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Hammerin' Hawaiians Both Homer But Not Enough for Arkansas

Aloys both slug long balls in same inning but rest of offense frusratingly silent
Bob Stephens|
Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy homered, as did his brother Kuhio, against Kansas State Friday night in Arlington, Texas.
Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy homered, as did his brother Kuhio, against Kansas State Friday night in Arlington, Texas. | Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Arkansas RazorbacksKansas State Wildcats

ARLINGTON, Texas - College baseball, meet the Hammerin' Hawaiians. Arkansas' Aloy brothers officially served notice Friday night to the SEC and all of amateur baseball that they could be a historic pair.

Wehiwa and Kuhio Aloy each hit home runs in the sixth inning against Kansas State, an incredibly rare feat at the major league level. They brought to mind another slugging duo that captured the imagination of MLB nearly 40 years ago.

Bash Brothers was a term to describe Oakland A's sluggers Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco when their home-run exploits grabbed the attention of the baseball world.

Arkansas has the literal version of the Bash Brothers in siblings Wehiwa and Kuhio Aloy. They both hit home runs in the Razorbacks' 3-2 loss to Kansas State in the College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field.

The Aloys are from Wailuku, Hawaii. Wehiwa joined Arkansas' program last season and excelled as the Hogs' shortstop and mainstay in the middle of the lineup. He previously played at Sacramento State.

Kuhio played last season for BYU and came to the Razorbacks last fall. His productive bat makes him a valuable asset and will likely force Arkansas coaches to find a regular spot for him in the lineup.

Call 'em the Hammerin' Hawaiians, with respect and admiration. They've earned it with eye-popping early-season numbers.

Kuhio is hitting .364 (4-for-11) with three home runs in three games. He has a double, five RBIs, a phenomenal slugging percentage of 1.273, and three walks for a .500 on-base percentage.

Wehiwa is right behind with a .353 average (6-for-17), two homers, five RBIs, four runs and a .706 slug. He's walked three times and been hit three times for an on-base of .500.

Indeed, the brothers Aloy are hammerin' early in the season and Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn hopes they don't slow down.

While no data could be located regarding brothers hitting homers in the same inning of a college baseball game, it's known as a rare feat in Major League Baseball.

The Elias Sports Bureau notes 10 times brothers have homered in the same inning of the same game in Major League Baseball since 1900. Four sets of brothers did it twice: Waners, Ripkens, Naylors and Uptons:

April 10, 2024: Josh and Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians
July 14, 2023: Josh and Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians
April 23, 2013: B.J. and Justin Upton, Atlanta Braves
April 6, 2013: B.J. and Justin Upton, Atlanta Braves
May 28, 1996: Billy and Cal Ripken, Baltimore Orioles
Sept. 15, 1990: Billy and Cal Ripken, Baltimore Orioles
July 12, 1962: Hank and Tommie Aaron, Milwaukee Braves
Sept. 15, 1938: Lloyd and Paul Waner, Pittsburgh Pirates
July 19, 1933: Rick (with Boston Red Sox) and Wes (with Cleveland Indians) Ferrell
Sept. 4, 1927: Lloyd and Paul Waner, Pittsburgh Pirates

Wehiwa, the older brother who starred as Arkansas' shortstop a year ago, went deep first with an opposite-field moonball that cleared the right-field fence.

Kuhio Aloy tied the game at 2-2 with a rocket line drive into the left-field seats. He also regained the team lead for the season as it was his third long ball, one more than his brother.

Both Aloys swing impressive bats and will likely be mainstays in the middle of the Hogs' order the rest of the season.

McGwire and Canseco were teammates for seven seasons and reached the World Series in 1988 but were upset in a four-game sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The A's and their Bash Brothers made it back to the big stage in the following season and won the Fall Classic on their second try against their Bay Area rivals, the San Francisco Giants.

That Series is known for the devastating earthquake that postponed game 3 and collapsed the Bay Area

No. 5 Arkansas plays again tonight against No. 22 TCU at 6 p.m. at Globe Life Field. The game will be streamed on FloCollege.

The Hogs will close their three-game set with an 11 a.m. Sunday contest against Michigan, again streamed by FloCollege.

Tune in or check back to see if the Hammerin' Hawaiians can do it again.

HOGS FEED:

• Will Hogs' uneventful offseason carry over to spring practice?

• ESPN's Lunardi increases Hogs' odds to reach NCAA Tournament

• Lack of first round picks could dramatically alter Hogs' future

• Arkansas' struggles with teams in purple continues

• Hogs return to Arlington to face K-State in weekend opener

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Bob Stephens
BOB STEPHENS

Bob Stephens won more than a dozen awards as a sportswriter and columnist in Northwest Arkansas from 1980 to 2003. He started as a senior for the 1975 Fayetteville Bulldogs’ state championship basketball team, and was drafted that summer in the 19th round by the St. Louis Cardinals but signed instead with Norm DeBriyn's Razorbacks, playing shortstop and third base. Bob has written for the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, New Jersey Star-Ledger, and many more. He covered the Razorbacks in three Final Fours, three College World Series, six New Year’s Day bowl games, and witnessed many track national championships. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Pati. Follow on X: @BobHogs56

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