Tag: Dave Van Horn

Arkansas ace Smith grabs another first-team All-American honor

Arkansas lefty Hagen Smith has now been named to his third preseason All-American list.

With just over a week to go before the start of the baseball season, Arkansas ace hurler Hagen Smith has added yet another preseason honor to his resume.

The 6-foot-3 junior lefty has been named a preseason first-team All-American by Baseball America, arguably the most prestigious of all the preseason lists. The publication polls major league scouting directors, who are asked to vote for the All-America team, based on performance, talent and professional potential.

Smith is the first Razorback in five years be named a Baseball America first-team preseason All-American since bullpen ace Matt Cronin earned first-team honors before the 2019 season.

The Bullard, Texas, native was a consensus All-American selection as a sophomore last season, after making 18 mound appearances with 11 starts. He posted an 8-2 record with a 3.64 ERA, and a team-leading 109 strikeouts. He also had two saves in relief, and held opposing hitters to a .217 batting average.

Smith made the SEC’s All-Freshman team in 2022, while also being named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Perfect Game. He was a semifinalist for last year’s Golden Spikes Award, and was named the College Baseball Foundation’s National Pitcher of the Year. He also became the first Razorback starting pitcher, since Ryne Stanek in 2013, to earn All-SEC first-team honors.

He was also selected as a preseason first-team All-American by D1Baseball and Perfect Game, who have each tabbed him the SEC Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

Smith will likely take the mound for Arkansas on Opening Day, as the Razorbacks host James Madison on Feb, 16, for the first of a four-game series.

Baseball writers tab Diamond Hogs at No. 4 in latest preseason poll

Arkansas baseball has now been ranked in the Top 4 of the four major polls that have been released for the 2024 preseason.

As expectations continue to soar, so do the preseason accolades for the Arkansas baseball team.

The Diamond Hogs checked in at No. 4 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s preseason Top 30 poll, which was released Thursday. Arkansas also began 2022 at No. 4 in the publication’s rankings.

Wake Forest sits atop the current poll, followed by conference foes, LSU and Florida. The SEC leads the nation with nine programs on the list, which also includes No. 5 Tennessee, No. 7 Vanderbilt, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 15 South Carolina,  No. 23 Alabama, No. 25 Auburn.

The NCBWA is the fourth of college baseball’s five major polls to release their preseason rankings. The Razorbacks are sitting at No. 2 in the Perfect Game poll and No. 3 in both, the Baseball America and D1Baseball, polls. The USA Today coaches poll has yet to be released.

With the season set to begin in two weeks, the anticipation is at a fever pitch for the Diamond Hogs, who posted a 43-18 overall record in 2023, winning their fourth overall SEC championship, and second in the last three seasons. Arkansas is the only SEC program, and one of just two teams in the nation – alongside Southern Miss – with at least 40 wins in each of the last six full seasons.

Not only does Head Coach Dave Van Horn have a core group of returning starters and lettermen, but he has also brought in the nation’s top recruiting class, as well as a number of key additions through the transfer portal.

The Razorbacks open the season at home on Feb. 16, with the first of a four-game series with James Madison.

Dave Van Horn pleased with Diamond Hogs’ bullpen as season nears

Dave Van Horn is very confident in Arkansas’ bullpen depth and versatility entering the 2024 season.

[autotag]Arkansas baseball[/autotag] has never really had issues with the quality of their pitching under [autotag]Dave Van Horn[/autotag]. Quantity, on the other hand, has been the issue over as of late.

Entering the 2024 season, Van Horn expressed a renewed confidence in his bullpen rotation when speaking to the media last week.

The bullpen is shaping up fine, we have some really good arms,” Van Horn said. “Obviously, they have to go out and do it in a real game, but bullpens have been great.

We feel like we have a really good mix of left and right-handed pitching. The right-handed pitching is usually there, but have some options (that are) left-handed out of the pen is going to be a big-time plus for us this year.”

Last year, the bullpen was decimated by injury and struggled without the key arms of [autotag]Dylan Carter[/autotag], [autotag]Koty Frank[/autotag] and [autotag]Brady Tygart[/autotag]. This year, they will add those guys back to a stacked and pretty healthy pitching rotation.

Carter is still recovering from Tommy John surgery and freshman left-hander Hunter Dietz will miss about two months with a stress fracture, but other than that the Diamond Hogs are in good shape.

Their starting rotation of [autotag]Hagen Smith[/autotag], Brady Tygart and [autotag]Mason Molina[/autotag] could be one of the strongest in the SEC. Koty Frank, Gage Wood and Will McEntire headline an extremely strong bullpen rotation that is more than capable of holding their own and throwing different looks at opponents.

Left-handed Kansas transfer [autotag]Stone Hewlett[/autotag] was a guy that Van Horn singled out in his press conference.

“If you’re looking for a left-on-left matchup, we have Stone Hewlett, he transferred in from Kansas,” Van Horn said. “That’s what he does. He gets lefties out.”

Aside from Hewlett, Arkansas has sophomore Parker Coll and a slew of other freshman who looked very promising through the fall.

All-in-all, this year’s pitching staff has a legitimate chance to be the nation’s best. The key, as always, will be remaining healthy and avoiding an avalanche of major injuries like last year. If the [autotag]Diamond Hogs[/autotag]’ bullpen can do that, the rest of college baseball should be very afraid.

Arkansas baseball opens up their season with a four-game series against James Madison beginning on Friday, Feb. 16th at 3:00 p.m. in Baum-Walker Stadium.

Van Horn pleased with the talent as No. 2 Razorbacks begin practices

Dave Van Horn discussed some of the position battles as the Arkansas baseball team begins practices.

As Arkansas takes the field for its first official baseball practice Friday, Head Coach Dave Van Horn is faced with a good problem to have. With so much talent at each position and on the pitcher’s mound, the veteran skipper is now tasked with deciding who to put on the field.

The Razorbacks are looking to reach the College World Series for the fourth time in six years, and will open the season ranked No. 2 in the Perfect Game Preseason Top 25, and No. 3 in the D1Baseball poll.

Not only do the Diamond Hogs have a solid core of returning players from last season’s SEC championship team, but they also added some key pieces from the transfer portal. Add to that the top incoming freshman class in the nation, and you face a dilemma.

The Hogs are slated to hold three intrasquad scrimmages over the next four days, taking Saturday off due to weather and the Razorback Invitational track meet being held next door. The first pitch will be thrown at 2 p.m. on Friday and noon on Sunday.

Van Horn said no position battles will be settled this first weekend, as he is just looking to get his players back on the field for live-game action. Arkansas opens the season on Feb. 16 in a four-game home series against James Madison.

“Really, the second weekend, the third weekend we will really have to start making some decisions,” he said. “This first weekend, let’s just see what happens.”

The pitching staff looks to be stellar, top to bottom, from the starting rotation to the bullpen. That unit will be headlined by junior All-American lefty Hagen Smith, who made 11 starts and had seven relief appearances as a true-sophomore last season.

The 6-foot-3 hurler finished with an 8-2 record and a team-leading 3.64 ERA, while adding a pair of saves. He also struck out 109 batters in 71.2 innings of work, which has all garnered him a plethora of national hype heading into this season.

“He’s handled it really well,” Van Horn said of his ace. “There have been years that we’ve had guys that were projected high picks and they stressed out over it, maybe changed their routine. We just tell our guys to do what you do every day.”

Although Smith is sure to be a high-round draft pick in June, he doesn’t seem to be letting that affect the way he prepares and performs.

“If you talk to him, it’s amazing, he just wants to win at the highest level, as a team,” Van Horn said. “And I think that’s why the players love him so much, is he just works. He’s not a big talker, but he’s been a lot more vocal this year because he knows he’s older and it’s probably his time. You can’t outwork this guy. His stuff has been amazing and I’m excited for him and his family, but I’m excited for our team because we have him on our team.”

Smith will also be surrounded by a wealth of arms that should boost the starting rotation and the bullpen production for the Razorbacks.

Highly touted freshman Hunter Dietz will be a key piece to the staff, but his presence will be put on hold to start the season. Rated the nation’s No. 5 left-handed pitcher by Perfect Game in the 2023 Class, Dietz recently underwent a minor procedure that will likely keep him out until early April.

“He’s already back to practice,” Van Horn said. “He’s doing all the drills. He’s not throwing to hitters or anything, yet. They just went in there and took care of a problem that he brought with him,”

Texas Tech junior transfer Mason Molina should also be a huge addition to the staff. The 6-foot-2 lefty was an All-Big 12 performer last season, leading the Red Raiders with six wins, 83.1 innings pitched, 108 strikeouts and a 3.67 ERA.

Although all the roles have not been defined, Van Horn is pleased with his options for starters, as well as the weapons he will have out of the bullpen.

“The bullpen is shaping up fine,” he said. “We have some really good arms. Obviously, they’ve got to go out and do it in a real game. We feel like we’ve got a really good mix or left -and right-handed pitching. The right-handed pitching is usually there, but having some options left-handed out of the pen is a big-time plus for us this year.”

The offensive attack is bolstered by the return of junior second-baseman Peyton Stovall, who is back at full-speed after suffering a torn labrum last season. He started 38 games in 2023 and has a career .277 batting average over the past two seasons, with 11 homers and 62 RBIs, along with a shining .992 fielding percentage.

Teamed with incoming sophomore shortstop Wehiwa Aloy – a Freshman All-American at Sacramento State last season – the Diamond Hogs will have a formidable middle infield.

“Man, Peyton’s been amazing – fielding and the accuracy of his arm has been great,” Van Horn said. “Getting him and Wehiwa playing together, playing catch together every day, getting to know each other – that’s one big thing, because you just want the middle infielders to know what they are doing before it happens.”

There will be a battle at first base between returning senior Ben McLaughlin and Tarleton State grad transfer Jack Wagner, who hit .337 for the Texans last season, with 15 home runs, eight doubles, four triples and 56 RBIs.

“One hits left and one hits right, but one can also DH,” Van Horn said. “Wagner can actually play some outfield if we needed him, But that’s a thing that is going to be ongoing, and that’s a good thing It’s healthy competition amongst teammates.”

With returning junior Kendall Diggs solidified in right field and Missouri grad transfer Ty Wilmsmeyer probably manning center field, the only real questions is in left. That will likely come down to returning sophomore Jayson Jones, Hutchinson Community College junior transfer Will Edmunson and Missouri senior transfer Ross Lovich.

“We’ll just have to see how that plays out,” Van Horn said. “Wilmsmeyer in center is our best defender, but we have Hunter Grimes and some other guys battling. We’ll just have to see how that all turns out. I think it will just be a work in progress, but if it comes down to just defense, it will be Wilmsmeyer.”

Arkansas baseball team begins practice with high expectations

The Razorbacks baseball team takes the field Friday for their first official practice for the upcoming season.

With the football and basketball teams not giving fans much to cheer about this year, the Arkansas faithful are hoping that baseball season will finally create a reason to cheer.

The eagerness can be felt around campus as the highly touted Diamond Hogs take the field for their first official practice on Friday. The team is slated to scrimmage three times at Baum-Walker Stadium over the next four days, with Friday’s first pitch is set for 2 p.m.

The treacherous weather continues to play a role in activities, so Head Coach Dave Van Horn hopes to get some help from Mother Nature over the weekend. Arkansas got outside for the first time on Wednesday, but just a light workout, shagging flyballs and working on pop-up communication.

The Razorbacks will take off on Saturday, due to weather, as well as the Razorback Invitational track meet being held next door.

“But we will go back at it on Sunday and throw the first pitch at 12 noon,” Van Horn said, as he met with the media on Thursday. “Then we will scrimmage again on Monday. And next week looks great, so that’s the plan right now.”

After a disappointing early exit from the Fayetteville Regional last May, expectations are soaring for the Hogs as they try to reach the College World Series for the fourth time in six years. Arkansas is ranked No. 2 in the Perfect Game Preseason Top 25, and No. 3 in the D1Baseball poll.

“I think we lost maybe seven starters in the field again, just like we did the previous year, and maybe the year before that,” Van Horn said. “We’ve been very fortunate that some of the young freshmen have developed into good sophomores, and now they’re good juniors. Guys that maybe didn’t play every day last year because of injuries, have come in and really made a jump. And our pitching staff, the young guys have gotten better, and we’ve plugged in a portal guy, here and there.

“And I think the polls reflect that a little bit. What they probably like is that our pitching is good and it’s deep. And that there is a lot of potential there with our offense. But who’s to say how that is going to turn out.”

The anticipation for the upcoming season began in the fall, as Arkansas brought in the nation’s top recruiting class, as well as some key additions through the transfer portal, adding to an already impressive roster of returners.

The Diamond Hogs posted a 43-18 overall record in 2023, winning its fourth overall SEC championship and its second in the last three seasons. They are the only SEC program and one of just two teams in the country with at least 40 wins in each of the last six full seasons.

Van Horn plans to use this first weekend to get his players back in the groove of playing on an actual field, as they have been confined primarily to the indoor facility since the fall season ended in October.

“Really, this weekend is all about getting live at-bats on a baseball field, with our pitchers going, and running the bases. When you are throwing to hitters inside, they’re not running. They’re just swinging. The pitchers obviously have an advantage inside. It’s harder to hit inside, in an area like that. Although our guys do a good job in there, outside is just a different feel. So really, more than anything, its just a matter of playing the game with live at-bats for our hitters, just playing baseball.”

Arkansas will open the season at home with a four-game series against James Madison, beginning on Feb. 16.

Arkansas baseball ranked near the top of D1baseball’s preseason poll

Baseball is right around the corner, and Dave Van Horn’s Diamond Hogs find themselves ranked near the top of another preseason poll.

With baseball season right around the corner, D1Baseball released their preseason rankings. Once again, [autotag]Arkansas baseball[/autotag] finds themselves near the top, ranked No. 3 in the country entering the 2024 season.

The Diamond Hogs are the second-highest ranked SEC team in the poll, just behind Florida who enters the year at the No. 2. spot. Wake Forest claimed the No. 1 ranking to begin the season. Defending national champion LSU was ranked right behind the Razorbacks at No. 4.

Arkansas was one of 10 SEC programs to be ranked in D1Baseball’s preseason poll, which is the most of all other conferences. It also marks the Hogs’ highest ranking in the poll since they began the 2022 season ranked No. 2.

D1Baseball is just the second of five preseason baseball polls to be released. The Razorbacks came in at No. 2 in Perfect Game’s preseason rankings earlier in the month.

After disappointing football and basketball seasons, fans are looking towards [autotag]Dave Van Horn[/autotag] and Arkansas baseball to provide some much-needed solace. The Razorbacks will officially begin their 2024 campaign on Feb. 16 with a four-game series at home against James Madison.

First pitch for Opening Day is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Reynolds, ex-Arkansas baseball standout, taking his talent to Japan

Former Arkansas Razorbacks infielder Matt Reynolds has decided to extend his professional baseball career in Japan.

After spending the past 11 seasons playing professional baseball in the United States, former Arkansas All-SEC infielder Matt Reynolds is taking his talent overseas.

The 33-year-old Reynolds signed a one-year contract with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in November. He will head to Japan in about three weeks to begin workouts with his new club.

A dual-sport standout at Tulsa’s Bishop-Kelley High school, Reynolds spurned a few college basketball offers to play baseball for the Razorbacks from 2010-12. In his three seasons at Arkansas, he started 141 games and hit .275 with 72 RBI. He was also a part of the 2012 College World Series team that advanced to the national semifinals.

“Playing at Arkansas was huge for my career, and definitely prepared me for the higher levels of pro ball,” Reynolds said. “Getting to play in front of 12,000 fans on the weekend is probably one of my favorite experiences in my baseball career.

“Once you get into pro ball, it’s just a different animal and you really begin to realize how much you miss playing in the college game. The pros has the business side of things that you don’t have to deal with in college. In college, I could go 0-for-4, but if we won, I was pumped. In pro ball it’s just different, with the pressure of performing, so you can hopefully get called up.”

Obviously, playing in the College World Series is one of the highlights of his collegiate career, but he can still recall a number of special moments while playing in Fayetteville, that will forever be etched in his mind.

He vividly recalls James McCann’s three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth in 2011 that gave the No. 22 Razorbacks a 4-3 win over the No. 15 Tigers in front of an all-time record crowd at Baum Stadium.

“It feels like that just happened yesterday,” Reynolds said with a chuckle.

Then there was Collin Kuhn’s two-out grand slam in 2010 to give Arkansas a 17-16 win over Kentucky in an epic game on Easter Sunday. Kuhn’s mother, who was battling cancer, was in the stands after traveling from Wisconsin to watch him play.

“God was definitely looking over him in that situation, and I will never forget that moment,” Reynolds said. “Just so many special memories.”

Reynolds was drafted by the New York Mets in the second round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft – the 71st overall selection. He made his professional debut that season for the Savannah Sand Gnats of the A-level South Atlantic League.

As he progressed through the minor leagues, he spent the 2015 regular season playing for New York’s Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas 51’s. He was then called up to join the Mets for their playoff run. He instantly made history, becoming the first player in the modern baseball era to be added to a postseason roster in the middle of a series without having any previous major-league experience. He also became the third player in modern baseball history to be included on a postseason roster without previous major-league experience.

“At that time I didn’t realize how special it really was,” said Reynolds, who was on the Mets’ roster when they defeated the Dodgers in the NL Divisional Series and when they beat the Cubs for the National League pennant. He was also in the Mets’ dugout for their heart-breaking loss to Kansas City in the 2015 World Series.

“Not many people get to experience a World Series in their career, and I got to experience one in my first days in the Big Leagues,” he said. “Now, when I look back it’s like, ‘Wow, what a ride.’ Getting to be a part of the World Series in college and in the pros, that was really special.”

Reynolds has accrued three years on of total service time at the Major League level, spending two stints with the Mets (2016-17 and 2022), as well as time with Washington (2018), Kansas City (2020) and Cincinnati (2022-23).

“I feel like I got a fair shot at the Big Leagues, and got plenty of opportunities, but it is what it is,” he said. “Early on I was kind of thrown into one of the toughest roles in baseball, which was primarily pinch-hitting and getting a spot-start once every seven or eight days. In that position, you don’t get very many at-bats, and when you do get an at-bat, you are facing their eighth- or ninth-inning guy, and getting nasty stuff.”

After putting up solid numbers for the Triple-A Louisville Bats last season, Reynolds began drawing interest from a few Japanese teams, with one team offering to purchase his contract from the Reds during the season. Cincinnati declined the offer, so after making only two brief appearances with the Reds, he finished out the year with Louisville and became a free agent.

“After I finished the year at Triple-A, I told my agent that I was really interested in pursuing something overseas, either Korea or Japan,” he said. “The first day I became a free agent, Hiroshima offered me. So after we negotiated for a few days, I decided to sign with them. It was a really cool opportunity for me.

“I think it’s just adds another layer to my career. The writing was kind of on the wall over here. It felt like I needed to try somewhere else to make some money and provide for my family. I got this opportunity and it was something that I just couldn’t pass up.”

Now residing in the Dallas area, he and his wife – former Razorback soccer player Sam Wolf – now have a 2-year-old son, Grady, and a 1-month-old daughter, Hallie.

Reynolds has no regrets for how his career has turned out, thus far, and isn’t sure how much longer he will play. He wants to continue playing as long as the game is still enjoyable.

“I’m just trying to enjoy my last few years – play hard, work hard and just enjoy it as much as I can,” he said, “And also set a good example for my son. He is just starting to understand what I’m doing, and now having him at the field, and I can see him in the stands, it’s just a feeling I’ve never had.”

Jun 22, 2012; Omaha, NE, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks third baseman Matt Reynolds (5) steals second base ahead of the tag by South Carolina Gamecoks short stop Joey Pankake (9) during the first inning during game thirteen of the 2012 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Matt Ryerson-USA TODAY Sports

Van Horn previews 2024 season and roster on Thursday

It’s going to be business as usual for Dave Van Horn and yet another extremely talented roster in 2024.

Dave Van Horn is one of the only coaches in the athletic department that was in his current role when Bobby Petrino was still the head coach here as of the spring of 2012.

Van Horn enters his 22nd season as the skipper of the Razorbacks and met with the assembled media on Thursday to discuss his thoughts on the team he has and the state of his program.

The catcher room is loaded, according to Van Horn, with potentially four guys who could all contribute in some form or fashion.

Pitching is also super deep, as deep as Van Horn can remember it being, and the top three is likely Hagen Smith, Brady Tygart and Hunter Hollan, although not necessarily in that order.

Kendall Diggs is back as a captain, and will be counted on for leadership and as a RBI machine.

Van Horn also mentioned the need for NIL in baseball, where they couldn’t get some of the players they wanted to campus because they weren’t able to pay enough.

Overall, the team is plenty deep and loaded per usual, and expect them to compete for a SEC title and a spot in Omaha.

Arkansas baseball wraps up fall with extra-inning drama in finale

The Diamond Hogs wrapped up their fall season with an extra-inning affair in the Fall World Series finale.

As Yogi Berra once said, “It was Deja vu all over again.”

For the second time in two days of the Arkansas baseball team’s Fall World Series intrasquad clash, the teams were tied at the end of the intended seven innings of play.

Monday’s game was declared a 9-9 tie, with a winner-take-all finale set for Tuesday.

But with the scored tied at 8-8 after seven on Tuesday, a winner had yet to be determined. So, the teams played an extra inning, utilizing Major League Baseball’s so-called “ghost runner” rule. Each team began the inning with no outs and a runner on second.

The Cardinal team mustered a run in the top of the eighth, on freshman Kade Smith’s sacrifice bunt, that brought home Missouri transfer Ty Wilmsmeyer.

From there, freshman right-hander Jaewoo Cho shut down the White squad, with a pair of strikeouts, to secure the 9-8 victory for the Cardinal.

“It was real competitive today – I just saw a lot of clutch things happen,” Razorback Head Coach Dave Van Horn said. “All fall has been competitive, The scrimmages have been really tight. It’s been good, and there’s a lot of competition. If we started tomorrow, I could put you a lineup on the field, but I’m sure there would be guys right there to play that aren’t on the field, and then there’s a fall off.

“As far as offensively, you’ve got about 12 guys that look like they’re ready to go, and then there are some other guys who are not quite there yet, at least day in and day out. It was real competitive today.”

That puts a wrap on the fall season for the Hogs, who were allowed 28 official practices within a 45-day window, starting in September.

“Believe me, they’re ready to get off the field,” Van Horn said. “You think about a guy like Kendall Diggs, who won the Cape Cod League championship and played all the way to almost mid-August, Jayson Jones won the league up there in Wisconsin and they were the last team to finish. He went home for one day and he came here. He had an okay fall, but he’s better than what he showed. Get him strong, get him ready to go and find out what he can do.”

Diggs, a junior outfielder, who will be heavily counted on in the spring, gave the White team a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first Tuesday, with a 412-foot rocket to right field that ricocheted off the William Hunter Family Development Center.

The Cardinal evened things up in the second, as Tarleton State transfer Jack Wagner ripped his second homer in as many days, a 394-foot shot over the left-center field fence. Hunter Grimes followed with a double that plated Wilmsmeyer, to make it 2-2.

Van Horn has been impressed by Wilmsmeyer, who has a chance to make an immediate impact when the regular season rolls around in February.

“He’s got a chance to be our starting first baseman, starting left fielder, starting DH,” the coach said. “That’s what I see. We brought him here to help solidify our lineup a little bit with some offense. He brings some attitude, and you got to see that a little bit the last couple of days.”

It didn’t take the White team long to jump back ahead in the third. Back-to-back run-scoring singles from Hutchinson Community College transfer Will Edmunson and senior Ben McLaughlin made it 4-2.

Smith, a Harding Academy graduate, then made his initial impact of the game with a monster 430-foot two-run blast to left-center, tying the score once again, 4-4, in the top of the fourth.

Sophomore infielder Reese Robinett, who had two hits in the game, gave the Cardinal its first lead with a 347-foot solo home run to right field, making it 5-4 in the top half of the fifth.

Left-hander Jordan Husky, a redshirt freshman, proceeded to keep the White team scoreless through the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four.

Robinett then hit a bases-loaded double to score two more, and senior Hunter Grimes knocked in another on a ground out, to put the Cardinal in front 8-4.

Down four, heading into the bottom of the seventh, the White team began to rally. They scored one on a wild pitch, before senior Parker Rowland stepped to the plate and unleashed a three-run, game-tying homer to right field.

With pitching running thin on both sides, Van Horn isn’t sure what would have transpired if the game went past eight innings. Which is why they decided to put runners on second to start the extra inning.

“We were to the point now that we had one inning left, maybe,” he said. “It worked out. The guys have watched some games. The MLB does it pretty much all the time.”

Overall, Van Horn, was content with what he saw, beginning his 22nd season at the helm. He was especially pleased to see a freshman finish the game on the mound with a clutch performance.

“You just saw a lot of clutch things happen, whether it’s Jaewoo finishing up the game throwing a bunch of sliders that start out knee-high and end up about ankle-high,” he said. “Guys didn’t make an adjustment, and he did what he needed to do. He got them out.”

The Razorbacks will now begin skill work and hitting groups next week

“A lot of hitting in groups starting inside, just working on things, working on bunting, working on base running,” Van Horn said. “And then a lot of defense with the infielders. Outfielders will be out here a little bit. That’s what we do from now until Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving, we get them for another week max and then they’re out of here for a long time.

The season officially gets under way on Feb. 16, when James Madison comes to Fayetteville for a four-game series.

Hogs set to play winner-take-all game in finale of Fall World Series

The Arkansas baseball team will play its final intrasquad game on Tuesday to determine the winner of the Fall World Series.

There is already drama brewing at Baum-Walker Stadium, and the Arkansas baseball season is still four months away.

The Razorbacks began wrapping up their fall-practice season on Monday, with the first game of their annual Fall World Series — a traditional best-of-three intrasquad series.

Game 1 was called in the seventh inning, with the Gray and Cardinal teams locked in a 9-9 tie. Head Coach Dave Van Horn had initially stated the game would conclude on Tuesday, but a short time later, the program released a statement that said “Game one of the Fall World Series is officially ruled a tie.”

The teams will now take the field at noon on Tuesday for a winner-take-all finale at Baum-Walker.

With the wind whipping throughout the game and some players playing out of position on Monday, both teams struggled in the field. Each team committed three errors, which led to eight of the 18 runs being unearned. They also combined for 16 walks and a hit batter.

“Today was about as ugly as I’ve ever seen,” Van Horn said afterward. “We’ve got a catcher playing second base. Welcome to fall baseball. We’ve got some guys that are a little banged up that aren’t playing. It got a little ugly and it might get uglier.”

The head Hog, entering his 22nd season at his alma mater, doesn’t remember much that happened after the fourth inning, as he was informed midway through the contest, that his daughter may be having triplets.

“My daughter and my son-in-law came down and told me that my daughter’s not going to have one — I don’t have any grandkids — and probably not going to have two, but there may be more,” a still-stunned Van Horn said. “This is all natural.”

Freshman right-hander Gabe Gaeckle looked sharp on the mound to start the game. He allowed just four hits and a run over the first three innings for the Gray team, who proceeded to give him support by scoring four runs in the top of the second.

The Gray took a 5-0 lead in the third on a run-scoring sacrifice fly by junior Hudson Polk. But the Cardinal squad responded with a run in the bottom of the third, then four more in the fourth, aided by two fielding errors, to tie the score at 5-5.

The Gray reclaimed the lead with two more runs in the fifth, benefitting from another error and back-to-back walks.

The Red cut it back to one on an sacrifice fly from freshman catcher Ryder Helfrick, then tied it at 7-7 on a Gray throwing error.

Helfrick impressed Van Horn, offensively and defensively, leading the Red team with three RBIs in the game. “He’s just a serious freshman,” Van Horn. “He takes it serious and he has a chance to be an everyday player as a freshman for us.”

The Red squad took it’s first lead of the day, when a wild pitch allowed freshman designated hitter Kade Smith to score to make it 8-7.

Junior right-fielder Kendall Diggs tied things up with a run-scoring single in the sixth, before another wild pitch allowed junior Parker Rowland to score and give the Gray a 9-8 lead.

That set the stage for senior first-baseman Jack Wagner, a Tarleton State transfer, to tie the game once again in the bottom of the inning. His one-out solo blast traveled 397 feet over the left field fence, to make it 9-9.

Beginning in September, college teams have a 45-day window to conduct 28 official practices. The Razorbacks have 24 new players added to the upcoming season’s 47-man roster, with a stout freshman class and some transfers at key positions.

The regular season will get under way on Feb. 16, when the Razorbacks host James Madison.

2023-24 Diamond Hogs Fall Roster

No. Player, Pos., Yr., Ht., Wt., B/T, Hometown / High School / Previous School

1 Ty Wilmsmeyer, OF, Grad., 6-2, 185, R/R, Springfield, Mo. / Glendale HS / Missouri

3 Nolan Souza, INF, Fr., 6-3, 210, L/R, Honolulu, Hawaii / Punahou HS

4 Jack Wagner, INF, Grad., 6-0, 200, R/R, Wichita, Kan. / Maize South HS / Kansas / Tarleton State

5 Kendall Diggs, INF/OF, Jr., 6-0, 205, L/R, Olathe, Kan. / Saint Thomas Aquinas HS

6 Ben McLaughlin, INF, Sr., 6-3, 215, L/R, Golden, Colo. / Golden HS / Hutchinson CC

8 Hudson White, C, Jr., 6-1, 200, R/R, Keller, Texas / Byron Nelson HS / Texas Tech

9 Wehiwa Aloy, INF, So., 6-2, 200, R/R, Wailuku, Hawaii / Baldwin HS / Sacramento State

10 Peyton Stovall, INF, Jr., 5-11, 190, L/R, Haughton, La. / Haughton HS

11 Jaewoo Cho, RHP, Fr., 6-3, 200, R/R, Seoul, South Korea / IMG Academy

12 Jared Sprague-Lott, INF, Sr., 6-0, 190, R/R, Philadelphia, Penn. / Springside Chestnut Hill Academy / Richmond

14 Ross Lovich, OF, Sr., 6-0, 185, L/L, Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley West HS / Missouri

15 Lincoln Riley, OF, Grad., 5-10, 190, R/R, Marion, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Washington / Eastern Illinois

16 Hudson Polk, C, Sr., 6-1, 210, R/R, Coppell, Texas / Coppell HS / Oklahoma

17 Hunter Grimes, INF/OF, R-Sr., 6-1, 185, R/R, Kerrville, Texas / Tivy HS / UTSA / McLennan CC

18 Reese Robinett, INF, So., 6-3, 215, L/R, Kennett, Mo. / Kennett HS

19 Will Edmunson, OF, Jr., 6-0, 200, R/R, Luther, Okla. / Home School / Hutchinson CC

20 Gabe Gaeckle, RHP, Fr., 6-0, 190, R/R, Aptos, Calif. / Aptos HS

21 Mason Molina, LHP, Jr., 6-2, 225, R/L, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. / Trabuco Hills HS / Texas Tech

22 Ty Waid, C/INF, Fr., 6-2, 225, R/R, Texarkana, Ark. / Arkansas HS

24 Peyton Holt, INF, Sr., 5-10, 205, R/R, Greenwood, Ark. / Greenwood HS / Crowder College

25 Brady Tygart, RHP, Jr., 6-2, 215, R/R, Hernando, Miss. / Lewisburg HS

26 Tate McGuire, RHP, Fr., 6-3, 210, R/R, Liberty, Mo. / Liberty North HS

27 Ryder Helfrick, C, Fr., 6-1, 200, R/R, Discovery Bay, Calif. / Clayton Valley Charter HS

28 Koty Frank, RHP, Grad., 6-2, 220, R/R, Tushka, Okla. / Tushka HS / Eastern Oklahoma State College / Nebraska

29 Austin Ledbetter, RHP, Jr., 6-1, 200, R/R, Bryant, Ark. / Bryant HS

31 Dylan Carter, RHP, R-Jr., 6-2, 205, R/R, Bentonville, Ark. / Bentonville West HS / Crowder College

32 Hunter Dietz, LHP, Fr., 6-6, 230, R/L, Trinity, Fla. / Calvary Christian HS

33 Hagen Smith, LHP, Jr., 6-3, 225, L/L, Bullard, Texas / Bullard HS

34 Diego Ramos, RHP, Fr. 6-3, 195, S/L, Vian, Okla. / Vian HS

35 Jordan Huskey, LHP, R-Fr., 5-11, 190, L/L, Quitman, Ark. / Greenbrier HS

36 Parker Coil, LHP, So., 6-3, 190, R/L, Edmond, Okla. / Edmond Memorial HS

37 Jake Faherty, RHP, Jr., 6-3, 185, R/R, Georgetown, Ky. / Great Crossing HS

38 Colin Fisher, LHP, Fr., 6-3, 215, L/L, Noble, Okla. / Noble HS

39 Tucker Holland, LHP, Fr., 6-6, 230, R/L, Fayetteville, N.C. / The Burlington School

40 Ben Bybee, RHP, So., 6-6, 230, R/R, Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest HS

41 Will McEntire, RHP, R-Sr., 6-4, 225, L/R, Bryant, Ark. / Bryant HS

43 Kade Smith, INF/OF/RHP, Fr., 6-0, 200, R/R, Searcy, Ark. / Harding Academy

44 Parker Rowland, C, Sr., 6-3, 215, S/R, Tulsa, Okla. / Bishop Kelley HS / Arkansas State / Eastern Oklahoma State College

45 Gage Wood, RHP, So., 6-0, 205, R/R, Batesville, Ark. / Batesville HS

46 Christian Foutch, RHP, So., 6-3, 230, R/R, Littleton, Colo. / Chatfield HS

48 Cooper Dossett, RHP, So., 6-0, 190, R/R, Springdale, Ark. / Har-Ber HS

49 Stone Hewlett, LHP, Sr., 6-1, 195, L/L, Leawood, Kan. / Rockhurst HS / Kansas

51 Jack Smith, LHP, Fr. 6-4, 220, L/L, Moultain, Ala. / Hartselle HS

52 Jonah Conradt, RHP, Fr., 6-3, 175, R/R, Greenville, Wis. / P27 Academy

55 Josh Hyneman, RHP, R-Fr., 6-4, 245, R/R, Jonesboro, Ark. / Jonesboro HS

61 Adam Hachman, LHP, Fr., 6-5, 230, L/L, Wentzville, Mo. / Timberland HS