All Hogs

Diamond Hogs Start Fast, but In-State Rival Dreams of Upset

Kozeal, Aloy headline Arkansas Razorbacks' offense with aspirations of returning to Omaha
Bob Stephens|
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn, in his 24th season as bench boss for the Razorbacks, is eyeing another trip to the College World Series.
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn, in his 24th season as bench boss for the Razorbacks, is eyeing another trip to the College World Series. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

In this story:

Arkansas RazorbacksArkansas State Red Wolves

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Dave Van Horn, as usual, has led his Arkansas baseball program off to a fast start in February. And, like every year, the coach, his players and Razorback fans hope the season culminates in a trip to Omaha.

Thoughts of a return trip to the College World Series are far from Van Horn's immediate concerns, however. All he's thinking about today is beating Arkansas State at 3 p.m. in Baum-Walker Stadium.

The Hogs are hosting ASU for a two-game set, with the finale set for 3 p.m. Wednesday. Both games can be seen on SEC Network+.

The Razorbacks boast a 6-1 record, with a pair of double-digit victories to go with two one-run wins. Meanwhile, the Red Wolves are 5-2 and came close to taking down Ole Miss in a 7-6 loss in Oxford.

Early test should've been confidence builder for Hogs

The lone loss was 5-4 to No. 7 TCU in the Horned Frogs' backyard, Globe Life Field, which is home to the Texas Rangers, in the Shriners Children's College Showdown. The Hogs also whipped Oklahoma State 12-2 in eight innings and edged Texas Tech 6-5 in 11 frames.

That was a good indicator of Arkansas' ability while facing three traditional powerhouse programs.

Another gauge, although arbitrary are the polls. Three of the five rankings place the Razorbacks at No. 6 (see below).

The ASU short series begins a 10-game stretch that concludes the early-season non-conference slate. The Hogs open SEC play in 17 days against Mississippi State on Friday, March 13 at Baum-Walker.

Van Horn's goal to lead Hogs to CWS ninth time

That'll begin the real road to Omaha where Van Horn has filled out a line-up card for 10 teams. He led the unheralded Nebraska Cornhuskers to two CWS appearances before returning to his alma mater and replacing Norm DeBriyn as Arkansas' coach for the 2003 season.

Van Horn's goal is to pilot the Hogs to their 13th College World Series appearance, the ninth under his regime.

Few college coaches claim better credentials than Van Horn's 1,518 career wins which ranks second among all active Division I head coaches. He's one of just five coaches with 300-plus victories in SEC games.

Jury still out on strength of rebuilt line-up

Van Horn and his staff reconstructed much of last year's line-up, which featured power and timely hitting, plus stellar defense.

Three dependable bats return with outfielder Kuhio Aloy, infielder Camden Kozeal, and catcher Ryder Helfrick. All three have started hot.


Kozeal, second on the team with a .385 average, has been the most dynamic with team-best numbers in homers (4), RBIs ( 10), runs (12) and walks (7). He even hit for the cycle Sunday in the Hogs' 11-0 win in eight innings.

Aloy leads the team in average (.474), including three home runs and seven RBIs. Helfrick (.310) is tied for tops in homers, second in runs (9) and fourth in RBIs (7).

Key starting pitcher Gabe Gaeckle (1-0, 1.93) has struck out 16 in just 9.1 innings, but has walked three and allowed eight hits.

The Hogs' top hurler so far is junior left-hander Colin Fisher, who has surrendered just two hits and two walks while striking out 19 in his 13 innings of work.

Fisher is in his third year in the Arkansas program since graduating from Noble (Okla.) High School. He's fashioned an impressive 10-1 record with a 2.83 ERA over parts of three seasons — he was 6-1 as a freshman when sidelined by injury — and has given up just 46 hits while whiffing 77 in 65.1 innings.

Those are numbers typically compiled by aces of a pitching staff. His emergence as a potential stopper gives the Hogs more depth in the rotation and suggests pitching coach Matt Hobbs might once again be able to rely on a deep bullpen of hard throwers to close out close games.

The weather is expected to be warm for both games, but windy Tuesday, which could make it tough on pitchers.

Fans can listen to the game online in select markets at HitThatLine.com or on the Razorback Sports Network on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs, and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.

Hogs Feed:

Published | Modified
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

Home/Arkansas Razorbacks College Baseball