Arkansas Baseball Roster Breakdown: Position Players

The Arkansas Razorbacks have had a busy summer constructing the 2025 baseball roster, and the MLB Draft has given some clarity as to how the group could shape up with fall practice just around the corner. Between the Hogs’ luck in both the transfer portal and the MLB Draft, along with some notable developments in the Cape Cod Summer League, it’s looking like the Razorback lineup should be much improved on paper.

[ICYMI: Arkansas Baseball Roster Breakdown: Pitching Staff]

(Classes listed below reflect the 2025 season)

Outfield

Transfer Additions:

• FGCU (So.) Charles Davalan
• TCU (Sr.) Logan Maxwell
• Fresno St. (Sr.) Rocco Peppi
• Florida Southwestern State JC (Jr.) Justin Thomas
• Crowder JC (Jr.) Kolton Reynolds
• Lincoln Memorial (Sr.) Carson Boles

Returners:

• Kendall Diggs (Sr.)

On paper, the Hogs added three Division 1 transfers good enough to come in and start in the outfield with Davalan, Maxwell and Peppi. It’s not a coincidence that Milwaukee transfer Carson Hansen flipped his commitment to Kentucky after it was clear Kendall Diggs would return to Arkansas.

Davalan feels like a pretty safe bet to start somewhere in the outfield, particularly because of his potential to play center field. The FGCU transfer, who is originally from Canada, hit .288 with 13 stolen bases and 10 home runs during a strong freshman year, and he’s generated some buzz as a draft prospect (eligible after 2025 season) for his well-rounded skill set.

Maxwell and Peppi have proven track records of hitting at the Division 1 level, with each guy hitting over .300 in at least two full seasons. Maxwell hit .335 in the Big 12 as TCU’s primary DH this past spring, making him a pretty safe bet to get on base in the SEC, but Peppi hit a career-high 14 homers in 2024.

The Hogs also took a flier on Carson Boles from the Division 2 level after he hit a whopping .475 with 15 home runs in his junior season, and Justin Thomas making it through the draft was a nice semi-surprise. With all of the additions, along with the somewhat unexpected return from Diggs following an injury-riddled junior season, the Hogs should see an uptick in production out of the outfield in 2025.

Corner Infield

Transfer Additions:

• BYU (So.) Kuhio Aloy
• Rhode Island (Jr.) Michael Anderson
• New Mexico JC (Jr.) Brent Iredale
• Seward County JC (Jr.) Trenton Rowan
• Coffeyville JC (Jr.) Carson Schrack

Returners:

• Reese Robinett (R-So.)
• Nolan Souza (So.)

The Diamond Hogs have no shortage of options at first and third, albeit with no clear starters. Still, there is plenty of upside and intrigue from the group, and it starts with two talented returners in Reese Robinett and Nolan Souza, both looking to build on solid flashes from their freshman seasons.

If the name Aloy seems familiar, it should. Kuhio Aloy joins his brother Wehiwa in Fayetteville after a solid freshman season spent as the everyday DH at BYU, where he hit .269 with eight home runs. Between Aloy and the trio of JUCO options added, depth shouldn’t be a problem for Arkansas on the corner.

Of the junior college signees, Brent Iredale is the most likely challenger for a starting spot. After hitting .441 with 25 homers, the Sydney (Australia) native was viewed by many as one of the best JUCO prospects in the MLB Draft. He’s a legitimate threat for first base, third base or the designated hitter spot at Arkansas.

Perhaps Iredale’s top competition will be Rhode Island transfer Michael Anderson, who has a bit of a polarizing resume to this point. Anderson has legitimate power with 23 home runs in two collegiate seasons, but his .316 average as a freshman dropped to .252 this past spring. He strikes out a decent amount, so it’s fair to wonder if he’ll make consistent enough contact to play every day, but he may do enough damage to justify at least a look.

Middle Infield

Transfer Additions

• Vanderbilt (So.) Camden Kozeal

Returners:

• Wehiwa Aloy (Jr.)
• Nolan Souza (So.)

The Razorbacks have a bonafide star at shortstop in Wehiwa Aloy, who is currently hitting .309 with eight home runs and drawing first-round draft projections for next summer. The battle to be his double-play partner features two highly-touted sophomores in Souza and Kozeal, who both could wind up being in the everyday lineup regardless.

It feels like either Souza or Kozeal could wind up being a legitimate threat to start at a couple of other positions if they don’t end up at second base. Souza had some ups and downs as a freshman but slugged .509 in 40 games with seven home runs. With another offseason of development, it’s not hard to envision a path to him being a big-time run producer with a lot of power potential.

Kozeal is in a similar boat after hitting for a higher average as a freshman at Vanderbilt (.284) with a little bit less power (5 HR, 8 2B in 43 G) than Souza. Kozeal is currently hitting .250 in Cape Cod, but he’s leading the league in doubles with nine. Between he and Souza, the Hogs are likely to get at least one legitimate left-handed bat to have in the lineup. And it wouldn’t be too hard to fit both guys in, if necessary.

Catcher

Transfer Addition:

• Southeast CC (Jr.) Elliott Peterson

Returner:

• Ryder Helfrick (So.)

Perhaps one of the most intriguing developments from the summer for Arkansas has been the play of rising sophomore Ryder Helfrick, who leads the Cape Cod League with 10 home runs in 28 games. While his freshman season didn’t show it consistently, Helfrick has all the tools to be an impact player for the Hogs and become one of the better prospects in his class.

The Hogs also went out and got a nice addition from the JUCO ranks in Peterson, who hit an unbelievable .517 (no, not a typo) last season with 15 home runs and 15 doubles. Regardless of who winds up handling the everyday duties behind the plate, both Helfrick and Peterson are also viable candidates for DH work in the lineup.

The freshman class (listed below) might not feature a long list of Day 1 starters, but it does include two (perhaps three depending on what Steele Eaves wants to do) catchers.

Freshman Position Players

• C Zane Becker (Flower Mound, TX)
• OF Brenton Clark (Texarkana, TX)
• MIF Gabe Fraser (Westminster, CA)
• OF Sam Lee (Montgomery, TX)
• C Carson Willis (Rogers, AR)