All Hogs

Stars rounding into form ahead of Arkansas' run to Omaha

Aloy, Root deliver in biggest moment so far Razorbacks

Daniel Shi

Catcher Ryder Helfrick rounds third in the third inning in a regional game against Creighton. The Razorbacks won 12-1 to advance to the final
Catcher Ryder Helfrick rounds third in the third inning in a regional game against Creighton. The Razorbacks won 12-1 to advance to the final / Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The 1-0 game in the regional has hung over the program like a dark cloud over the past two years, unable to get the stars to perform. Wehiwa Aloy was held to just two singles against Kansas State last year in a 7-6 loss.

Hagen Smith, for as brilliant as he was throughout his career, gave up six runs.

This year, there was a feeling of rectifying injustice in a 12-1 win over Creighton.

Injustice for the fans who were robbed the past two years of seeing their Razorback stars perform on the biggest stage, instead, seeing them falter in dramatic fashion.

Aloy, the No. 2 hitter in the lineup, smashed two homers to join an exclusive club of seven Razorbacks with 20 home runs in a season.

Starter Zach Root, the top left-handed pitcher in the portal this year, didn't allow a runner to reach third base in six shutout innings.

"We saw last night when they kind of got all their hits the pitchers were falling into patterns and they knew what was coming," Root said. "Just keep mixing, moving the ball around the plate and keep them off balance."

Catcher Ryder Helfrick, the highest-ranked recruit to make it to campus from a loaded 2023 class and the cleanup hitter, matched Aloy and hit two homers of his own.

Baseball is unique in that the stars don't always have to perform to win a game. Your best hitter can go 0-for-4 and still win, but Arkansas had no shortage of star power Friday.

"I think we were loose but I think we were pretty serious too today," coach Dave Van Horn said. "You could just tell. I’ve been around them a lot and I really didn’t have to say anything to them today like, ‘Hey, you need to lock in,’ or anything."

Mired in an 5-for-28 (.178) stretch that spanned three weeks because of the lack of games that Arkansas played in the SEC Tournament, Aloy provided the hit that the program had been craving for the past three years.

"We’re just trying to compete and help our team to win no matter what," Aloy said. The job’s not finished, we’ve got one more. "It’ll be a lot of fun."

Being jaded so many times before, the crowd of 10,115 still felt pensive in a 4-0 game, in which Arkansas left eight runners on base through the first four innings.

The Arkansas players and fans that stuck around for the nightcap, saw how potent the Creighton offense could be. The Bluejays dropped a seven-spot on Kansas to topple the higher seed.

The release of frustration and tension on the Aloy homer, wasn't just for Aloy, it was a collective liberation of a fanbase.

Helfrick led off the next inning with a leadoff homer to apply the coupe de grace.

Aloy's return to stardom and producing at the top of the order after a brief hiatus coincides with the pressure of the games continuing to ramp up.

Arkansas isn't out of the regional yet, they still need one more win to put to bed the frustration. Creighton or North Dakota State will still await in the regional final, where the Razorbacks will have two chances to punch its ticket to the Super Regionals.

There are many ways to make a run at Omaha, but getting arguably your three biggest stars on the team to do the heavy lifting seems like the most obvious way to get from Fayetteville to the College World Series.

"Don’t make it any bigger than it has to be," Root said. "This game means a lot, but go out there and treat it like any other start and be in a good headspace."

First pitch between North Dakota Stte and Creighton for the right to play Arkansas is scheduled for 2 p.m. Arkansas will take the field at 8 p.m. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.

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Daniel Shi
DANIEL SHI

Covers baseball, football and basketball for Arkansas Razorback on SI since 2023, previously writing for FanSided. Currently a student at the University of Arkansas. He’s been repeatedly jaded by the Los Angeles Angels since 2014. Probably silently humming along to whatever the band is playing in the press box. Follow me on X: @dsh12

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