2025 cbhsports Arkansas Baseball Preview 

Image Courtesy: Southwest Times Record

It is Dave Van Horn’s 23rd season on the Hill and the Diamond Hogs are again ready to compete for the program’s first national championship. Having already accomplished eight SEC Western Division championships, three overall SEC titles, one SEC tournament title, 20 NCAA Tournament berths, seven College World Series appearances, four top five finishes (2009, 2012, 2018, 2022), and one memorable runner-up finish. Dave Van Horn knows his baseball team can win it all this season and he has been confident about his team throughout the pre-season. No season in the SEC is easy as Arkansas plays nine D1 Baseball pre-season top 25 teams including eight in the league (1.Texas A&M, 3.LSU, 4.Tennessee, 8.Georgia, 10.Florida, 16.Vanderbilt, and 19.Texas). With the SEC getting rid of divisions and Texas and Oklahoma playing their first season in the ball park in the conference, Van Horn’s team will see many familiar faces in and out of conference play. After opening the season on Valentine’s weekend with Washington State (February 14-17) at Baum-Walker Stadium, they travel again to Arlington to face three high profile teams, including Kansas State (February 21), who eliminated the Razorbacks from the 2024 Fayetteville Regional last June. They also face fellow Big 12 opponent 23.TCU (on February 22), who eliminated the Razorbacks from the 2023 Fayetteville Regional, meaning two Big 12 teams have eliminated the Razorbacks from their own regional the last two seasons. Former Horned Frog outfielder Logan Maxwell will have a homecoming of sorts in that match up, playing his former team TCU in the Dallas area. After getting through the first two weeks of March in non-conference play, a trip to Swayze Field awaits against rival Ole Miss (March 14-16), one of their two permanent opponents in the new look SEC, and the team that eliminated the Razorbacks from the College World Series semifinals in 2022. Midweek dates with 2023 College World Series team Oral Roberts (March 18-19) and familiar opponent Missouri State (March 25) sandwich a weekend series with South Carolina (March 21-23). A trip to Nashville to face Vanderbilt (March 28-30) to end the month of March comes next, where new hog infielder Cameron Kozeal makes his return to face his former team. After facing UAPB to open April in North Little Rock and then again in Fayetteville (April 15), the Razorbacks face their other permanent rival, Missouri (March 4-6) before continuing their home stand against Arkansas State (April 8). A trip to Athens to face former Razorback pitching coach Wes Johnson, who has turned Georgia (April 11-13) into a quality program with a Super Regional appearance last summer. The last two nonconference teams the Diamond Hogs will play this spring will be against Little Rock (April 22-23) and a rematch against Missouri State (April 29), this time on the road in Springfield. Games against the Trojans and Bears are in between a trip to Gainesville, that would begin the Razorbacks’ four consecutive SEC series against four pre-season top 19 teams. The season will end with SEC series against 10.Florida on the road (April 25-27), back home against old rival 19.Texas (May 2-4), a trip to Alex Box Stadium to face 3.LSU (May 9-11), and finally facing former hitting coach Tony Vitello and 4.Tennessee (May 15-17) to wrap up the regular season at Baum-Walker Stadium. Can Dave Van Horn’s new look offense and new star pitcher Gabe Gaeckle overcome the loss of Hagen Smith and back to back seasons of being eliminated in their own regional against the aforementioned Horned Frogs in 2023 and Southeastern Missouri State 2024? We will find out as the season begins tomorrow with game one of a four game series against Washington State.

Projected Opening Day Starters
Catcher: Ryder Helfrick, Sophomore
Starting Pitchers:
Friday: Gabe Gaeckle, Sophomore
Saturday: Zach Root, Junior
Sunday: Landon Beidelschies, Junior
1B: Rocco Peppi, Senior (RS)
2B: Nolan Souza, Sophomore
SS: Wehiwa Aloy, Junior
3B: Brent Iredale, Junior
RF: Kendall Diggs, Senior
CF: Charles Davlan, Sophomore
LF: Justin Thomas Jr., Junior
DH: Logan Maxwell, Senior

2024 Class (Rankings according to Perfect Game):
(Players not selected in 2024 MLB Draft)
56.RHP Carson Wiggins Roland, OK Roland High School
109.LHP Cole Gibler Blue Springs, MO Blue Springs High School
144.SS Gabe Fraser Westminster, CA Orange Lutheran High School
194.RHP Lance Davis Jonesboro, AR Valley View High School
334.RHP Wade Mountz Morgan Hill, CA Bellarmine College Preparatory School
376.OF Brenton Clark Texarkana, TX Pleasant Grove High School
377.RHP Tag Andrews Maumelle, AR Maumelle High School
428.C Zane Becker Flowermound, TX Flowermound High School
452.C Carson Willis Lexington, SC P27 Academy
500.RHP Kel Busby Little Rock, AR Pulaski Academy
500.RHP Eli Crecelius Jonesboro, AR Valley View High School
500.LHP Jackson Farrell Jenks, OK Owasso High School
500.RHP Ross Felder Springdale, AR Har-ber High School
500.SS Tyler Holland Mission Viejo, CA Mission Viejo High School
500.LHP Luke Williams Owasso, OK Owasso High School

Entered Transfer Portal (New School):
OF Will Edmunson (Oral Roberts)
OF Hunter Grimes
LHP Adam Hachman (Kentucky)
OF Jayson Jones (Oklahoma State)
OF Kade Smith (Harding)
INF/OF Ty Waid (McLennan C.C.)

Transfer Additions:
DH/1B/OF Kuhio Aloy Former School: BYU
OF/INF Charles Davlan Former School: Florida Gulf Coast
OF Logan Maxwell Former School: TCU
LHP Landon Beidelschies Former School: Ohio State
OF Rocco Peppi Former School: Fresno State
RHP Aiden Jimenez Former School: Oregon State
OF Carson Boles Former School: Lincoln Memorial
1B Michael Anderson Former School: Rhode Island
LHP Michael Root Former School: East Carolina
INF Cameron Kozeal Former School: Vanderbilt

JUCO Signees
INF Brent Iredale Former School: New Mexico J.C.
C Elliott Peterson Former School: Southeast C.C.
OF Kolton Reynolds Former School: Crowder C.C.
INF Trenton Rowan Former School: Seward County C.C.
INF Carson Schrack Former School: Edgerton, Kan. Coffeyville C.C.
OF Justin Thomas Former Schools: Georgia / Florida Southwestern State C.C.

Razorbacks selected in 2024 MLB Draft:
LHP Hagen Smith – Round 1, Pick 5 – Chicago White Sox
2B Peyton Stovall – Round 4, Pick 77 – Cincinnati Reds
LHP Mason Molina – Round 7, Pick 215 – Milwaukee Brewers
3B Jared Sprague-Lott – Round 9, Pick 256 – Oakland Athletics
C Hudson White – Round 9, Pick 267 – Boston Red Sox
1B Ben McLaughlin – Round 9, Pick 284 – Arizona Diamondbacks
RHP Jake Faherty – Round 11, Pick 334 – Miami Marlins
RHP Brady Tygart – Round 12, Pick 357 – Boston Red Sox

Razorback signees selected in 2024 MLB Draft:
SS Tyson Lewis – Round 2, Pick 51 – Cincinnati Reds
OF Eli Lovich – Round 11, Pick 332 – Chicago Cubs

2025 Schedule Predictions (Rankings below are based on the D1 Baseball 2025 Pre-Season Top 25)
2/14-17 Washington State
Projected Record: 3-1
2/21 Kansas State (Arlington; College Baseball Series)
2/22 23.TCU (Arlington; College Baseball Series)
2/23 Michigan (Arlington; College Baseball Series)
Projected Record: 5-2
The hogs head to Arlington to face three teams that are commonly in the NCAA Tournament, two of whom knocked them out of the tournament the previous two seasons. They should split the games against the Big 12 teams and defeat Michigan for a second consecutive season in Texas.
2/25 Grambling
Projected Record: 6-2
2/28-3/2 Charlotte
Projected Record: 9-2
3/4-5 ULM
Projected Record: 11-2
3/7-9 Portland
Projected Record: 13-2
3/11 Central Arkansas
Projected Record: 15-2
3/14-16 @ Ole Miss
Arkansas swept Ole Miss a season ago at home inside Baum-Walker Stadium and took two out of three from the Rebels the last time they matched up at Swayze in Oxford. I expect the same thing to happen this season when the Razorbacks travel to Mississippi.
Projected Record: 17-3 (2-1) SEC
3/18-19 Oral Roberts
Projected Record: 19-4
3/21-23 South Carolina
The Gamecocks return to Fayetteville for the first time since 2023. They only were able to win one game last time they were there and the atmosphere at Baum-Walker will help the Razorbacks will help them keep South Carolina from winning the series again.
Projected Record: 21-5 (4-2) SEC
3/25 Missouri State
Projected Record: 22-5
3/28-30 @ 16.Vanderbilt
The last time Arkansas was on the west end, they lost the series to the Commodores, keeping them from winning an outright SEC championship in 2023. Dave Van Horn should have his best offense since the 2021 team that was the number one overall seed so the Razorbacks should take two of three from the Vandy boys.
Projected Record: 24-6 (6-3) SEC
4/1 UAPB (North Little Rock)
Projected Record: 25-6
4/4-6 Missouri
Not to say that Arkansas’ now annual series with Missouri will be three free wins every season but the talent level of the Razorbacks compared to the Tigers should help them get the sweep. Having Missouri on the schedule every season will certainly help the hogs get a few wins every season now that they are a permanent opponent.
Projected Record: 28-6 (9-3) SEC
4/8 Arkansas State
Projected Record: 29-6
4/11-13 @ 8.Georgia
Former Arkansas pitching coach Wes Johnson and the Bulldogs may not have Golden Spikes winner Charlie Condon any more but they did backload with transfers good enough to defeat the Razorbacks. The Razorbacks lost their first SEC series when they traveled to Athens in 2023. They will fall for the first time in a series in the SEC in 2025 when they face Georgia.
Projected Record: 30-8 (10-5) SEC
4/15 UAPB
Projected Record: 32-8
4/17-19 1.Texas A&M
Hitting coach Michael Earley took over the nation’s top ranked Aggies after watching his boss Jim Schlossnagle head across the state to his team’s biggest rival, Texas, who just joined the SEC 2024. Van Horn’s team clinched the final SEC West title with just one win over A&M in the final regular season series of 2024. Texas A&M boasts outfielder Jace LaViolette, a national player of the year frontrunner, and someone that gave Arkansas many problems last season. Arkansas loses back to back series after winning their first four.
Projected Record: 33-10 (11-7) SEC
4/22-23 Little Rock
Projected Record: 35-10
4/25-27 @ 10.Florida
Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks know Kevin O’Sullivan’s Florida Gators very well and they have gone into Gainesville and won there before. Arkansas gets a major bounce back series as they win their first weekend series in three weeks.
Projected Record: 36-12 (12-9) SEC
4/29 @ Missouri State
Projected Record: 36-13
5/2-4 19.Texas
Arkansas renews its old rivalry against Jim Schlossnagle and Texas. Schlossnagle came over to Austin after leading Texas A&M to the College World Series Finals in 2024. Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks have seen him as TCU’s head coach when they eliminated the Horned Frogs in the 2019 Fayetteville Regional and again four years later when TCU eliminated Arkansas from the 2023 Fayetteville Regional. Arkansas should take two of three from the Longhorns.
Projected Record: 38-14 (14-10) SEC
5/9-11 @ 3.LSU
Before losing to the Tigers on the road in Baton Rouge in 2023, the Razorbacks won the previous two series on the road against LSU. They look for their third series win inside Alex Box Stadium in their previous four attempts. I expect Jay Johnson’s team to not allow them to do this.
Projected Record: 39-16 (15-12) SEC
5/15-17 4.Tennessee
Dave Van Horn’s Arkansas team faces his former hitting coach Tony Vitello and the reigning national champion Tennessee to finish out the regular season. The Volunteers lost a lot of production offensively and on the pitching staff but like his mentor Van Horn, Vitello reloads too. A second consecutive series (last in 2023) win over Tony V’s Vols in Baum-Walker Stadium for the Razorbacks would be sweet and I think the Razorbacks can do it, helping themselves get to 17 wins in the SEC season.
Projected Record: 41-17 (17-13) SEC
5/20-25 SEC Tournament (Hoover)
A few wins in Hoover at the SEC Tournament will help the Razorbacks clinch another top eight seed in the NCAA Tournament for Dave Van Horn’s team.