Image credit:
Ryder Helfrick (Photo by Eddie Kelly)
The 2026 college baseball season is almost here. As such, we’re breaking down every preseason Top 25 team in greater detail. Check out Arkansas’ 2026 season preview below.
Quick Hits
Last Season: 50-15 (20-10 SEC); Reached College World Series
Final 2025 Ranking: No. 3
Coach (Record at school): Dave Van Horn (933-472, 24th season)
College Baseball Top 25 Skinny
Arkansas again found itself agonizingly close in 2025, eliminated by eventual national champion LSU on a misplayed ball to left field that ended another season spent operating at the sport’s highest tier. The program’s national title drought remains intact, a persistent absence amid otherwise sustained excellence under Dave Van Horn.
The response was familiar. Arkansas reloaded, reset and positioned itself for another run, leaning on a roster built to contend even as the margin between breakthrough and heartbreak remains thin. Van Horn’s teams have long proven capable of absorbing losses and recalibrating quickly. The 2026 roster reflects that same confidence, constructed with the expectation of competing deep into June once again.
Arkansas Baseball Strengths
Pitching remains the program’s organizing principle. Arkansas expects to again control games from the mound, beginning with righthander Gabe Gaeckle at the front of the rotation. The staff believes his draft year presents the opportunity for a transition to starting to stick. He is backed by a lefthanded group of Cole Gibler, Colin Fisher and Vanderbilt transfer Ethan McElvain, giving Arkansas options rather than rigid assignments.
The lineup carries its own collection of high-end talent. Catcher Ryder Helfrick enters the year as one of the program’s top draft prospects after drawing strong reviews throughout the fall for his offensive impact and consistency behind the plate. Second baseman Cam Kozeal opens the season inside the top 100 for the 2026 draft, anchoring the middle of the infield. Slugger Kuhio Aloy returns after hitting 13 home runs and 15 doubles as a sophomore, supplying established power. Arkansas supplemented that core through the portal, adding infielders TJ Pompey and Maika Niu and outfielders Zack Stewart and Damian Ruiz, all expected to contribute immediately.
Arkansas Baseball Weaknesses
The losses were severe. Arkansas led the nation in top-10-round selections, with top pitchers Zach Root, Landon Biedelschies and Gage Wood headlining a draft class that also pulled shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, outfielder Charles Davalan and reliever Christian Foutch into professional baseball, among others. That exodus leaves significant production to be replaced by players either new to the SEC or unaccustomed to everyday roles. In the sport’s most unforgiving league, that transition carries risk, particularly early in the season before roles and rhythms stabilize.
Arkansas Baseball Player To Know
Gaeckle sits at the center of Arkansas’ season. After opening last year in the rotation and struggling, he returned to the bullpen and dominated, posting a 2.06 ERA across 35 innings in relief. That performance confirmed the quality of his arsenal but did not resolve questions about his durability and efficiency as a starter. With heavy pitching losses to the draft, Arkansas now needs that conversion to hold. Whether it does will shape the Razorbacks’ ceiling.
Arkansas Baseball 2026 Projected Lineup, Rotation
PosPlayerYearAVGOBPSLGABHRRBINote/previous schoolCRyder HelfrickJr..305.420.61619015381BReese RobinettR-Jr..260.400.438733132BCam KozealJr..333.386.60623115623BTJ PompeyJr..348.397.62369515Texas TechSSNolan SouzaJr..250.374.42796422OFMaika NiuSr..276.343.5602431552MarshallOFZack StewartSr..269.371.4951821131Missouri StateOFKuhio AloyJr..317.404.5392431370DHDamian RuizJr..388.511.607214746LamarPosYearGSIPERAWHIPSO%BB%SPGabe GaeckleJr.971.14.421.3229.9%10.1%SPCole GiblerSo.029.13.991.2644.5%9.4%SPColin FisherJr.525.14.621.2628.7%11.1%RPEthan McElvainJr.527.17.242.1631.0%19.3%VanderbiltRPParker CoilJr.021.11.271.1227.0%2.2%RPSteele EavesSo.09.21.861.1423.8%4.8%