Reeling Razorbacks Seek to Salvage Series Finale Versus Gators

Hospitable Hogs hand out eight more walks, making 18 in two games, and lose again to unranked Florida

Dave Van Horn had a disappointing day watching his Hogs against the Florida Gators. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas will try to avoid what hasn't happened in 10 years at Baum-Walker Stadium, which is getting swept by a visiting SEC opponent.

The unranked Florida Gators topped the Razorbacks 7-4 on Saturday afternoon before 9,847 disappointed fans. That was on the heels of Friday night's series-opening 9-4 triumph.

A trio of Gators pitchers stymied the Hogs' inconsistent offense, allowing just six hits and three earned runs and stirking out 11.

That far surpassed the seven Hogs who took the mound and combined to walk eight Gators while coughing up 10 hits, including two doubles and a home run.

"Walks have been a big problem the last two days," said Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn, who watched his hurlers issue 10 free passes in the series opener. "We haven't really seen that from this staff."

Sunday's series final televised on SEC Network

The No. 4-ranked Razorbacks 19-9, 4-4 SEC) will obviously slide in the polls come Monday. Florida (22-6, 5-3) fell out of the rankings last week after being swept at unranked Alabama by a combined score of 28-11.

Sunday's series finale will be televised on the SEC Network with play-by-play man Dave Neal and analyst Kyle Peterson on the call. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.

It's been an inauspicious performance from the Hogs on what was touted as Norm DeBriyn Legends Weekend that included an on-field ceremony prior to game one to honor the Hall of Fame coach who recruited Van Horn as a player in 1982 and handed over the coaching reins following the 2002 season that ended with a Super Regional loss at Clemson.

Van Horn is anything but pleased that his Hogs have lost three straight SEC games, including last Sunday after winning the first two games at South Carolina. On the opening weekend of SEC play, Arkansas split the first two before topping No. 6 Mississippi State in the rubber game.

Asked if he talked to his players about avoiding being swept at home following the game two loss, the implacable Van Horn said, "We talk about it all the time, even in fall ball. If you have a chance to sweept somebody, get it. If you're 0 and 2, you've gotta find a way to win.

"This will be our third different scenario in three weeks. The best we can do is win one. So let's try to get to 1 and 2 (for the weekend)."

Florida fireballers kept Hogs hitters in check

Arkansas led 3-2 after three innings, the go-ahead fun coming home on catcher Ryder Helfrick's sacrifice fly. The Hogs chased Gators starting pitcher Aidan King was replaced with two outs in the fourth but failed to score.

HOGS LEAD pic.twitter.com/GVTQRvVRPN

— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) March 28, 2026

The game turned in the top of the fifth when Florida DH Cole Standford slugged a two-run homer to cap a three-run rally, putting the visitors ahead 5-3.

Gators reliever Jackson Barberi (3-1) shut down the Hogs without a fight for 3.1 innings to earn the win. He struck out seven and didn't surrender a hit or a walk.

"(Barberi) throws 97 miles an hour and he's got a good breaking ball," Van Horn said. "And he didn't walk anybody. The key is not walking people. He didn't give us that big hit. He made us earn it."

In the bottom of the eighth, with Florida now ahead 7-3, the Gators opened the door with a pair of errors to start the frame.

Barberi was replaced by Florida closer Joshua Whritenour, who gave up one run on a wild pitch ion the eighth but held the Hogs at bay and slammed the door in the ninth to earn his fourth save.

"All three of their guys pitched well and had really good stuff," Van Horn said. "Their defense let 'em down but their pitchers picked it up."

Dietz set the tone and it wasn't good

Arkansas starting pitcher Hunter Dietz struck out four in four frames but also walked four and allowed five hits, leading to three earned runs. Steele Eaves (3-1) followed with an inning but surrendered Stanford's home run to suffer the loss.

Hunter Dietz last just four innings against the Florida Gators on Saturday at Baum-Walker Stadium but got a no-decision. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Asked about Eaves, Van Horn said, "The home run ball was up and in, (was) supposed to be down and away. You miss your spot like that to a hitter like that ... Right away when it left (Eaves') hand, we knew we were in trouble.

"Dietz gave us four but he walked four," said Van Horn, noting his big lefty was continually behind the hitters. "He was fighting an uphill battle."

Of the Hogs' six hits, five were singles. Ninth-inning pinch-hitter Christian Turner, a freshman outfielder from Louisiana, ripped a double for Arkansas' only extra-base hit.

"I've been thinking about playing him a lot," Van Horn said. "It's (a question of) who do you take out?"

Coach changes lineup but to no avail

Van Horn did shuffle the lineup by playing usual first baseman Reese Robinett at third base and inserting Carter Rutenbar at first, which put JT Pompey on the bench. Pompey, who played third base the previous eight games since beating Mississippi State on March 13 with a leadoff, walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth, had the day off.

Robinett's single plated the Hogs' first run, cutting Florida's lead in half at 2-1 in the bottom of the second.

On the board on Reese Rob's RBI pic.twitter.com/6EyZdxLl62

— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) March 28, 2026

Gators catcher and cleanup hitter Karson Bowen has been the series' best hitter. He's 5-for-9 with a homer, double, three RBIs, three runs and a walk.

"He's just a really good hitter," Van Horn said. "He's jumped a couple of first-pitch fastballs and hammered them into the gap. He's swinging at strikes and that's the key to hitting. You've got to know the strike zone."

And and the Hog hurlers have to throw strikes more often Sunday if Van Horn's club is to salvage the final game with the Gators.

It's never easy to navigate the entire 30-game schedule in the talent-rich SEC without some bumps along the way. The Hogs hope this is a rare weekend when they're being outplayed.