Arkansas makes first big position player splash out of the portal

Third-team All-American becomes first transfer addition

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn visiting with national media at practice for the Super Regional against the Tennessee Volunteers at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Less than a week after ending its run at the College World Series, coach Dave Van Horn is already trying to position Arkansas to make it back in 2026.

The Razorbacks landed its first position player commitment of the class out of the Division I portal Tuesday. Ball State shortstop Dylan Grego announced his commitment via Twitter/X Tuesday.

Grego, a native of Kansas City, started all 58 games for the Cardinals in 2025 at shortstop. Outgoing shortstop Wehiwa Aloy is a near-certainty to forgo his final season of eligibility to sign as a potential first-round draft pick, leaving a gaping hole at shortstop.

He had a breakout season in 2025, slashing .376/.429/.624 with 14 doubles and 14 home runs. He also stole 15 bases in 20 attempts, which would have led the 2025 Arkansas team.

🇺🇸 Third Team All-American 🇺🇸

Congrats to Dylan Grego on earning All-America honors from the @ABCA1945! @BallStateBB | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/mjiA3x2Afd

— MACtion (@MACSports) June 16, 2025

Grego's 2025 season is one of the best in school history for Ball State. His 91 hits ranked third-most in a single season. He was named 2025 First Team All-MAC and All-MAC Defensive Team. Grego was also one of 30 players named as a 2025 Brooks Wallace Award Semifinalist, given to the top shortstop in the country.

On defense, Grego made just five errors in 230 chances for a .978 fielding percentage, almost mirroring Aloy's stats (five errors in 229 chances).

Across all three seasons with Ball State, Grego appeared in 128 games (107 starts) and is a career .320 hitter in college.

Grego led a Ball State team in batting average, hits, OPS, at bats, total bases and slugging percentage that finished 36-22 and 21-9 in conference play.

His best game of the year was when he went 4-for-6 with three home runs, nine RBI and five runs scored in a win at Bowling Green on April 18th It was the first nine-RBI performance in school history since 2017.

According to the Ball State Athletics page, Grego put on 20 pounds between his sophomore and junior seasons, going from 175 pounds to 195 pounds. 14 of his 22 career homers came in 2025.

Arkansas is almost certainly likely to lose the entire left side of its infield to the draft. Third baseman Brent Iredale and Aloy are both on the MLB.com Top 200 prospects list, requiring Van Horn to dip into the portal again to find potential replacements.

Iredale and Aloy accounted for a lot of Arkansas' production, especially early in the season. The two combined for 35 of the team's 127 homers (27%) and missed just one game in the field the entire season between the two of them.

Arkansas is expected to get back both Nolan Souza and Cam Kozeal for their junior seasons. Both are natural second basemen.

Portal Tracker (D1 Only):

TRACKER:

Departures (9):
Tag Andrews & Luke Williams
Gabe Fraser

1B Michael Anderson

RHP Tag Andrews

C Zane Becker

RHP Lance Davis

LHP Jackson Farrell

RHP Ross Felder

INF Gabe Fraser

C Elliott Peterson

LHP Luke Williams

Incoming Players (3):
Jackson Wells, Little Rock
Ethan McElvain, Vanderbilt
Dylan Grego, Ball State