Where Razorbacks Picked by Coaches in SEC, Four Preseason All-SEC Picks

Arkansas earns four preseason All-SEC honors as league coaches project the Razorbacks to finish fourth in the conference.

Cam Kozeal rounds the bases after another homer against Missouri. He now has seven home runs on the season and was named SEC player of the week. | Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

Ryder Helfrick didn’t need a season to start to remind the SEC who he is. Neither did Cam Kozeal. The league’s coaches made that clear when both Arkansas players landed on the preseason All-SEC First Team.

That’s the loudest part of the message sent before the first pitch. Four Razorbacks earned preseason honors, but Helfrick and Kozeal led the way, taking spots on the league’s top unit.

Helfrick, the junior catcher, is back after starting 56 games last season and hitting .305. He paired that with 15 home runs, 38 RBIs and the kind of on-base numbers that make pitchers squint at the scouting report.

Behind the plate, he committed just three errors in 629 chances. He also threw out 10 runners, which tends to get a catcher noticed in a hurry.

Kozeal’s path looked different but landed in the same place. The Vanderbilt transfer didn’t need much time to fit in, starting 55 games and hitting .333 with 62 RBIs.

Those numbers already earned him All-SEC recognition last season. Now they’ve earned him another preseason nod before he’s even taken batting practice this spring.

The Razorbacks may not be picked to win the league, but they’ve clearly got players the conference respects.

Cam Kozeal days until we are serenaded by the dulcet tones of a duck call.

And all will be right with the world. pic.twitter.com/Y5Ojd3A6YT

— Ragan Stukenborg (@rstukenborg) February 5, 2026

Arkansas Slotted Fourth, With a Few Raised Eyebrows

The preseason coaches’ poll landed Arkansas in fourth place in the SEC, behind LSU, Texas and Mississippi State.

That’s not an insult in this league. It’s more like a polite reminder that the SEC doesn’t hand out favors just because your uniforms look sharp.

The Hogs did receive two first-place votes, which suggests a couple of coaches looked at their ballot, shrugged, and decided Arkansas deserved a little benefit of the doubt.

Whether fourth feels fair or cautious probably depends on where you’re standing. In Fayetteville, it likely feels like a challenge.

Preseason polls don’t decide anything, but they do frame the conversation. And Arkansas is clearly framed as a contender that still has something to prove.

That same theme shows up in the individual honors. Respect is there. Full belief is still pending.

The Razorbacks will have plenty of chances to argue with the rankings once games start.

The Hawaiian culture is alive in Fayetteville 🌺

🎥 Hear from Kuhio Aloy in today’s Razorback Daily! pic.twitter.com/KjTyXW0nKh

— Hogs Plus (@HogsPlus) February 3, 2026

Aloy and Gaeckle Add Depth to Honors List

While the headlines belong to the First Team selections, Arkansas didn’t stop there.

Kuhio Aloy and Gabe Gaeckle earned preseason All-SEC Second Team honors, giving the Hogs four total selections across the league’s preseason lists.

Aloy brings power, plain and simple. Last season, he hit 13 home runs and drove in 70 runs while batting .317.

Most of that production came as a designated hitter, but this season he’s expected to handle a spot in the outfield. That transition will be watched closely, but the bat already plays.

His on-base percentage (.404) and slugging mark (.539) help explain why the coaches kept his name on the ballot.

Gaeckle’s role has already shifted once, and it could do so again. He opened last season as a starter before moving back to the bullpen.

In that hybrid role, he went 4-2 with a 4.42 ERA, two saves and 92 strikeouts in 71.1 innings.

Versatility matters in the SEC, and Gaeckle has shown he can handle more than one job.

Season Opens With Answers, Not Predictions

All of this preseason talk will eventually give way to something far less polite: actual results.

Arkansas opens the season Feb. 13 against Oklahoma State at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Arlington, Texas. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. and will stream on FloSports.

That game won’t care about polls, preseason teams or watch lists. It will care about who throws strikes and who barrels baseballs.

For now, though, the Razorbacks head into the season with four players already stamped with league approval.

That doesn’t guarantee wins, but it does confirm expectations.

And in the SEC, expectations tend to show up loud and early.