Arkansas: LHP Cole Gibler
The ceiling is high for Arkansas’ potential weekend rotation, but the floor feels low, too. Most eyes will be on potential All-American junior Gabe Gaeckle, but a pair of left-handers in Hunter Dietz and Gibler could make or break the Razorbacks this season.
Dietz, a redshirt sophomore, accrued plenty of buzz in the fall, but Gibler looks especially poised to make the move from bullpen piece to starter. He made 20 appearances as a freshman, totaling 29.1 innings. He finished with a 3.99 ERA, striking out 57 while walking just 12. Those are gaudy numbers for a workload that wasn’t especially large.
The fastball sits in the mid-90s, while an array of swing-and-miss offerings all look the part, especially a tight slider that hovers in the mid-80s. How Gibler transitions into a larger role will be key, especially if Gaeckle lacks consistency on the front line.
Auburn: RHP Christian Chatterton
The biggest question mark on the Auburn roster is undoubtedly the pitching staff. Head coach Butch Thompson and Co. return arms that accounted for 40 percent of their innings last season, but considering their 4.70 team ERA finished 12th in the SEC, they’ll need multiple returnees to make a leap this spring.
Plenty of weight will fall on the shoulders of Chatterton, who did impress at times as a freshman in 2025. He made 14 starts and compiled a 4.47 ERA across 52.1 innings. Maneuvering through SEC lineups was a tall task, but he looked the part against weaker competition and actually held batters to a .201 average.
Chatterton struck out 60 and walked 18. He really found a groove in April, not allowing an earned run throughout four starts that spanned 19 innings. In his final midweek start of the year, he went six scoreless and fanned 10 in a dominant outing vs. Samford.