Diamond Hogs not planning to rely on homers

The Arkansas Razorbacks have been one of the most consistent programs in all of college baseball, but the Hogs’ offensive production has dipped in recent years. Following a disappointing end to the 2024 season, head coach Dave Van Horn spoke about wanting to field a more athletic lineup at Arkansas moving forward, and he believes the Hogs have accomplished that entering the 2025 campaign.

[Related: Arkansas Baseball Announces 2025 Schedule]

Under hitting coach Nate Thompson, power has been a clear priority for the Razorbacks, who set school records for home runs in 2018, 2019 and 2021. The Hogs will once again have no shortage of slugging ability this upcoming season, and there’s been a noticeable uptick in stolen bases throughout fall practice.

Rising sophomore Nolan Souza is 13-of-14 on stolen base attempts through six weeks of scrimmages after attempting just three all of last season. Wehiwa Aloy, who led the team with a 7-for-7 mark on the basepaths a year ago, has gone 5-for-6 this fall. Even Ryder Helfrick, who attempted just one stolen base in 2024, is 3-for-3 in fall practice.

The Hogs should also get a nice boost on the basepaths from newcomers, with both Logan Maxwell (TCU transfer) and Charles Davalan (FGCU transfer) logging double-digit stolen bases last season. JUCO transfer Brent Iredale, who leads the team with five home runs while hitting .441, is also 6-for-6 this fall.

Van Horn feels like the rise in action on the basepaths has made the Hogs a more well-rounded team throughout fall practice.

“I know that we’ve worked at it a lot and should be able to run when other teams are not paying attention,” Van Horn said. “We have worked it into our offense a lot more where maybe we’re taking more chances. In the fall, you’re going to run wild if you think that’s what you can do, and that’s what we did. But it made us better.

“I’d say the last 10 days, our pitchers have done a lot better job at holding runners, being able to defend it. It helped everybody. It helped us gain confidence in stealing bases or having the opportunity to steal them. And on the defensive end – pitchers, middle infielders, whoever, covering the base, whatever. It’s just been good. It’s helped us get better.”

In years past, the Diamond Hogs have taken a more opportunistic approach to stealing bases, only running on teams they felt had a deficiency behind the plate or on the mound with holding runners. In 2025, Van Horn feels like his team will be more likely to put pressure on opposing teams, particularly in low-scoring affairs.

“It’s not like I’m trying to hide anything,” Van Horn said. “We feel like we do have some guys that can run, and there’s going to be days when the other team is awfully good on the mound, or things aren’t going our way or the wind is blowing in. We can still hit home runs. We’ve got power, we’ve got athletes. But yeah, to answer your question, with most of the lineups we can put out there, we’re going to be a lot better equipped to score runs, so to speak.”

The Arkansas Razorbacks will get an opportunity to showcase their new approach offensively as they host the Oklahoma State Cowboys in a two-game exhibition series at Baum-Walker Stadium this weekend. Friday’s bout is set for 6 p.m. (CT), followed by a noon (CT) showdown on Saturday. Both games are free for fans to attend.