FAYETTEVILLE — Rhode Island infielder Michael Anderson committed to play baseball at Arkansas on Sunday.
He shared his commitment to social media, writing, “Grateful for this opportunity.”
Anderson, a 6-3, 227-pound rising junior, was a sophomore team captain and the primary first baseman for the Rams this year. He led Rhode Island with 41 RBI and broke the NCAA Division I record with 12 RBI during a March 20 game against Stonehill (Mass.) College when he went 5 for 6 with 2 doubles, 1 triple and 2 home runs — a single shy of hitting for the cycle.
He went 3 for 12, doubled once and homered once during a March series at Texas A&M. He had 3 RBI, 2 runs and 5 strikeouts in his only series against an SEC opponent.
The Haverton, Pa., native batted .252 with 13 home runs and 9 doubles as a sophomore. He had an OPS of .985.
He hit .316 with 18 doubles, 10 home runs and 43 RBI in 52 games as a freshman. He also pitched as a reliever his freshman season and had a 6.23 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.
Anderson, who bats from the right side, is playing this summer for the Harwich Mariners at the Cape Cod League. He was batting .390 with 4 home runs and 13 RBI in summer ball at the time of his commitment.
Anderson is the ninth Division I player to publicly announce his plans to transfer to Arkansas this offseason. The Razorbacks also have commitments from 5 junior college players and 1 Division II player for a total of 15 transfers.
