No. 4 Arkansas Baseball 2025 College Top 25 Preview

Image credit: Wehiwa Aloy (Photo Courtesy of Arkansas Athletics)

Last season: 44-16 (20-10 SEC); eliminated in Fayetteville Regional
Final 2024 ranking: No. 15
Coach (record at school): Dave Van Horn (883-457, 23rd season)

You can find our complete 2025 preseason Top 25 ranking here.

The Good News

Arkansas lost a great deal of talent in the 2024 draft, which saw eight of its players picked, including ace lefthander and 2024 SEC pitcher of the year Hagen Smith and infielder Peyton Stovall, who earned second-team All-SEC honors. However, a blend of returning talent and a loaded transfer-portal haul could allow the Razorbacks to keep on their winning ways. The return of All-SEC shortstop Wehiwa Aloy and the offensive additions of Charles Davalan (Florida Gulf Coast) and Logan Maxwell (TCU) should help the Razorbacks produce more consistently with their bats. East Carolina transfer Zach Root will slot into Arkansas’ weekend rotation, which also boasts righty Gabe Gaeckle, a first-round-caliber talent eligible for the 2026 draft, and third-year Razorback Gage Wood. Arkansas added Ohio State transfer lefty Landon Beidelschies, who could be a factor in leverage out of the bullpen along with flame-throwing righty returnee Christian Fouch.

The Bad News

Even without Hagen Smith, Arkansas shouldn’t have a problem sustaining its dominance on the mound from last season when it paced the SEC in team ERA and strikeouts per nine innings. Whether or not it can improve at the plate, however, could be the difference between back-to-back early exits from the postseason and Arkansas’ return to Omaha for the first time since 2022. The Razorbacks ranked 10th in total run production and 11th in team OPS in a 14-team SEC last year and will now rely on a handful of returners—none of whom ranked among their top producers in 2024—to take steps forward so that those figures can improve. Catcher Ryder Helfrick and second baseman Nolan Souza, who hit a combined .222 in reserve roles for Arkansas last season, are expected to be day-one starters in 2025. Their progression, along with several others, will be critical.

Player To Know

Arkansas starting shortstop Wehiwa Aloy established himself as one of college baseball’s premier middle infielders when he put together an eye-catching freshman campaign at Sacramento State in 2023. The first-round hopeful followed up his breakout inaugural season with a strong sophomore year at Arkansas in 2024, hitting .270/.355/.485 with 14 home runs and a career-best 56 RBI en route to second-team all-SEC honors. Aloy will return to shortstop in 2025 with what Arkansas hopes to be an improved feel for the position.

Path To Omaha

Arkansas is more than talented enough to avoid just its second postseason miss of the Dave Van Horn era thanks in large part to a spoil of riches on the mound, where it has multiple all-conference or even all-American candidates. Avoiding a third-straight first-round exit will require help on the offensive side, where the Razorbacks will need multiple players to emerge alongside Aloy.

Projected 2025 Lineup

Pos	Player	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	HR	RBI	Note
C	Ryder Helfrick	So.	.179	.320	.321	84	3	8
1B	Rocco Peppi*	Sr.	.327	.392	.602	211	14	56	Fresno State
2B	Nolan Souza	So.	.255	.366	.509	110	7	18
3B	Brent Iredale*	Jr.	.441	.576	1.000	188	25	78	New Mexico JC
SS	Wehiwa Aloy	Jr.	.270	.355	.485	237	14	56
OF	Logan Maxwell*	Sr.	.335	.447	.482	170	3	25	TCU
OF	Charles Davalan*	So.	.288	.413	.514	222	10	37	Florida Gulf Coast
OF	Justin Thomas*	Jr.	.103	.350	.241	29	1	5	Georgia (2023 stats)
DH	Kendall Diggs	Sr.	.229	.346	.395	205	7	34
Pos	Player	Year	GS	IP	ERA	WHIP	SO	BB	Note
SP	Gabe Gaeckle	So.	0	42.2	2.32	1.06	57	19
SP	Zach Root*	Jr.	12	68.1	3.56	1.13	76	21	East Carolina
SP	Gage Wood	Jr.	3	40.1	4.46	1.24	56	8
RP	Landon Beidelschies	Jr.	15	84.2	4.15	1.21	91	31	Ohio State
RP	Christian Foutch	So.	0	22.1	0.81	1.16	20	7