The scores of the Arkansas vs Oklahoma State exhibition games were always going to be irrelevant, but the Razorbacks found a way to “clinch” the series at Baum-Walker Stadium.
After a comfortable win Friday night, they split a pair of five-inning games Saturday afternoon. The Cowboys took the opening game of the doubleheader 6-3 before Arkansas bounced back with a 7-1 win in the finale to close out fall ball.
Without even looking at the numbers in the box score, Razorbacks fans can still be pleased.
Hockey Line Substitutions for Arkansas Baseball
If fans only attended one of Saturday’s two games, they would have seen completely different Razorback lineups. Dave Van Horn substituted his entire starting lineup for a new set of 10 players in the second five-inning exhibition.
Oklahoma State made only two changes (mostly due to nagging minor injuries preventing more changes), showcasing just how deep the Razorbacks are. That should bode well for them in midweek games, even if none of the starters in Game 2 of the doubleheader see significant playing time in SEC games on the weekend.
“I played a completely different lineup [in the second game],” Van Horn said. “How baseball works sometimes, we scored seven runs. Proud of our guys, the way they handled fall ball because it was hard. It was hard this year as far as, we had a lot of things we needed to work on. I think we accomplished some things, got better at some things. Now we can really focus on getting stronger and getting healthy and getting ready for next season.”
Game 1 Lineup | Game 2 Lineup |
---|---|
1. Charles Davalan – CF | 1. Brenton Clark – CF |
2. Wehiwa Aloy – SS | 2. Zane Becker – C |
3. Ryder Helfrick – C | 3. Cam Kozeal – 2B |
4. Brent Iredale – 3B | 4. Carson Boles – RF |
5. Logan Maxwell – RF | 5. Reese Robinett – 3B |
6. Kuhio Aloy – DH | 6. Elliot Peterson – DH |
7. Nolan Souza – 2B | 7. Trenton Rowan – 1B |
8. Michael Anderson – 1B | 8. Kolton Reynolds – LF |
9. Justin Thomas Jr. – LF | 9. Gabe Fraser – DH |
10. Tyler Holland – SS |
The Razorbacks will try to extend their stellar midweek record from last year when the team went 12-0 in midweek games. It was the first time the Hogs went undefeated in midweeks since 2005.
Revolving Door at First Base
Perhaps the most unsettled position battle for Arkansas heading into the spring is at first base. The Razorbacks feasibly have four different options they could try: Reese Robinett, Kuhio Aloy, Trenton Rowan and Michael Anderson.
Van Horn opted to start a different first baseman in each of the three games over the weekend, with the fourth of those candidates getting the nod at designated hitter.
“Normally that’s a very offensive position,” Van Horn said. “It hasn’t really happened a lot. The younger Aloy [Kuhio], offensively, he’s probably done the best of the first basemen, but he’s a very new first baseman. He’s kind of learning the position. Defensively, he’s got a ways to go. Robinett is the best defender, didn’t really have a great fall with the bat, played outstanding defense so we’ll get it figured out.”
Kuhio Aloy was the only one of the quartet not to see anytime in the field, but made some of the most consistent contact of anyone throughout the weekend. He lined a single 105 miles an hour off the bat to left in his first at-bat.
Homers for All Razorbacks
Arkansas didn’t hit many homers across the three exhibitions. While Oklahoma State teed off for four homers in the first game against the Hogs, Arkansas waited until the bottom of the third in the first game to hit its first of the weekend, when TCU transfer Logan Maxwell hit a ball 369 feet to left field.
Freshman shortstop Tyler Holland, the last position player without a homer this fall, followed suit in the second game Saturday. His was a 344-foot homer down the left field line and turned a 4-1 game into a 7-1 game.
Young Arms Impress
Following in the footsteps of Cole Gibler and Carson Wiggins Friday night, a stable of young arms – mostly freshmen – held the Cowboys to just one unearned run in the second game, despite Oklahoma State still playing most of its starters early on.
Parker Coil, Steele Eaves, Tag Andrews and Luke Williams all pitched a scoreless inning. The only blemish came against Lance Davis, who was charged with an unearned run after a throw from right fielder Carson Boles got away from catcher Zane Becker.
“They have good stuff and they think they’re good,” Van Horn said of his young pitchers. “At this level, confidence can go a long way. I think some of them gained a little bit of that over the last few days.”
Up Next for Arkansas Baseball
This concludes Arkansas’ fall slate. Dave Van Horn confirmed postgame that this will be the last time that the Razorbacks practice as a team before the spring. Opening day is scheduled for Feb. 14 against Washington State.
Other Arkansas Baseball Tidbits
- After scoring the only run on Friday for the Cowboys, former Razorback Jayson Jones was key to the Cowboys’ win, going 2 for 2 with a solo homer in the second to open the scoring and a double. Those were his only hits of the weekend, as he finished the series 2 for 7.
- Across the 19 innings played this weekend, the Razorbacks struck out 26 Cowboys, not quite as impressive as the program-record 25 strikeouts recorded in a 14-inning game when the two teams faced off against each other in the 2024 College Baseball Classic at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
- Although the scorching sun dampened the crowd a little bit for the doubleheader from the roughly 8,000 fans that attended Friday’s game, Oklahoma State head coach Josh Holiday complimented the passion of the Arkansas baseball fan base across the two days.
“It is neat to see thousands of people show up for a fall intersquad game,” Holiday said. “That’s obviously awesome and a compliment to the people over here at the University of Arkansas and their fans. I don’t think there is any denying that they have got a pretty awesome fan base.”
Arkansas Baseball Postgame Interview
Arkansas vs Oklahoma State Box Scores (DH)
Game 1

Game 2

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