MLB Draft
2021 – Los Angeles Dodgers, 9th round (No. 282 overall)
Graduate Transfer (2021)
Appeared in 16 games, making a team-high 14 starts on the mound … Posted a 3-3 record with a 4.47 ERA in 58.1 innings … Punched out 68 batters, third most among all Razorback pitchers … Allowed 31 runs (29 earned) on 51 hits and 17 walks … Logged a 4.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio, second best among Arkansas pitchers with at least 20.0 innings pitched … Limited opposing hitters to a .233 batting average … Made his Razorback debut against No. 10 TCU (Feb. 22) in the State Farm College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, striking out eight in 4.1 innings of one-run ball … Tossed five scoreless innings in a start against Murray State (March 7), fanning six … Punched out nine in 4.2 scoreless innings of work in a start against No. 22 Alabama (March 21) … Started on the road at No. 4 Tennessee (May 16), striking out seven while allowing a run in 4.1 innings … Dazzled against Georgia (May 26) in the SEC Tournament, striking out a career-high 11 in seven innings of two-hit, two-run ball … His perfect game bid was broken up with one out to go in the top of the seventh, putting an an end to what would have been the first perfect game in school history … Emerged from the bullpen against No. 4 Tennessee (May 30) in the championship game of the SEC Tournament and tossed a scoreless frame with one strikeout, helping Arkansas win its first SEC Tournament title … Member of an Arkansas pitching staff that set a school record with 657 strikeouts in 2021.
Senior at Houston (2020)
Friday night starter … Posted a 1-2 record with 4.58 ERA in four starts … Recorded 19 strikeouts to eight walks in 17.2 innings pitched … Limited opponents to .306 average … Struck out six in the season opener against Youngstown State (Feb. 14) … Recorded a win over Stanford (Feb. 21), throwing 4.2 innings and allowing one run on four hits, while striking out four … Also made four starts between first base and as designated hitter … 2-for-16 (.125) with one RBI at the plate.
Junior at Houston (2019)
» The American Weekly Honor Roll (April 8)
» The American Pitcher of the Week (April 15)
No. 17 preseason draft prospect in The American Athletic Conference and No. 313 preseason overall prospect, according to D1Baseball … Posted a 4-6 record with a 3.58 ERA across 15 starts … Recorded 76 strikeouts to 31 walks in 83.0 innings pitched … Held opponents to a .240 batting average … Moved into Friday starter role after being Sunday starter through the first three weeks of season … Recorded wins vs. Army (March 8), vs. No. 11 ECU (April 5), at Wichita State (April 12), vs. UNLV (May 4) and at UCF (May 16) … Had three scoreless outings … Tossed 5.0 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts vs. Northwestern State (Feb. 17) … Tossed 7.2 scoreless innings of four-hit ball vs. No. 11 ECU (April 5) … Recorded nine strikeouts at Wichita State (April 12) … Tossed 7.2 scoreless innings vs. UNLV (May 4) … Part of a Houston pitching staff that led The American in ERA (3.82) and opponent batting average (.238) … Also appeared in 35 games as a position player, making 32 starts between right field (20), designated hitter (8), left field (3) and first base (1) … Batted .225, going 25-for-111 with four doubles, one home run, 13 walks, eight RBI and seven runs scored … Went 1-for-2 in stolen bases … Eight multi-hit games … Had a seven-game reached base streak … Went 2-for-4 vs. McNeese (Feb. 20) … Went 2-for-3 with a double and run scored at Dallas Baptist (March 17) … Went 2-for-4 with a walk and run scored, and 2-for-4 vs. UConn (March 23-24) … Was 2-for-4 with a double in game two of a doubleheader at Memphis (March 29) … 2-for-2 with a walk and run scored at Lamar (April 2) … Hit a home run vs. No. 11 ECU (April 6) … Went 2-for-4 with one RBI vs. Tulane (May 12) … Was 2-for-4 with a double vs. No. 7 ECU (May 22) in The American Championship.
Sophomore at Houston (2018)
» All-AAC Second Team
Houston’s go-to player, seeing action at 1B, DH, OF and on the bump during his sophomore campaign … Appeared in 62 games, starting all 62 … Hit .297 with 68 hits, 43 runs and 44 RBI … 44 RBI ranked second on the team … Led Houston with 47 walks … Belted three home runs at UConn (May 11), at Southeastern Louisiana (May 18) and vs. Purdue in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional (June 1) … Was second on the team with 11 multi-RBI game sand fourth on the team with 20 multi-hit games … Had a four-hit game, going 4-for-4 with two RBI in a win over Wichita State (April 22) … Drove in four RBI on three hits in a win at UConn (May 11) … Hit .284 during conference play … Hit .310 during postseason play, going 9-for-29 with 12 runs scored, a team-high and five RBI … Reached base in 17 straight games from March 11 — April 8 … Opened the year with a nine-game hit streak … Had five hits, scored five runs and drove in three RBI during NCAA Chapel Hill Regional … Also saw action on the mound, making 13 appearances and five starts…Owned a 6.64 ERA and a 1-2 record with three saves … Struck out 22 in 20.1 innings … Made starts vs. Rice, Sam Houston State, Texas, Sam Houston State and North Carolina … Struck out five through 4.1 innings in a 1-0 win over Sam Houston State (April 17) … Made first career appearance at Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 24), tossing 1.1 innings without allowing an earned run … Tossed a season-long 4.1 innings in first career win vs. Sam Houston State … Earned saves over San Diego (March 10), at Tulane (April 15) and vs. East Carolina (May 24) in the American Championship … Tossed 1.1 shutout innings with two strikeouts against ECU … Helped Houston to a conference regular-season title and an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
Freshman at Houston (2017)
» AAC All-Tournament Team
Appeared in 56 games, making 52 starts as a true freshman … Saw action in the outfield and at first base … Hit .276 on the year with 48 hits, 36 runs and 27 RBI … Hit nine doubles, one triple and one home run … Was 5-for-6 on the base paths … Walked 28 times … Had 11 multi-hit games and four multi-RBI games … Made his collegiate debut vs. Wake Forest (Feb. 17) in right field and went 2-for-4 with a run and RBI … Opened 2017 with a hit in his first eight games, including a three-hit game vs. UT Rio Grande Valley (Feb. 28) … Had a season-high four-hit game with three doubles in a win at Memphis (April 13) … Belted first career home run at USF (April 29) … Drove in a season-high four RBI with three hits in NCAA Houston Regional win over Baylor (June 3) … Went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run and RBI in American Championship win over UConn (May 25) … Drove in a pair in the American Championship game vs. East Carolina (May 28) … Entered the American Championship, hitting .245 and finished year hitting .276, going 12-for-27 (.444) with seven runs and 10 RBI in final eight games of the year … Helped Houston to a regular-season and conference tournament championship title as well as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Houston Regional.
High School
Was a four-year varsity letter winner at Friendswood High School … Named a Regional First Team All-American by Rawlings/Perfect Game … Earned First Team All-State honors at first base … Named District MVP …. Was a member of the Texas All-Star Team … Honored as the Galveston County MVP … Was a part of the Perfect Game Texahoma Region Dream Team in 2016 … Was a 2016 SACSN 3 Arrow National Team Award Winner … Named a Texas Sports Connection Top 50 players in Texas High School Baseball … Featured in the VYPE Baseball Preseason issue … Played summer ball for the highly-touted Banditos organization … Hit .590 and was 6-0 on the bump with a 1.26 ERA … Helped high school team to a district championship, four playoff appearances, a regional semifinal and an area final … Also played football and basketball … Off the field, was a scholarship recipient of the U.S. Marine Distinguished Athlete Award and was a member of the Student-Athlete Community Service Network (SACSN).
Personal
Full name is Lael Joseph Lockhart Jr. … Son of Nancy and Lael Lockhart Sr. … Has two siblings, Kylie and Kyle.
