Baum Walker Stadium remains physically nestled between 15th Street, the aptly named DeBiryn Road, Baum Drive and S Razorback Road. While the physical location of the home of the Arkansas Razorbacks remains stable, the program itself sits proverbially at the corner of pressure and opportunity. While those familiar roads have generally paved way to Omaha, recent history has left a sour taste in the mouths of Razorback faithful. The last two seasons spelled disaster for the home hogs when Kansas State and TCU left regionals hosted at Baum Walker Stadium victorious in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The grapes of Arkansas' wrath only tasted more sour when rivals LSU and Tennessee celebrated national championships weeks later.
A standard has been set by Dave Van Horn in his 22 years in Fayetteville, and the program doesn’t need reminders when they fall short of this standard. A passionate fan base, the changing landscape of college baseball and the pressure of watching rival SEC programs dogpile serve as constant pieces of motivation for the program who was once a pop-up away from hoisting the trophy.
In 2025, the Razorbacks have assembled a roster worthy of trophy hoisting consideration, at least as we countdown the days, hours and minutes to opening day. Of course, championships aren’t won on paper, and they aren’t claimed in the fall. Dave Van Horn knows this, and so do the thousands resting their lungs in preparation of hog-calling from February to, ideally, late June.
Offensively, Arkansas returns 2024 second-team All-SEC honoree Wehiwa Aloy and Freshman honoree Nolan Souza. Also returning are Kendall Diggs and Ryder Helfrick, each providing optimism for improvement on their performances in 2025. Despite recognitions for Aloy and Souza, and Aloy’s eye-popping 14 HR, 56 RBI campaign, the Razorbacks attribute much of their recent pitfalls to their struggles offensively. At the plate, the Razorbacks ranked 11th out of 14 teams in the SEC in average, slugging percentage, RBI’s, hits and runs scored.
With offensive setbacks come portal adjustment. The Razorbacks brought in the top-ranked transfer portal class in country per 64Analytics, thanks in part to the addition of sluggers Rocco Peppi (Fresno State), Logan Maxwell (TCU), Charles Davalan (Florida Gulf Coast), Cam Kozeal (Vanderbilt), Carson Boles (D2 Lincoln Memorial), Michael Anderson (Rhode Island) and Kuhio Aloy (BYU). The Razorbacks also brought in Justin Thomas and Brent Iredale from the JUCO level.
On the mound, the Razorbacks present with the weight of pre-season accolades and expectations of greatness. The Razorback staff returns Gabe Gaeckle, Gage Wood, Hunter Dietz, Parker Coil, Will McEntire, Colin Fisher, Cooper Dosett, Tate McGuire, Ben Bybee, Dylan Carter and Christian Foutch. With this group, the Razorbacks return 249 of their 523 innings pitched in 2024, though replacing Hagen Smith is hardly just a statistic. In 2024, the Razorbacks ranked 2nd in the SEC in ERA and 3rd in strikeouts while giving up both the fewest hits and runs in the conference.
Via the portal, the Razorbacks bolstered their staff with East Carolina transfer Zach Root and Ohio State transfer Landon Beidelschies, both top five portal entries per 64Analytics. Arkansas also welcomed Oregon State transfer Aidan Jimenez, who missed the entire 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery. Root, Biedelschies and Jimenez present with significant experience, though with less pressure to be aces alongside the quality arms of projected starters Gaeckle and Wood.
With Christian Foutch slated to serve as the closer in Fayetteville, Arkansas will work to determine their traditional weekend rotation. With Gaeckle and Root likely locked in to Friday and Saturday roles, Wood and Beidelschies will battle for the right to the third place in the weekend mix. The four starters will each get a chance to earn their spots against Washington State to open the season, a formidable opponent taking residence in Fayetteville for four games opening weekend.
Projected Opening Day Defense
C: Ryder Helfrick
1B: Rocco Peppi
2B: Nolan Souza
SS: Wehiwa Aloy
3B: Brent Iredale
LF: Justin Thomas
CF: Charles Davalan
RF: Logan Maxwell
DH: Kendall Diggs
P: Gabe Gaeckle
Picks to click: Freshman Brenton Clark had a tremendous fall for the Razorbacks, though has reportedly struggled offensively this spring. The highly touted power hitter is someone to keep on radars ahead of a season that hinges on offensive success. Additionally, Vanderbilt transfer Cam Kozeal appears to be the odd man out in the fight to nab duties at first or second in the hog infield. His transition from a highly touted freshman at Vanderbilt to an under-the-radar sophomore in Fayetteville will be one to monitor as he settles into his new role.
Outlook: The Razorbacks present with the opportunity to statistically pace the nation on the mound and made offense a point of emphasis in loaded portal class. Fall and early-spring box scores and reports indicate the Razorback pitching staff has not only been as good as advertised, though in spurts, the retooled Arkansas offense has found success. Dave Van Horn enters his 23rd season after watching his conference rivals celebrate national championships each year since the 2018 postseason that continues to live in infamy. The roster built by Van Horn and company give the Razorbacks the opportunity to buck the demons of baseball past and hoist a trophy in 2025.
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