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Arkansas vs. Portland (Game 1)

The No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks (12-1, 0-0 SEC) are set to begin a three-game series Friday against the Portland Pilots (5-8, 0-0 WCC) at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.

Arkansas is fresh off a pair of seven-inning run rule wins of Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Razorbacks outscored the Warhawks by a score of 29-4 across the two contests.

RELATED: Arkansas blasts past Warhawks, 15-3

Getting the nod on the mound Friday against the Pilots will once again be sophomore ace Gabe Gaeckle, who gave up nine earned runs on 10 hits in three innings last Friday in the 11-10 win over Charlotte. Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said Wednesday that he thinks Gaeckle has handled the last week really well.

"He's upset with himself," Van Horn said. "He's a hard-worker. He's a dedicated kid, man. He wants to win and he wants to be as good as he can be. He's got a lot of pride. I look forward to watching him pitch on Friday. I think he'll have a really good outing."

Portland won two of three games last weekend in a series against Utah Tech before the Pilots were shutout, 3-0, by Washington on Tuesday in Seattle. The Pilots rank fifth in the West Coast Conference in batting average (.242), seventh in fielding percentage (.967) and second in earned run average (5.02).

Below are details on how to watch, BetSaracen betting lines, links to stream and links to all of our coverage leading up to the game...

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How to Watch/Listen​

Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (12-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Portland Pilots (5-8, 0-0 WCC)

When: Friday, March 7 at 3 p.m. CT

Where: Baum-Walker Stadium — Fayetteville, Arkansas

TV/Stream: SEC Network+ / Watch ESPN(Brett Dolan and Troy Eklund)

Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network(Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter)
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Starting Pitchers​

Portland – RHP Carter Gaston (0-3, 1.69 ERA)

Arkansas – RHP Gabe Gaeckle (0-0, 7.24 ERA)
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BetSaracen Odds​

Below are details on the betting odds for the game and Double R Prop bets. To get in on the action, visit BetSaracen.com and click on the Arkansas Specials tab.

(Lines and odds are subject to change at any point after the publishing of this story. HawgBeat does not guarantee any bet as a winner or loser. You must be at least 21 years of age to use BetSaracen. If you have a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit 1800gambler.net)

*All odds accurate as of the publishing of this story. They are subject to change.*


Moneyline/Spread
- Arkansas: -850
- Portland: +500

Double R Props (More available in the BetSaracen app)

- Kuhio Aloy over 0.5 home run (+110)

- Arkansas team over 11.5 hits and opponent under 6.5 hits (+275)

- Gabe Gaeckle over 5 2/3 innings pitched and over 8.5 strikeouts (+200)

- Nolan Souza over 0.5 strikeout and over 0.5 RBI (+250)

- Cam Kozeal over 1.5 hits and over 0.5 runs scored (+325)

- Kendall Diggs over 0.5 home run (+425)
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Catch Up On HawgBeat's Arkansas Baseball Coverage​

- Pitching Matchups: Arkansas vs. Portland
- WATCH: Van Horn, players postgame - Arkansas vs. ULM
- Arkansas blasts past Warhawks, 15-3
- Arkansas run-rules ULM, 14-1

Arkansas crushes Portland in run-rule rout

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FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 3 Arkansas baseball team (13-1, 0-0 SEC) earned a Game 1 run-rule victory in seven innings Friday afternoon over the Portland Pilots (5-9, 0-0 WCC), 20-3, at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Right-handed ace Gabe Gaeckle was solid in a much-needed bounce-back start, as he completed 5.1 innings with two hits, two earned runs, three walks and seven strikeouts on 87 pitches.

Only one pitcher, freshman right-hander Steele Eaves, took the mound in relief of Gaeckle, and he tossed 1.2 innings with four hits, one earned run and one strikeout.

Led by Wehiwa Aloy's and Brent Iredale's two-homer days, plus another multi-hit performance by Kuhio Aloy, the Diamond Hogs finished 13-for-31 at the plate with five home runs, six walks and seven punch outs.

Looking for a big bounceback first inning after struggling in recent games, Gaeckle didn't get his wish. The Pirates stuck first against Arkansas' ace with a two-out, two-RBI triple by Cole Katayama-Stall to take a 2-0 lead.

Arkansas matched Portland's scoring with its own in the bottom of the first, highlighted by, you guessed it, a Kuhio Aloy RBI double. Brent Iredale added a two-RBI double and Cam Kozeal capped off the scoring with an RBI groundout to hand Arkansas a 4-2 advantage.

After a hitless frame by Gaeckle, the Razorbacks exploded in the bottom of the second. The first run came on an error, as Ryder Helfrick (who reached via a hit-by-pitch) came around to score from third. With the bases loaded, Kuhio Aloy added two more RBIs to his total on a single. Home runs by Iredale and Nolan Souza pushed the lead out to 11-2 before Portland finally escaped the inning.

Gaeckle cruised in the top of the third behind a popup and two groundouts, and Charles Davalan led off Arkansas' half of the inning with a hit-by-pitch. He was driven in by Wehiwa Aloy, who smashed a good pitch off the center field wall to make it 13-2, Hogs.

The scoring cooled off in the middle innings, likely thanks to four Gaeckle strikeouts (including a three-strikeout top of the fifth), but the Hogs had some movement again in the bottom of the fifth.

Justin Thomas Jr. and Wehiwa Aloy started things off with a groundout and walk, respectively, before pinch-hitter Kendall Diggs tripled to right center to drive home two more runs. Following a Kuhio Aloy walk, Iredale mashed homerun No. 2 to score three additional runs. Arkansas finished the inning up, 18-3.

Freshman right-hander Steele Eaves came on in the top of the sixth in relief of Gaeckle, who left with one out recorded in the frame. Eaves did allow a run to come across on a single, but that was all Portland could muster against the youngster.

That run was taken back by Arkansas in its next time up to bat when Wehiwa Aloy launched his second home run of the day, a two-RBI moonshot, over the wall in left-center field to increase the Hogs' lead to 20-3.

Eaves took the mound again in the top of the seventh, and despite two Portland singles, he ended the game with a strikeout looking to clinch Game 1.

Up next, Arkansas will face Portland in Game 2 of the series on Saturday. First pitch for that game is set for 2 p.m. CT and it will air on SEC Network+.

Box Score​



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Pittman confident Arkansas will hire general manager soon

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Ahead of the spring transfer portal window opening in mid-April, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said Thursday that the Razorbacks are well on their way to hiring a general manager soon.

It's a move long coming for Arkansas, which has already been beaten to the punch nationally and in the SEC, to many fans' unrest. Some notable general manager hirings include Oklahoma's Jim Nagy, North Carolina's Michael Lombardi, Notre Dame's Mike Martin, USC's Chad Bowden, Nebraska's Patrick Stewart and Stanford's Andrew Luck.

ALSO READ: Razorbacks dealing with injuries entering spring practice

The expectation, according to Pittman during an appearance on the Chuck and Bo Show, is that Arkansas will have its new general manager by late March or early April.

"Maybe even sooner, because the portal is going to open back up again in April," Pittman said Thursday. "You need another set of eyes, not one, you need several sets of eyes. I can't be the bad guy all the time, where the money and the finances are coming, basically the questions and all that, I'm answering them. I don't want to. I know that's my responsibility, but I need a buffer."

What exactly does a general manager's role encompass, however, and how will that help Arkansas? Early reporting around college football's vast landscape indicates a varying list of responsibilities, but most center around a front-office approach to roster construction.

"You have to understand your roster," Pittman said. "You have to have a list. In other words, you can't have, 'Well, we'll take these five guys,' you got to have a 'Him first, him second, what's his value, how much money do you have in revenue sharing left,' all these things that have nothing to do with a deuce block or a double-team block, that somebody else has much more perspective, awareness than what we would, and it's another voice.

"I think that's why everybody is paying them a tremendous amount of money around the SEC, these general managers and I think it's a good thing and certainly we're not here to say, 'Okay, tell me who to go out and get and that's what we're going to do, but tell me your opinion about who's one, who's two, who's three,' and then it's another way to be righter than wronger, if that makes sense...It's time for us to add that extra position and I'm very confident we will."

Arkansas fared fairly well in the winter transfer portal window, as it rallied up a group ranked 11th nationally, but clear needs remain on the roster ahead of the spring and Pittman said the Razorbacks need a top-dog type to assist.

"Well, I want somebody that's done it," Pittman said. "So you may have to go to the NFL, NBA, whatever, to find somebody like that. You want someone who's kind of done that before, whether it be the top dog or the second, you know, somebody that understands that. Because that's something that I've never dealt with. Well, I have for three years, and I want some help. You would want a recruiter. If somebody comes in and says, 'Well, I need $500,000,' you don't want to just — Hell, any of us can say, 'Oh, okay.’

“I mean, we need a negotiator. To be honest with you, I need someone that takes the, ‘Well, Coach Pittman won't give it to me. Coach Pittman won't give it to me.’ I need that taken off my plate. I need somebody to be ahead of what the market is...But that's what I'm looking for. And I'm looking for someone to talk to these kids’ agents, besides me. I want somebody else to talk to them and then give me the information.”

Though Pittman was reluctant to give any names away, he said Arkansas has talked to general manager candidates and that while he has "some say so" in who gets hired, so do others.

"I think we can find somebody that has those traits that I've spoke of," Pittman said. "I believe we have found guys like that. But before the portal opens up, we've better get somebody in here that understands our football team first and then our needs, like we spoke of, our needs and then let's get some ranking going on and then, coming soon I'll go in the portal and get those guys evaluated.

Arkansas football will begin spring practice March 10, with the annual Red-White game scheduled for April 19. Be sure to follow along at The Trough premium message board for video, coverage and more for the Razorbacks.

Pitching Matchups: Arkansas vs. Portland

Friday, March 7

Portland – RHP Carter Gaston (0-3, 1.69 ERA)

Arkansas – RHP Gabe Gaeckle (0-0, 7.24 ERA)

Saturday, March 8

Portland – RHP Kaden Segel (1-1, 2.57 ERA)

Arkansas – LHP Zach Root (1-0, 2.93 ERA)

Sunday, March 9

Portland – LHP Ryan Rembisz (2-0, 2.18 ERA)

Arkansas – LHP Landon Beidelschies (2-0, 1.29 ERA)

———————

Friday, March 7


Portland vs. #3 Arkansas – 3 p.m. – SEC Network+ListenLive Stats

Saturday, March 8

Portland vs. #3 Arkansas – 2 p.m. – SEC Network+ListenLive Stats

Sunday, March 9

Portland vs. #3 Arkansas – Noon – SEC Network+ListenLive Stats
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Meleek Thomas plans to flip script at Arkansas next season

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From @DanielFair:

The Arkansas Razorbacks have struggled a bit this season, but that won’t be the case next year if five-star guard Meleek Thomas has anything to say about it.

A 2025 Arkansas signee out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Thomas joined the 1-star Recruits podcast (yes, the same one that hosted athletic director Hunter Yurachek around this time last year) to talk about what he hopes to bring to Fayetteville next season.

“One immediate impact I’m going to bring to flip the script is just my energy, my leadership and my dominance,” Thomas told the podcast. “When I step onto the floor, anywhere I play at, I want to make my presence felt early, immediately. So I’m going to go in there and change the narrative.”

The No. 7 player in the nation according to Rivals is one of three high school signees for the Razorbacks this year, as he’ll join fellow five-star guard Darius Acuff Jr. and four-star guard Isaiah Sealy at Arkansas next season.

Coupled with some returning players and transfer portal adds, Thomas said he expects the Hogs to win plenty of games next season.

"The second year is going to be Arkansas’ turn-up year,” Thomas said. “Because it’s going to be me, Darius (Acuff Jr.), you’re going to have pieces coming back. My energy, my dominance, my leadership, how I’m able to score the ball and get my teammates open…it’s just going to change the narrative. I just don’t see us having a bad year at all next year.”

Led by Thomas, the City Reaperz are set to play in the Overtime Elite finals. His 26.8 points per game is good for second in the league and his 8.9 boards per game ranks third. He's shooting 38.2% from three and 48.2% from the field overall.

Arkansas coach John Calipari went in to see Thomas the day before the Hogs took down Texas, 86-81(OT), and Calipari watched Thomas drop 33 points to help beat Fear Of God Athletics, 95-72.

"I spent a lot of time with (Calipari) pregame just talking about how things were going, how I’m doing in OTE,” Thomas said. “He just wanted to check up on me and make sure things are progressing for me in the right way.”

Thomas committed to Arkansas on Nov. 11, 2024, over offers from schools like UConn, Alabama, Pittsburgh and others. Calipari had been recruiting him for nearly a year and a half, and part of what drew Thomas to the Head Hog was the Pittsburgh area, where both are from.

"(Moon Township) is where he’s from, but Pittsburgh is where he grew up, so it kind of hit me immediately,” Thomas said. “Especially with the kind of caliber coach he is, I never would have thought, before I knew that, that he was from the same area. So it was like, you’re that great of a coach and were from the same spot, so we could relate off that already.”

In addition to his high-level play at OTE, Thomas was also named to the McDonald's All-American Game roster and will play for the West team. He was also a Naismith Trophy First Team All-American Honorable Mention on Wednesday.

In the McDonald's All-American Game, he'll compete against his future teammate in Acuff, who was named to the East roster, as well as five-star forward Nate Ament, who is set to visit Arkansas this weekend before he makes his commitment on April 1.

Game 1 of the Overtime Elite finals between Thomas and the City Reaperz and YNG Dreamerz will tip off at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, March 7. The game will be streamed on Prime Video.

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Razorbacks dealing with injuries entering spring practice

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Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman announced Thursday that a handful of Razorbacks will miss varying levels of time due to injuries when spring practices start Monday.

The most notable of the group is redshirt senior defensive tackle Cameron Ball, who had elbow surgery, according to Pittman. Ball was named to the 2024 Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and registered 47 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks last season.

Senior Abilene Christian transfer defensive tackle David Oke (hamstring), redshirt senior Cincinnati transfer defensive back Jordan Young (shoulder), freshman defensive back Taijh Overton (shoulder) and freshman defensive lineman Keiundre Johnson (broken little toe) are also banged up.

"We've had some injuries that might hold guys out for the spring and might hold guys out for the first week," Pittman said Thursday. "David Oke will probably be out the first week, he got a hamstring. Taijh Overton, he's got a shoulder, he'll be out for the spring. Jordan Young will be out, he's got a shoulder too.

"There was one more, Cam Ball had elbow surgery from the last season. He needed it. Great timing to get it and he needs it for us and he needs it for his future. All those surgeries went well but I believe that's it."

Standing at 6-foot-2, 290-pound, Oke totaled 63 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble for the Wildcats a year ago. In his lone game against Power Four competition against Texas Tech, Oke racked up five total tackles, 1.5. tackles for loss and a quarterback hit.

Young, a 6-foot-0, 197-pound cornerback, racked up 35 total tackles, one tackle for loss and five pass breakups for the Bearcats in 2024. The former Florida transfer defensive back has racked up 80 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception and 13 pass breakups in his career.

The only freshmen to be mentioned by Pittman, Overton and Johnson were three-star prospects in the class of 2025. Overton, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound native of Alabama, tallied 102 total tackles and two interceptions as a senior. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Johnson notched 52 total tackles, 8.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss for Terrell High School last season.

Be sure to follow along at The Trough premium message board for updates on Arkansas spring football.

**2025 Arkansas Baseball Recruiting**

Arkansas got its 6th commitment for the '25 class:

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As of right now, the instant class is looking pretty damn salty with 7 of the top 200 players:

14: Landon Schaefer - SS - Fayetteville, AR - Committed to Arkansas
36: Jaison Delamar - OF - Fayetteville, AR - uncommitted
52: Mark Brissey - RHP - Batesville, AR - Committed to Arkansas
151: McClane Moody - RHP - Fort Smith, AR - Committed to Arkansas
161: Russ Martin - RHP - Rose Bud, AR - uncommitted
193: Ridge Southerland - RHP - Benton, AR - uncommitted

Other Arkansas commits

142: Tyler Briscoe - LHP - Abilene, TX
423: Cole Leach - 3B - Fort Gibson, OK
UR: Tanner Smart - RHP - Campbell, MO

Arkansas blasts past Warhawks, 15-3

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FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 3 Arkansas baseball team (12-1, 0-0 SEC) completed a two-game midweek series sweep of the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (5-7, 0-0 Sun Belt) with a 15-3 run-rule win in Game 2 on Wednesday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.

ALSO READ: Arkansas run-rules ULM, 14-1, in Game 1

Razorbacks' left fielder Charles Davalan, shortstop Wehiwa Aloy and designated hitter Kuhio Aloy all had multi-hit performances, and Davalan and Kuhio Aloy drove in four runs each to combine for eight total. Right fielder Kendall Diggs also hit his first home run of the season in the contest.

After the Hogs walked off the first game in run rule fashion with a grand slam from Kuhio Aloy less than 30 minutes before the second game started, it was Nolan Souza who walked things off with a 420-foot three-run home run for the run rule win in the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 2.

Relievers Tate McGuire and Will McEntire pitched a combined three scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no walks after starter Ben Bybee allowed three earned runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts in the game.

Arkansas loaded the bases twice in the bottom of the first inning, but the Hogs' only run scored in the frame was courtesy of a wild pitch to make it a 1-0 lead. The Warhawks quickly took the lead, though, with a two-out, two-run homer from designated hitter Jacob Billings off Ben Bybee in the top of the second inning.

The Razorbacks regained the lead in the bottom half of the second with pair of two-out RBI knocks from brothers Wehiwa Aloy and Kuhio Aloy to make it a 3-2 advantage. Louisiana-Monroe knotted it make up at 3-3 with a two-out RBI single from centerfielder Isaiah Walker.

With the bases once again loaded in the bottom of the third inning, the Razorbacks capitalized the best they could in the form of a 417-foot grand slam from Davalan to make it a four-run lead with one swing.

After Bybee worked his first scoreless frame of the game in the top of the fourth inning, Diggs drove a one-out solo home run to right field — his first of the season — in the bottom half to extend the Hogs' lead to 8-3.

Razorbacks' sophomore right-hander Tate McGuire relieved Bybee with the team's first 1-2-3 frame in the top of the fifth inning. In the bottom half, Wehiwa Aloy drove in a run with a double and Kuhio Aloy scored three with his second homer of the day — the first was a walk-off grand slam in Game 1 — to make it a 12-3 lead.

Both teams went scoreless in the sixth inning before the Razorbacks turned to veteran right-hander Will McEntire to pitch the top of the seventh inning, which was a perfect frame with two strikeouts for the Bryant (Ark.) native.

Louisiana-Monroe reliever Hollis Huff issues back-to-back two-out walks in the bottom half of the seventh before he was chased for right-hander Jace Duhon. Souza then drove his first homer of the year off Duhon to score three and walk things off for the 15-3 win.

Up next, the Razorbacks will host the Portland out of the West Coast Conference for a three-game series starting Friday at 3 p.m. CT at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville. All three games of the series will be streamed on SEC Network+.

Box Score

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Arkansas, ULM postpone Game 1

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Game 1 of the series between Arkansas and Louisiana-Monroe at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville was postponed Tuesday due to unplayable field conditions, the team announced.

The contest will begin at 2 p.m. CT in the same spot — with the Razorbacks ahead 10-1 with runners on second and third base and no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. The third-ranked Diamond Hogs need just one run to walk the game off in run-rule fashion, and unfortunately that wasn't able to happen before weather delayed the game around roughly 5:20 p.m. CT.

Click here for an inning-by-inning recap of all the action so far, and click here for current stats of the game.

Current Box Score

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