Thompson, the Razorbacks’ recruiting coordinator and hitting coach told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette earlier this year. “When you get a guy like Robert Moore, who chose here over anywhere else, it makes other guys go, ‘Man, he did that for a reason.’ It’s becoming more and more of a hotbed.”
Moore, who has played for Team USA youth teams, isn’t the only Arkansas player with ties to Kansas City.
Infielder/outfielder Brady Slavens graduated from Olathe Northwest High School. A junior, he previously played at Wichita State and Johnson County Community College. Slavens has started all 10 games and is batting .316 and leads the Razorbacks in home runs (four) and RBIs (11).
Center fielder Christian Franklin is also a junior, and he’s started every game this season, while hitting .308 and also has a team-best 11 RBIs. Franklin, who is from Overland Park, played at Rockhurst High School.
Senior right-handed pitcher Zebulon Vermillion also attended Shawnee Mission East. He’s appeared in three games this season with a 3.86 ERA and one save.
“We don’t care where the players are from, but Kansas City just seems like it is producing more good players all the time,” Thompson told the Democrat Gazette. “I think that’s a credit to the Royals up there and Dayton Moore, and the impact he’s had on baseball up there and getting kids excited about the sport.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 11:23 AM.
