FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas baseball roster is coming into focus with the MLB Draft in the rear-view mirror, and there are no shortage of questions for the Razorbacks .
Fortunately for coach Dave Van Horn, those questions are built out of depth and options instead of trying to find replacements.
The Hogs had a tremendous offseason, stacking up talent in the transfer portal to add to their high school and junior college signees. Two incoming freshmen and zero transfers were selected in the draft, giving Van Horn a hefty roster that needs attrition, rather than addition.
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Some of that attrition has already started. Former Milwaukee outfielder Carson Hansen, who committed to Arkansas on June 16, backed off that pledge recently and will instead play for Kentucky. More departures from the roster are necessary to reach the 40-man limit.
With a better picture of Van Horn's squad, here's a way-too-early prediction on who Arkansas baseball will start to kickoff the 2025 season.
Arkansas baseball Opening Day 2025 projected lineup
- Logan Maxwell, RF, lefty
- Wehiwa Aloy, SS, righty
- Kendall Diggs, DH, lefty
- Brent Iredale, 1B, righty
- Ryder Helfrick, C, righty
- Nolan Souza, 3B, lefty
- Justin Thomas, CF, righty
- Rocco Peppi, LF, righty
- Camden Kozeal, 2B, lefty
Arkansas baseball Opening Day 2025 projected weekend rotation
Friday: Gabe Gaeckle, RHP
Saturday: Zach Root, LHP
Sunday: Landon Beidelschies, LHP
In-house returnees
Wehiwa Aloy, Ryder Helfrick, Nolan Souza Kendall Diggs are all back and expected to take a leap forward in 2025.
Aloy and Helfrick are having tremendous summers in the Cape Cod League. Aloy is second in the Cape with eight home runs and looks ready to be the face of the program. Helfrick leads the league with 10 homers and should solidify himself as an everyday starter, either behind the plate or at designated hitter.
Souza had a roller-coaster 2024, looking like one of the best freshman in America before coming back down to Earth toward the end of the SEC. His experience in the league gives him a leg up on the other hitters, and Arkansas needs to develop its in-house talent.
And finally, there's Diggs, who played through a torn labrum this season and will stunningly return for his senior season. If Diggs can return to full health, he immediately becomes the most accomplished hitter on the roster and an everyday starter. Thankfully, Arkansas will have plenty of outfield depth next year if the injury causes another unproductive season.
JuCo Stars coming to Fayetteville
Arkansas reeled in three of the top Junior College players in the country in Brent Iredale and Justin Thomas. Both players were expected to be selected in the 2024 MLB Draft, but they didn't hear their names called and will head to Arkansas looking to boost their stock ahead of 2025.
Prep Baseball Report's pre-draft rankings of JuCo prospects tabbed Iredale second and Thomas sixth. Iredale hit 25 home runs this spring and was named his league's Most Valuable Player for a second straight season.
Division I transfers
Rounding out the nine starters are Rocco Peppi (Fresno State), Logan Maxwell (TCU) and Camden Kozeal (Vanderbilt). Peppi is a true power threat who hit 14 home runs in the Mountain West last season with a .602 slugging percentage. He can also play third base and provides positional flexibility for Arkansas.
Maxwell could develop into a similar type of offensive player for the Hogs. He only hit three home runs last year in the Big 12, but Maxwell had 14 extra-base hits and slugged .492. He was one of Arkansas' top targets in the portal, regardless of position.
Kozeal, who played 43 games and hit .284 as a freshman for Vanderbilt this spring, was a late arrival in the transfer portal. He provides a huge boost in the infield that needs to replace Peyton Stovall at second base.
Other contenders
Arkansas has loaded up on depth in the portal. The Hogs' first commit of the offseason, Charles Davalan (FGCU), could easily become a starter by Opening Day. He hit .288 with 10 home runs last year in the Atlantic Sun and can play all across the outfield.
Others who could easily become full-time players are Reese Robinett, Elliott Peterson and Gabe Fraser. Robinett redshirted in 2024 but has been terrific this summer in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Peterson is another JuCo transfer who led the country with a .517 batting average, while Fraser is the highest-ranked hitter in the incoming freshman class.
On the surface, Arkansas appears to have a much deeper team on offense next season.
Gaeckle the ace
The pitching competition this fall will be fierce. Arkansas must replace all three of its weekend starters from 2024, and the Hogs have plenty of options from outside and within the program.
All signs point to Gaeckle ascending into the weekend rotation after being the Hogs' top reliever with a 2.32 ERA as a freshman. The jump from the bullpen to Friday ace is substantial, but the California native is good enough to make the transition.
Our other two predicted starters are a pair of transfers. Landon Beidelschies was the ace at Ohio State, and Zach Root was a Saturday starter for East Carolina. Their experience on the mound in weekend environments gives them an edge, but Colin Fisher, Hunter Dietz, Ben Bybee and Gage Wood are all options as returnees.
This pitching staff should be one of the best in the country, again.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas baseball: A way-too-early prediction for the Razorbacks 2025 Opening Day lineup
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