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
🚨 SCHEDULE UPDATE 🚨
The Razorbacks will play a winner-take-all game on Tuesday, Oct. 17, to decide this year's Fall World Series champion. First pitch is scheduled for noon. pic.twitter.com/RIqoJirj4G
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) October 16, 2023
