Razorbacks Finally Open Baum-Walker Ganes After 3-1 Start in Arlington

The travel bags are unpacked and Arkansas is finally back where they belong in Baum-Walker Stadium this weekend.

After four games under the roof at Globe Life Field in Arlington, the No. 8 Razorbacks are coming home to open the 2026 home schedule against Xavier.

A 3-1 start in Texas isn’t perfect, but it’s solid, especially after giving up just 13 runs in four games.

Now things will look the same for awhile. They will play 18 games in town before playing on the road again March 20.

There’s something about that first home opener for the coaches, fans and players.

Everybody can dig into what's going to be a long season. That's probably how Hogs coach Dave Van Horn feels.

Arkansas didn’t overwhelm folks offensively in Arlington, but the pitching staff did its job. Thirteen runs allowed over four games is a solid start. It gives you a chance every night.

That’s been Van Horn’s goal for years. His simply theory to pitch it well, catch it clean, and let the bats warm up as the weather does has usually worked out.

Razorbacks designated hitter Kuhio Aloy during game with Louisiana-Monroe — Arkansas Razorbacks designated hitter Kuhio Aloy during game with the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images

The Aloy Question

One storyline that traveled back from Texas involves right fielder Kuhio Aloy.

The All-American designated hitter from last season came out of the 5-4 loss to TCU with hamstring tightness and hasn’t played since.

He missed the wins over Texas Tech and Tarleton State, though he made an impression before that.

Aloy went 3-for-8 against Oklahoma State and TCU with a home run and three RBIs. His final swing in Arlington was a 445-foot shot into the second deck in left field.

It was the kind of drive that will interrupt a conversation in the middle of a sentence.

Van Horn gave an update Thursday that sounded cautiously optimistic.

“He went full go in a practice yesterday and I feel like by tomorrow he should be 90% at a minimum,” Van Horn said. “He wanted to play on Monday and we had him doing a lot of stuff in the hotel and treatment, and that’s why I got him out of there so quick is that I didn’t want this to be a monthlong thing if he hurt again trying to outrun something.

“It seems like he’s doing well. He was running about 70% pretty good on Monday, so it’s gotten better. We’ll look at it again today big time and see what we think, but I feel like he’ll be ready to go.”

That’s the balancing act in the early season. You want your best bat in the lineup. You also don’t want February to cost you April.

Depth Getting Its Turn

In Aloy’s absence, freshman Christian Turner and redshirt senior transfer Zack Stewart picked up the defensive slack.

Turner saw most of the innings in right field and went 1-for-6 at the plate with two walks and two runs scored. Van Horn appreciated what he saw.

“I saw Turner make a couple of really nice plays, ran to the ball well, got a couple of nice [at-bats],” he said. “It was just solid defense.”

Stewart started the 3-1 win over Tarleton State but was lifted for Brendan Kleiman once the Texans brought in a left-handed reliever. That’s the chess match you get early in the year.

“I kind of felt bad that I basically pulled Stewart out after his one at-bat against the right-hander, then they brought the lefty up,” Van Horn said. “The game felt like to me…we had a 3-0 lead and we just weren’t doing much offensively. I went a [right-handed] hitter and then he didn’t do well that at-bat against the lefty they brought in.”

It wasn’t flashy. It was situational baseball. In the SEC in February that still matters.

A Veteran Visitor from the Big East

Xavier rolls into Fayetteville at 2-2, fresh off a road series win against East Carolina and a midweek loss to No. 15 Louisville. Coach Billy O’Connor, now in his ninth season, has built a club that leans on experience.

Van Horn took notice.

“I’m looking at their lineup on the offensive end,” he said. “I think they’re starting one freshman who had a really good weekend offensively, but it’s mostly sophomores, juniors and seniors. A couple seniors, a few juniors, a couple sophomores. So these are kids that were in the program last year and he liked what he saw and felt like, ‘Hey, these guys got experience.

“I’m going to go play some Power 5 schools on the road early. Get ready for league play’. Give them credit for that.

“You look at the pitching, I think it’s a junior and a couple sophomores, and those two sophomores were freshmen last year, obviously. They pitched a lot. So, here they come.

“Yeah, this is a team that, I’m sure that they plan on being in a regional at the end of the year and this is a big series for us.”

That’s about as much praise as you’ll hear in mid-February.

Junior right-hander Ryan Piech is set to start Friday. He allowed just two hits in four scoreless innings against East Carolina in his first outing this season.

Last year, he logged 59⅔ innings over 14 starts with a 4.37 ERA.

“He just pitches,” Van Horn said. “Nothing like it’s overpowering, just good stuff, and been around a little bit. I think he’s a junior. Don’t want to say a whole lot because they can watch this. And he did well the first time out.”

Arkansas will counter with the same trio it used in Arlington of Gabe Gaeckle, Hunter Dietz and Colin Fisher. It's a group that helped hold opponents to those 13 runs over four games.

BIG-time upgrade at Baum-Walker 👀

Thanks to a generous gift from the Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, JM’s HogVision is a 19.25-foot-tall by 55-foot-wide board, providing 1,059 sq ft of digital space for HD video, instant replays, graphics, in-game stats and info. pic.twitter.com/cD0aASXYCa
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) February 19, 2026

Settling into the Season

This will be the first meeting between the Razorbacks and Musketeers.

It’s another early measuring stick, another weekend to learn what this team is and what it might become.

The Hogs have already shown they can pitch. They’ve shown some power. They’ve managed a minor injury without major panic.

Now they get to do it in front of their own fans.

Friday's game will start at 3 p.m., then 1 p.m. Saturday and noon on Sunday. All games will be streamed on ESPN+ and SEC Network+.

Fans can listen to Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter on the Razorback Sports Network at ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home. The radio broadcast will be streamed at HitThatLine.com in those broadcast markets.