Kendall Diggs ready for his best year yet

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) – There’s not much left in college baseball for Arkansas senior outfielder Kendall Diggs to see.

He’s been to the greatest show on dirt in Omaha at the college baseball world series, and he’s been to the lowest of low’s seeing a national seed Arkansas team flail out in regionals. Yet, in 2024, he faces something that he’d never had to deal with before when his left shoulder popped out of place in game two against McNeese State.

“I didn’t want to be the guy that’s saying I’m ok,” Diggs told Pig Trail Nation in December. “I just grinded it out, I mean we were winning. I truly believed I was in a good enough spot to still go in there and bring a really positive impact to our team.”

The Olathe, Kan. native still played in 55 games during the 2024 season, three less than he played in 2023. After the Hogs fell in the Fayetteville regional for the second year in a row, Diggs had a decision to make, return for another season or try to go pro.

“It was a high stressful three or four days,” Diggs said. You have an idea at the end of the day… I looked at my mom and it was almost like for us, for me, my situation, my family situation, just from like mainly me. It was like a no brainer. Like, I’m going back.”

After completing surgery on July 22, Diggs announced his return to the Hill shortly after. There was unfinished business he had on the field, but working his way back to it took some time.

There’s nothing he loves more than catching a barrel and hitting the ball as far as possible, but the recovery process kept him off the field for most of the fall schedule. The right fielder had to find a new way to impact his team from the side.

“Guys tell me, hey can you see If I’m crashing on my front side. I can sit there and eye on that and we’ll talk about it,” Diggs added. “That was kind of cool too because I never really had that opportunity.”

With a new lease on life, baseball, and his health, Diggs is looking forward to taking Arkansas to the only place in baseball it hasn’t been before; hoisting the national championship trophy in late June.

“Best one yet.”