Category: Arkansas baseball

Diamond Hogs land All-Freshman transfer from FGCU

Dave Van Horn has found another piece for the 2024 season.

Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn said immediately after the Diamond Hogs’ season ended that he was fully aware the Razorbacks would need to be rebuilt in 2025.

Step two toward that end began Friday.

Arkansas landed Florida Gulf Coast utility player Charles Davalan as their second commitment from the transfer portal this offseason. Davalan was a member of the All-Freshman team in the Atlantic Sun Conference this year after slashing .288/.414/.514 with 10 home runs, 16 doubles and 13 stole bases.

Technically, Davalan is a utility player, but not because he’s a reserve. He can play both the infield and outfield as he started 30 games at second base and 26 in the outfield in the 2024 season.

Davalan follows former Brigham Young first baseman Kuhio Aloy as the second player the Diamond Hogs have picked up from the portal. Aloy is the younger brother of current Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, who was named All-SEC this season, his first with Arkansas.

Van Horn said he figured he would lose his entire starting outfield, all three weekend rotation pitchers and about half the regulars on the infield this offseason. The Razorbacks saw their season come to an end in the Fayetteville Regional after spending about half the season ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation.

Peyton Stovall latest Arkansas baseball player to receive All-American honors

Arkansas’ Peyton Stovall became the 34th player in program history to receive All-American honors.

Arkansas’ Peyton Stovall was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-American team Friday.

Stovall became the 34th All-American in Razorbacks history. He was a third team selection by ABCA/Rawlings. A product of Haughton High School (La.), Stovall led the team with a .340 average and .944 OPS in 48 games as Arkansas’ starting second baseman in his junior season.

He hit nine home runs, tied for the team lead in doubles (12) and finished with 38 RBIs.

Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith was also named to ABCA/Rawlings’ All-American team as a first team selection Friday. Smith went 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA (fourth nationally) and 161 strikeouts in 84 innings this season.

Smith was previously named Perfect Game’s Pitcher of the Year and is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy, and the National Pitcher of the Year by the College Baseball Foundation.

RELATED: More accolades for Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith

Pitchers Gabe Gaeckle and Colin Fisher previously landed on Freshman All-America teams by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Gaeckle was named SEC Freshman of the Week back on May 13. He posted a 2.32 ERA in 22 relief appearances over 42 2/3 innings for the Diamond Hogs in 2024.

Fisher appeared in 10 games this season before undergoing season-ending surgery. He went 6-1 with a 2.67 ERA in 27 innings, striking out 27 batters to eight walks allowed.

Follow us @RazorbacksWire on Twitter/X and on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Arkansas Razorbacks news, notes and opinions.

More accolades for Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith

Hagen Smith earned first team All-America honors by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Wednesday, as well as National Pitcher of the Year by Perfect Game.

Award season is upon us in college baseball and Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith is finding his name on a lot of lists.

Smith earned first team All-America honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Wednesday. He was also named National Pitcher of the Year by Perfect Game.

Already a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, Golden Spikes Award and National Pitcher of the Year, Smith went 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 16 starts spanning 84 innings in 2024.

The left-hander entered the NCAA Tournament with a 1.48 ERA, the best in college baseball among Division I starters, but was tagged for six runs in the fifth inning of Arkansas’ 7-6 loss to Kansas State in the Fayetteville Regional.

Smith still ranks fourth in ERA among DI pitchers and first in strikeouts per nine innings (17.25). He struck out a season-high 17 batters in the Razorbacks’ 5-4 win over Oregon State in the Kubota College Baseball Series at Arlington’s Globe Life Field (home of Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers) on February 23.

Smith fanned 14 batters against both Kentucky and Texas A&M in SEC play and had 10 or more strikeouts against LSU, South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi State, as well. The Bullard, Texas, native is the first two-time Arkansas All-American since Nick Schmidt in 2006-07.

On May 16 at Texas A&M, Smith passed Schmidt’s previous record of 345 strikeouts to become the Razorbacks’ all-time strikeout leader. He finished 2024 with 161 strikeouts to 24 walks and has 360 strikeouts in three seasons at Arkansas.

Follow us @RazorbacksWire on Twitter/X and on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Arkansas Razorbacks news, notes and opinions.

Arkansas pitchers Gabe Gaeckle, Christian Foutch garner Team USA invites

Arkansas pitchers Gabe Gaeckle and Christian Foutch have been invited to the 2024 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp in Cary, North Carolina.

Arkansas pitchers Gabe Gaeckle and Christian Foutch garnered invitations to the 2024 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp, it was announced Monday.

Gaeckle, the most reliable arm in coach Dave Van Horn’s bullpen during 2024, earned Freshman All-SEC honors after going 3-3 with a 2.32 ERA and seven saves in 22 games spanning 42 2/3 innings.

The right-hander from Aptos, California, struck out 57 batters and walked 19 while holding opposing hitters to a .167 average. Gaeckle trailed only Will McEntire among Arkansas relievers in innings pitched. Gaeckle and Colin Fisher were named Freshman All-Americans on Monday by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

Foutch posted a 0.81 ERA in 20 relief appearances over 22 1/3 innings. He struck out 20 and walked seven. Opponents batted .241 against the sophomore right-hander from Colorado’s Chatfield Senior High School.

The Team USA camp will feature 56 of the top non-draft-eligible college players in the nation later this month for a two-game Stars vs. Stripes intrasquad series June 26-27 in Cary, North Carolina. USA Baseball will announce its Collegiate National Team on June 29 following the conclusion of the camp.

Other SEC players invited to the camp were LSU second baseman Steven Milam and Texas A&M’s Jake LaViolette and Gavin Grahovac. Milam batted .326 with eight home runs, 12 doubles and 40 RBIs as a true freshman this season.

LaViolette and Grahovac have combined to lead Texas A&M to the College World Series in Omaha. LaViolette, a sophomore, has 28 home runs, 16 doubles and 77 RBIs in 62 games this season. He has a slash line of .314/.453/.757.

As SEC Freshman of the Year, Grahovac has a slash line of .303/.403/.616 to go with 22 home runs and 63 RBI.

Follow us @RazorbacksWire on Twitter/X and on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Arkansas Razorbacks news, notes and opinions.

Arkansas’ Fisher, Gaeckle named Freshman All-Americans

Gabe Gaeckle and Colin Fisher’s AA status marks the eighth time Arkansas has made two more named Frosh All-Americans ever. That’s crazy.

The last two Arkansas players to do what Gabe Gaeckle and Colin Fisher did Monday were Hagen Smith and Brady Tygart.

Not exactly low company.

Gaeckle and Fisher were each named as Freshman All-Americans on Monday. The righty Gaeckle was named a relief pitcher. Fisher, a lefty, was named as a starter. They are the 27th and 28th Razorbacks to be named to the team in history.

Gaeckle was extraordinary out of the Arkansas bullpen all year long. He struck out 57 batters in 42 2/3 innings and had a 2.32 earned-run average and a 1.05 WHIP in 22 games to go along with seven saves.

Fisher was Arkansas’ mid-week starter until he was lost for the season because of elbow surgery in April. That he made the team despite playing just two months shows just how good he was. He finihed his season with 27 strikeouts in 27 innings and carried a 2.67 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 10 games, seven of which were starts.

Arkansas has had two or more players selected as All-Americans an astounding eight times.

  • 2024: Gaeckle, Fisher
  • 2022: Smith, Tygart
  • 2021: Cayden Wallace, Robert Moore
  • 2018: Casey Martin, Heston Kjerstad
  • 2011: Nolan Sanburn, Dominic Ficociello, Barrett Astin
  • 2005: Nick Schmidt, Shaun Seibert
  • 2004: Jake Dugger, Danny Hamblin
  • 1995: Matt Carnes, Matt Erickson

Arkansas righty Dylan Carter to return in 2025

Arkansas needs all the bodies it can get next year. Carter will be another year recovered from Tommy John.

Dylan Carter will return to the Arkansas baseball team in 2025.

The right-hander, who will be a senior, came back from Tommy John surgery in 2024 and pitched in eight games for the Razorbacks. Before that surgery, in 2023, Carter pitched in 16 games, all out of the bullpen, and 3.65 earned-run average.

That number went up in 2024 as he battled back from the injury. But because of the injury and the COVID-19 pandemic, he was granted a rare sixth year of eligibility. He started his career at Crowder College before transferring to Fayetteville in 2022.

Carter, who is a Bentonville native, should be a major part of Arkansas’ bullpen next year if he recovers further. The Diamond Hogs are losing a bulk of their roster, including their entire starting rotation and most positional startesr.

The Razorbacks spent about half the season in 2024 ranked as the No. 1 team in the country, but struggled in the final couple weeks of the regular season. They earned a top-eight national seed and hosted the Fayetteville Regional, where they beat Southeast Missouri State in the first game before dropping the next two, against Kansas State and then against SEMO.

Kuhio Aloy, Wehiwa Aloy’s brother, transferring to Arkansas baseball

Kuhio Aloy, younger brother of Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, is transferring to the Diamond Hogs from BYU.

BYU transfer Kuhio Aloy is set to join the Arkansas baseball team.

The announcement was made by Aloy in a social media post to X, formerly Twitter, Friday morning.

The younger brother of Arkansas’ Wehiwa Aloy, Kuhio Aloy made the Big 12 All-Freshman team with the Cougars this season. He hit .269 with eight home runs, nine doubles and a team-best 38 RBIs in 52 games, including 50 starts.

Unlike his brother, Arkansas’ starting shortstop, most of Kuhio’s games in the field were at first base. He primarily served as BYU’s designated hitter.

Aloy’s .269 average placed fourth on a Cougars team that ended their season with a 12-8 win over Kansas State in the regular-season finale for both schools back on May 18.

BYU finished the season with a league-worst 21-31 overall record. The Cougars finished in last place in conference play, going 7-23 and missing the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington.

Follow us @RazorbacksWire on Twitter/X and on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Arkansas Razorbacks news, notes and opinions.

Hagen Smith one of five finalists for Dick Howser Trophy

Hagen Smith is one of five finalists for the 2024 Dick Howser Trophy, considered by many as the most prestigious individual award in college baseball.

Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith has made the cut as one of five finalists for the annual Dick Howser Trophy.

Smith, the Razorbacks’ ace pitcher this season, went 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 16 starts. He finished second in the nation in strikeouts among all NCAA Division I pitchers with 161 over 84 innings.

Wake Forest starter Chase Burns, Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana, Georgia slugger Charlie Condon, and Florida’s Jac Caglianone were also named as finalists for the award.

Burns led all D1 starters with 191 strikeouts in 100 innings this season. Condon leads the nation with 36 home runs and has led Georgia to the Super Regionals of the NCAA Tournament.

The Dick Howser Trophy is considered by many to be the most prestigious award in all of college baseball. LSU pitcher Paul Skenes, now a rookie with Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates, won the award last year.

Former Arkansas outfielder Andrew Benintendi won the Dick Howser Trophy in 2015. Razorbacks pitcher Kevin Kopps won it in 2021.

The winner of the award will be announced June 13 on MLB Network ahead of the Men’s College World Series.

Follow us @RazorbacksWire on Twitter/X and on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Arkansas Razorbacks news, notes and opinions.

Hagen Smith named one of three finalists for Golden Spikes Award

Smith is the only pitcher of the three finalists and would be Arkansas’ third winner.

Hagen Smith’s season may be over, but the hardware is still coming.

The Arkansas baseball left-handed pitcher was named one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award on Wednesday. He joined Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana and SEC Player of the Year Charlie Condon of Georgia.

Smith, for the record, was the SEC Pitcher of the Year. He finished the 2024 season with a 2.04 earned-run average with 161 strikeouts in 84 innings. Opponents hit just .144 off him and had just 10 extra-base hits. During the career season, Smith also set Arkansas’ all-time strikeouts record.

Bazzana is Oregon State’s all-time leader in hits and home runs and is the Beavers’ fourth nominee for the award. He’s second in the country in walks, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS and Bazzana led the Pac-12 in runs in total bases.

Condon is the player ahead of Bazzana in several of those categories. The sophoore leads the country in home runs with 36, batting average at .445, hits with 98, slugging at 1.036, total bases with 228 and OPS at 1.602. He is Georgia’s first Golden Spikes finalist since Gordon Beckham in 2008.

Smith is seeking to become Arkansas’ third winner of the award. Andrew Benintendi won in 2015 and Kevin Kopps won in 2022.

Column: Trust, you do not want Dave Van Horn gone from Arkansas

You’re sad. We get it. Football was bad. Basketball was sub-par. Baseball was disappointing. But be sane.

Perhaps the circumstances have more to do with the timing, but the future of Arkansas baseball has spent a lot more on mind than Arkansas football did in the fall or Arkansas basketball did pre-John Calipari.

The Razorbacks’ football and basketball programs are not on the level of Arkansas baseball. Neither are as year-in, year-out competitive as baseball has been under coach Dave Van Horn. What he has done with the Diamond Hogs in his 20-plus years is (baseball) godlike.

It’s awfully dismaying, then, to see the same band of n’er-do-wells come after Van Horn as they went after Eric Musselman and as they have gone after (and will go after) Sam Pittman. Remarking that it’s time for the university to move on or it’s time for Van Horn to call it a career.

Bollocks, as they say across the pond.

Norm DeBriyn brought Arkansas baseball into consideration, going to four College World Series from 1979 to 1989 then another six NCAA Tournaments until he exited in 2002. Van Horn has been to Omaha six times since 2004 with one appearance in the national championships, heights never before seen in Fayetteville.

There are no signs of slowing, either. Arkansas consistently earns top-5 recruiting classes when it comes to freshmen and the transfer portal has been kind to the Razorbacks, too, in its short usage. Barring offseason exodus, Arkansas will be a top-25 team in the preseason again next academic year and is very likely to be even higher than that, par standard.

The national championship remains elusive. No doubt about that. But go ask Florida State fans if they wished Mike Martin would have been shown the door. He never won a title in Tallahassee and is considered one of the 10 best coaches the game has ever seen.

Sure, Van Horn might say he’s had enough. He has grandchildren and family and the intricacies of the transfer portal, NIL and the NCAA are so nebulous that they could drive any coach wacky. Nothing Van Horn has said or done suggests that will be the case, though, and it’s more people talking.

If it happens, sadness will overtake Razorbacks Nation, a sadness greater than the one that has manifest itself since late November when the disappointment of Arkansas athletics 2023-24 began.

Don’t be so hasty, haters.