2024 College Top 25 Preview: No. 3 Arkansas
Image credit: Hagen Smith (Photo courtesy of Arkansas Athletics)
Last season: 43-18 (20-10), lost in Fayetteville Regional
Final ranking: No. 16
Coach (record at school): Dave Van Horn (839-441, 21 seasons)
The good news: It starts on the mound for the Razorbacks. Lefthander Hagen Smith, a first-team all-SEC starter last season, returns to lead the rotation. Backing him in the rotation will be righthander Brady Tygart, who last season pitched well down the stretch as a starter, and lefthander Mason Molina, who last season was Texas Tech’s top starter before transferring to Arkansas. Righthander Gage Wood returns to anchor the bullpen, which received additional reinforcements through the Razorbacks’ second-ranked recruiting class. With Smith leading the way, Arkansas could have the best pitching staff in the conference.
The bad news: Arkansas is rebuilding its lineup after losing six regulars. While this spring’s lineup will look different, it won’t be lacking for talent. The Razorbacks again hit the transfer portal hard to reload, bringing in a mix of veterans—slugger Jack Wagner (Tarleton State) and outfielder Ty Wilmsmeyer (Missouri) —and high-end prospects—shortstop Wehiwa Aloy (Sacramento State) and catcher Hudson White (Texas Tech). Those newcomers will need to hit the ground running, especially with White, Alloy and Wilmsmeyer expected to take on up-the-middle positions, but Arkansas consistently found a way to reload the offense on the fly.
Player to know: Hagen Smith, SP. Smith has been a critical piece of the Razorbacks’ pitching staff since he stepped on campus and is 15-4, 3.64 with 199 strikeouts in 149 career innings. While Arkansas experimented with him as a relief ace early in 2023 when the pitching staff was struggling with injuries, there’s now no question about his role at the front of the rotation. He’s also one of the best pitching prospects in the country and has a chance to be the highest drafted pitcher in program history.
Path to Omaha: Arkansas last season had a stellar regular season, despite being beset by injuries. Those injuries—and a great TCU team—eventually caught up to them in regionals, and the season ended with a disappointing showing in regionals. Avoiding the injury bug in 2024 will be important, but Arkansas might be deeper if its newcomers, especially the freshmen, can quickly adjust to the new level. Just as importantly, the Razorbacks must find the right answers in the lineup. As the season begins, they don’t have a lineup anchor, equivalent to Smith on the pitching staff. Such a player may emerge as the season goes on or Arkansas may need to rely on the depth of its offense. Either way, the Razorbacks need to find their 2024 identity.
| Pos. | Name | Year | AVG | OBP | SLG | AB | HR | RBI |
| C | Hudson White | Jr. | Transfer—Texas Tech | |||||
| 1B | Ben MacLaughlin | Sr. | .346 | .442 | .487 | 78 | 2 | 14 |
| 2B | Peyton Stovall | Jr. | .253 | .330 | .393 | 150 | 5 | 31 |
| 3B | Peyton Holt | Sr. | .392 | .489 | .581 | 74 | 2 | 17 |
| SS | Wehiwa Alloy | So. | Transfer—Sacramento State | |||||
| OF | Jayson Jones | So. | .196 | .403 | .370 | 46 | 2 | 6 |
| OF | Ty Wilmsmeyer | R-Sr. | Transfer—Missouri | |||||
| OF | Kendall Diggs | Jr. | .299 | .436 | .547 | 201 | 12 | 63 |
| DH | Jack Wagner | R-Sr. | Transfer—Tarleton State | |||||
| Pos. | Name | Class | W | L | ERA | IP | SO | SV |
| SP | Hagen Smith | Jr. | 8 | 2 | 3.64 | 72 | 109 | 2 |
| SP | Brady Tygart | Jr. | 3 | 1 | 3.20 | 25 | 31 | 1 |
| SP | Mason Molina | Jr. | Transfer—Texas Tech | |||||
| RP | Gage Wood | So. | 2 | 0 | 4.80 | 30 | 42 | 5 |
| RP | Gabe Gaeckle | Fr. | HS—Aptos, Calif. | |||||
| RP | Will McEntire | R-Sr. | 8 | 3 | 5.07 | 87 | 83 | 2 |
