The No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks have secured the SEC West title for the eighth time under head coach Dave Van Horn. It is the program’s fifth division title in the last six full seasons.
The Hogs improved to 43-11 on the season and 20-9 in SEC play with a 6-3 victory to even the series with No. 5 Texas A&M, which dropped to 43-11 and 18-11 in conference games.
The Aggies took an early lead before the ESPN App could even get the game available to stream for fans, but the Razorbacks worked back into the game while Gage Wood steadied it in his first career weekend start. Arkansas got four shutout innings from two unlikely bullpen heroes and took its first lead of the game on a big swing in the eighth inning from Hudson White.
Here’s a closer look at the action ahead of tomorrow’s regular season finale.
Scoring Recap
Bottom 1 – Texas A&M 2, Arkansas 0: Peyton Stovall made a rare throwing error with one out, and the Aggies immediately turned that into a two-run lead as Braden Montgomery launched his 25th home run of the season to the opposite field.
Top 2 – Texas A&M 2, Arkansas 1: White ripped a base hit to left field to start the frame, and the Hogs kept peppering the left side as Ryder Helfrick singled down the third-base line before Peyton Holt slipped an RBI knock through the left side.
Top 3 – Texas A&M 2, Arkansas 2: Wehiwa Aloy swung through a first-pitch changeup from Justin Lamkins, who struck out eight Hogs in 3 2/3 innings of work. Aloy got another crack at the offspeed on the next pitch and did not miss it, sending it 401 feet to center for his 12th home run of the year.
Bottom 3 – Texas A&M 3, Arkansas 2: Graham Grahovac led off with an opposite-field double on the first pitch of the frame from Wood, and Jace Laviolette got A&M back on top by hammering a 3-2 fastball to right field for an RBI single. Wood allowed another hit to Montgomery after that, but he battled back to keep it a one-run game and strand two.
Top 6 – Texas A&M 3, Arkansas 3: Stovall led off with a base hit, and White followed with a one-out walk before Ben McLaughlin jumped on a first-pitch heater and smoked it to center for a game-tying knock. The Hogs wound up getting runners on first and third with one out but couldn’t take the lead.
Top 8 – Arkansas 6, Texas A&M 3: Stovall led off with another base hit, this one up the middle and into center field, and Aloy got back in on the action with a double off the wall in left field. White provided the big swing with RISP that Arkansas had been looking for, launching a 3-2 breaking ball to left field for perhaps the biggest swing of the season for the Razorbacks.
Gorilla of the Game
Hudson White: 2-3, HR (5), 3 RBI, 2 R
It’s hard to top Stovall reaching base four times, but White launched the game-winning home run in a game that clinched a division title. He also drew a clutch walk in a strong at-bat in the sixth inning to help Arkansas tie the game. His emergence continues to be a huge bright spot for the Hogs offensively.
White now owns a 10-game hit streak, which has featured five two-hit games. In that span, he’s hit 4 of his 5 home runs on the year, driven in 13 runs and scored 10 more. And he’s done this while catching all 10 games.
On the year, he’s now hitting .293 and a team-high .325 in SEC play.
Most Valuable Arm
Gage Wood: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 5 K
The bullpen should absolutely not be overlooked, given the four scoreless innings from Parker Coil and Mason Molina, who were thrust into their first real leverage bullpen work of the year. But there was a lot to like about what Wood did with his crack at a weekend starting role.
It wasn’t perfect, but the Batesville native simply gave Arkansas a chance to win. He threw a ton of strikes (58 of 86 to be exact), didn’t panic when things got tight, and seemed to pick up steam down the stretch with 4 of his 5 strikeouts coming in his last 2 innings.
We’ll see if Wood’s effort is enough to get him another start as the Hogs enter the postseason soon, but it should at least give fans a lot of confidence in what the sophomore right-hander can do in a big spot against an elite offense.
Other Notes & Observations
- Molina made his first relief appearance since the 2022 season, and he retired all nine hitters he faced. In his first inning of work, he touched 95 mph with his fastball, which is quite notable for a guy who typically works in the 89-91 mph range. Does this mean he’s back on track and ready to return to his usual starting role, or did the Hogs find themselves a new bullpen weapon? Regardless, it’s hard not to be encouraged by the bounceback performance from the junior left-hander.
- Coil has now put together three impressive outings in a row after striking out Braden Montgomery in a key spot Thursday and tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings against Mississippi State a week ago. He’s been utilizing a cutter recently, and it seems it’s given him a real path to high-leverage work down the stretch.
- Helfrick got another start at designated hitter tonight and went 1-for-2 before being pinch hit for Nolan Souza against a right-hander. Souza struck out in his lone plate appearance, and Will Edmunson laid down a sacrifice bunt in that spot the next time it came around.
- Kentucky clinched at least a share of the SEC title with its win Friday, eliminating Arkansas from contention to defend its regular season conference crown. While the Hogs would certainly like a nice series win, there do appear to be limited stakes in Saturday’s bout.
What’s Left for Saturday?
With the SEC West title secured, Arkansas will turn to Will McEntire, who threw five pitches in Thursday’s series opener, for his first start of the season on Saturday.
This will be the 20th career start for McEntire as a Hog and could be a nice chance for the senior right-hander, who has delivered huge moments in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments, to build some positive momentum heading into the postseason.
Ben Bybee, who was the Hogs’ top midweek pitcher and has three SEC starts under his belt, has not yet thrown this weekend and will likely be an option to eat up some innings after McEntire.
Cooper Dossett was up and warming in the bullpen during Friday’s game, so it would appear as though he’s due for some time on the mound. Christian Foutch threw just 12 pitches on Friday, and Stone Hewlett threw one, so both would be available for work if needed. Even Jake Faherty could get a look after being used for 19 pitches in Game 1.
Freshman closer Gabe Gaeckle threw 38 pitches on Friday and is likely available to pitch. But you’d imagine the Hogs would like to avoid using him for a lengthy outing.
Translation: The Hogs are in fairly decent shape on the mound, even with Brady Tygart likely headed for a rest day. And ultimately, the Razorbacks aren’t going to go crazy chasing a win in a game that does little to change their postseason standing.