Diamond Hogs End Their Trip to Arlington Going 2-1

After starting the season with a four-game sweep over Washington State, the Hogs traveled to Globe Life Field and finished the College Baseball Series 2-1. They earned wins over No. 22 TCU and Michigan but lost the opening game to Kansas State.

Game One Recap

Game one was against Kansas State, which entered the game 1-4 on the season. The Hogs struggled to generate offense and went into the sixth inning trailing 2-0. In the sixth, the Razorbacks found some life from the Aloy brothers. First, Wehiwa Aloy hit a solo home run to lead off the inning, but not to be outdone by his older brother, Kuhio Aloy also hit a solo homer in the sixth to tie the game at 2-2. The Wildcats responded with a run in the seventh, and the Hogs’ bats couldn’t produce another score the rest of the game as Kansas State held on for a 3-2 win.

Game Two Recap

Game two was another slow day offensively for both teams in the Hogs’ first ranked vs. ranked matchup of the season. Despite allowing a run in the fourth inning, Arkansas pitcher Zach Root pitched five innings, allowing just two hits while striking out 10 TCU batters. Entering the seventh inning, the Hogs had yet to score until Kuhio Aloy came in to pinch hit and, on the first pitch of the at-bat, knocked a two-RBI double to give Arkansas a 2-1 lead. Thanks to key pitching from Zach Root, Landon Beidelschies, and Christian Foutch, the Razorbacks held on for the 2-1 victory.

Game Three Recap

The last game of the College Baseball Series for the Hogs was against Michigan. Arkansas started hot, scoring seven runs in the first three innings to take a 7-1 lead. At the beginning of the third inning, Arkansas starting pitcher Gage Wood left the game with an injury after striking out six batters in two innings. The Wolverines fought back with five unanswered runs starting in the sixth inning, but the Hogs held on to win 8-6 thanks to a big day from Wehiwa Aloy, who went 4-for-4 with two RBI and a home run.

“Well, you know we played two nail-biters,” head coach Dave Van Horn said. “We didn’t play great on Friday, didn’t win. We played pretty good yesterday and just didn’t make any mistakes. You know, today it looked like we played till midnight and got up early and played again—honestly, a little sloppy. We’re a lot better than that.”

Who Stood Out for the Hogs

The Aloy brothers had a great weekend for Arkansas. Kuhio had three RBI on two hits, including a game-tying home run against Kansas State and a go-ahead two RBI double against TCU. Wehiwa had three RBI on six hits, including a 4-for-4 game against Michigan, where he was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

Pitcher Zach Root stepped up against No. 22 TCU for the Hogs. He started and pitched five innings, allowing only one run to 21 batters while striking out 10 Horned Frogs, helping Arkansas secure the 2-1 win.

Looking Ahead for the Hogs

The Hogs will host a midweek game against Grambling on Feb. 25 at Baum-Walker Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. CST on SEC Network+. After that, Arkansas will host Charlotte for a weekend series from Feb. 28 through March 2, also available on SEC Network+.