Nation's No. 2 defense betrays Hogs in painful last inning

Cheers turned to tears for Arkansas' beloved Razorbacks as perhaps the best part of their terrific team fell apart in the final inning Wednesday night.

The Hogs carried a two-run lead into the bottom of the ninth against LSU and should've walked away with their third win in three days at the College World Series.

But Arkansas' vaunted defense — ranked second in the country — collapsed when it mattered most.

The Razorbacks made four, count 'em, four, uncharacteristic defensive mistakes in the bottom of the ninth to let LSU escape with an improbable 6-5 victory.

That bitter defeat ended Arkansas' season in a way that the players and coaches will never forget.

The shocking win pushed LSU into the best-of-three championship round against the other unbeaten team at the College World Series, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.

Arkansas Razorbacks shortstop Wehiwa Aloy reacts as LSU Tigers players celebrate the win at Charles Schwab Field. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

No. 13 Coastal Carolina won the other four-team bracket while No. 6 LSU beat No. 3 Arkansas twice and No. 15 UCLA once in a span of five days.

Coastal Carolina has won 26 straight games, not losing since April 22 and has never lost in its school history in Omaha. The Chanticleeers won the College World Series in their only other appearance in 2016.

But last night's wild affair between the Hogs and Tigers should have ended differently. The scoreboard should have had Arkansas winning and forcing a Thursday night game against LSU, with that victor advancing to play the Chanticleers.

Justin Thomas Jr. should've been the Hogs' hitting hero, forever remembered for his two-run single that snapped a 3-3 tie in the top of the ninth inning to give Arkansas a dramatic World Series win.

JUSTIN THOMAS JR. IS THAT GUY, PAL pic.twitter.com/XtjLWIbilu
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 19, 2025

Thomas enjoyed a phenomenal World Series, with 8 hits in 14 at-bats. He's tied for the most hits at this year's CWS.

The presumed victory would've meant the Razorbacks had finally outplayed their SEC and won the match-up for the first time in five CWS games.

It would've meant the Hogs advanced to another elimination game, their fourth in four days, with momentum on their side and a chance to reach the championship round for the third time in 10 trips to the College World Series.

Alas, 'twas not to be. But nobody — not Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn, not silky smooth shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, nobody — would've predicted the Hogs would lose as a result of a damaged defense.

Only one error was charged to Arkansas in that fateful final frame, but it was four other major mistakes that prevented what would've been a hard-earned triumph.

Two of the mistakes were mental. The last two were physical, one mostly caused by a slip in left field.

With one out, here's how it went down:
1 — A grounder to the second baseman was fielded by Arkansas first baseman Reese Robinett, who strayed too far to his right. His desperate throw to pitcher Cole Gibler covering first base was wide, accounting for the error and the batter getting to second base.

If Robinett stays home, second sacker Cam Kozeal easily fields the routine grounder and gets the second out with a simple throw to Robinett at first. Two outs, nobody on, and the final nail is about to be driven into LSU's coffin.

2 — With runners at first and second and Arkansas up 5-3, a grounder to Aloy at short should've, at least could've, become a game-ending double play. But he threw to third instead of second and got only one out. A head scratcher since Aloy has great baseball smarts and instincts and rarely makes a mental mistake.

Another view of the tailor-made double play ball to shortstop that would’ve ended the game and won it for Arkansas.

Wehiwa Aloy fires to 3rd to get the lead runner instead, extending the game where LSU would then walk it off and end the Razorbacks season…absolutely brutal… pic.twitter.com/aG5u6Cu1uW
— Harrison Cordell Fant (@Fantavious9) June 19, 2025

3 — A line drive to left field would've ended the game at 5-3 if Arkansas' Charles Davalan —another reliable glove man — made the catch. But he took a step back, then slipped and dove forward, but missed the ball and the game was tied.

Absolutely insane turn of events in the bottom of the ninth. With runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out, Wehiwa Aloy opts to get the force out at 3rd instead of starting a potential DP. A hitter later, Charles Davalan misreads a line drive and 2 runs score.pic.twitter.com/zDT7yfdiTm
— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) June 19, 2025

4 — A line drive to second baseman Cam Kozeal could've been caught that would've forced extra innings. It wasn't a routine play but Kozeal would make that leaping catch probably eight of 10 times.

This time, he didn't snag Jared Jones' liner and it went off his glove, plating the game-winning run.

Arkansas 🤝 season ending at the hands of its defense.

some things never change, as Jared Jones is the king of making teams pay for mistakes. Thriller. pic.twitter.com/La4YzqrN9i
— Trevor McGee (@TrevorMcGee12) June 19, 2025

Kozeal grew up in Omaha and dreamed of playing in the CWS since he was about seven and was running about the ballpark while his groundskeeper father worked on Charles Schwab Field.

Kozeal was devastated, as was an unconsolable Davalan. Aloy appeared to be in shock. Robinett was wondering why he didn't just cover first base.

"A lot of guys were distraught," Van Horn said. "Charles was super upset. I just told them I appreciate the effort all year and the ride they took us on. I just told them how much I appreciated them and that we'd talk again later.

"I told them two months ago that this team needed to finish in Omaha, and they did. It wasn't the way we wanted to finish, but at least they got here. They competed their rear ends off."

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn will try to get his Hogs back to Omaha next season. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Van Horn said he talked to Davalan in the dugout before the postgame press conference.

"He's pretty distraught," Van Horn said. "But I just told him — I started telling him how much I appreciated him and we would never have made it here without him.

"He said that he was sorry. And I said don't tell me you're sorry. You don't have to tell me you're sorry. And he said it again. It's tough. That kid doesn't have to be sorry for anything. He was our glue, man. He held it together."

Other Arkansas players were trying to comfort Davalan as the Hogs slowly made their way off the field after the winning run scored.

"(I was) Feeling bad for Charles because I could see him out there," Van Horn said. "He's so emotional and everybody hugging on him. It's not his fault.

"We wouldn't have got here without Charles Davalan. We wouldn't have gotten close. Guy got so (many) clutch hits, started so many rallies. You can probably take 10 wins off our SEC (record). He was unbelievable."

Arkansas Razorbacks left fielder Charles Davalan celebrates before scoring on a two-run home run by shortstop Wehiwa Aloy against the UCLA Bruins during the first inning at Charles Schwab Field on Tuesday. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Coaches always care about their teams, about individual players. But Van Horn has a soft spot in his heart for this group.

"(I was) just watching those guys and how they didn't want to leave," he said. "You can get mad at the game. The game's the game. Things happen. There's so many plays throughout the game where you could get a hit here, make a pitch there, a play there. The game changes.

"It's like life. It's a roller coaster. But you control it and you've got to learn from your mistakes. If you don't learn from your mistakes, you're not smart. That's the way I look at it."

Players tend to remember the losses, the ones that got away, but mostly they remember teammates, coaches and relationships.

It's why Hogs catcher Ryder Helfrick, whose home run to center in the fourth inning, staked Arkansas to a 1-0 lead, spoke so emotionally about Davalan.

Arkansas Razorbacks catcher Ryder Helfrick circles the bases after hitting a home run against the LSU Tigers during the fourth inning at Charles Schwab Field. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

"It sucks to say goodbye to everybody," said Helfrick, a sophomore who will return to Arkansas for another season. "And Charles, he told me, he's, like, 'I'm sorry.' I said, why are you sorry?

"We wouldn't be where we are today without him, the way he competes, and he's one of the best hitters and people and just all-around best baseball players I've ever been around.

"For him to say sorry, it kind of pissed me off because the game's not on him. It's on the team. He's one of the greatest to do it here."

So is Aloy. And Kozeal. And Robinett should be a terrific hitter next season and is already a top-notch defensive first baseman.

The Hogs' quest for a national championship will continue in 2026 with a host of new players. What fans and players should remember about this season is how much fun it was from game one all the way to the College World Series.

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