Four-star DT Andrew Maddox has NFL bloodlines and is being courted by some of the top defensive line coaches around the country.

The 6-foot-4, 285-pound mauler in the middle of Hattiesburg (Miss.) Oak Grove High's defensive front was back in Auburn to start the spring. He's also made a handful of stops to Oxford to see older brother AJ Maddox, now a freshman QB for the Rebels, as well as to LSU The Rivals250 DL also collected an offer from Ohio State this spring, adding another wrinkle to his recruitment.

"Everything is going well and recruiting is a lot -- talking to coaches and making visits, but I'm enjoying it and appreciate all the coaches who have come by the school," Maddox told Rivals. "It's been a process, but I love it. Not everyone gets the opportunity to do this."

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Maddox has visit locked in for Arkansas next month​

Maddox is set to his Fayetteville for a June 7 visit.

The Razorbacks were present at Oak Grove this spring. Now, the four-star DL is set to get to the Hill.

"I wanted to see how it is, I wanted to see how they run everything and how things are on campus academics-wise and I want to see how the players work," Maddox said. "We've been communicating, talking and texting, and they came down to see me a couple of times this spring. I know I'm one of their top guys and they're pushing hard to get me up there. I want to see how Arkansas does things because I've heard good things ... great things ... and they've been pushing hard to get me to show me things."

Checked in with him to see how things were going. Picked up offers from Wisconsin and South Carolina in the last few days. He's got some visits coming up but tells me he's still all Hog.

UNC, Duke and NC State March 22-23. Texas A&M and Oklahoma April 2-4. Arkansas on April 6.

He also in the process of helping set up a nonprofit to help families who want to adopt. I'll share some more of those details when he gets them to me.

From @jacksoncollier


Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman and his squad have a last-chance effort to earn an automatic bid to the Big Dance by winning the SEC Tournament. Despite that, recruiting never stops and Musselman and his staff are still sending out scholarship offers to members of the 2025 recruiting class.

The high school ranks have been good to the Razorbacks under Musselman, who has produced six NBA draft picks during his tenure in Fayetteville. Churning out professional talent has continued helping him in the recruiting game, as he has two four-star recruits signed in the 2024 class in Jalen Shelley and Isaiah Elohim.

With the end of the season on the horizon and recruiting steam picking up, HawgBeat goes in-depth on a list of noteworthy offers in the 2025 high school recruiting class:

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Arkansas offer date: July 26, 2023

Other offers: Alabama, Baylor, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, and Ohio State, among others

Total offers: 26

Archetype: Scorer/Playmaker

Scouting Report: Great court vision, willing passer and can throw lobs from multiple angles in transition. Can create for himself and his teammates. Above average perimeter shot. Can beat defenders off the bounce and finish at the rim. Crafty around the basket. Three-level scorer. Can shoot off the dribble or off the catch. Moves well without the ball.

Recruitment: Arkansas has been involved from the beginning with Peterson, as it's made both of his initial list cuts. He initially narrowed his schools down to 16, and then to eight. The latter was announced in January of this year, but there has been little to no reports of his recruitment since then. Peterson planned to visit Fayetteville at some point, but that has not materialized. He scheduled visits to Ohio State and Kentucky, the first of which was canceled when head coach Chris Holtman was fired. He will be in Lexington on March 6th.

Teams to watch: Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Baylor

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Arkansas offer date: June 24, 2023

Other offers: Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, USC, and Xavier, among others

Total offers: 32

Archetype: Playmaker

Scouting Report: Dynamic playmaker with the ability to score at all three levels and in multiple different ways. Strong ballhandler and can create his own shot and displays deep range off the dribble or off the catch. Finishes very well through contact with good size to be a primary or secondary ballhandler at the next level.

Recruitment: The only information coming out between Arkansas and McKenney in recent weeks is that the Razorbacks are one of the schools contacting him the most. All signs point towards Arkansas not being a major player for his services at this point in the process, but with McKenney holding an Arkansas offer, Musselman's ability to make up ground, the fact that the Razorbacks are still in constant contact and other factors, he still makes an appearance on the big board.

Teams to watch: Michigan State, Illinois, Alabama.

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The pressure is on for Arkansas and head coach Sam Pittman in the pivotal upcoming 2024 season, and the challenge of escaping the bottom of the SEC is made only tougher by a challenging set of games in the friendly confines of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

Arkansas will begin its home slate in Fayetteville with a Week 3 matchup against UAB on Sept. 14. The Razorbacks will then go on the road at Auburn and play Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, before facing Tennessee back in the Natural State on Oct. 5.

RELATED: Arkansas football 2024 kickoff time windows released

Following a much-needed bye week, the Razorbacks will take on LSU in a homecoming battle for the Golden Boot on Oct. 19. A road game to Mississippi State will be up next before the Hogs welcome the Ole Miss Rebels to Razorback Stadium on Nov. 2.

Finally, Arkansas will play Texas for the first time as a league foe on Nov. 16 before playing its final home game of the year against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 23. The regular season will close on the road against Missouri on Nov. 30.

HawgBeat breaks down the three toughest games of Arkansas’ home schedule for this fall…

Ole Miss - Saturday, Nov. 2​

Ole Miss is a team that did well for itself in the transfer portal once again, which included the addition of former Arkansas linebacker Chris "Pool" Paul Jr. on Dec. 8.

Led by fifth-year head coach Lane Kiffin and returning quarterback Jaxson Dart, the Rebels brought back three starters on the offensive line and three of their top receiving options from a year ago.

Receivers Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins saw the addition of South Carolina transfer Antwane Wells Jr. to their room, as well. Though the Rebels lost start running back Quinshon Judkins to Ohio State, they do return Ulysses Bentley IV, plus they added Miami transfer Henry Parris Jr. in the portal.

Paul wasn't the only defensive addition in the portal, as former Texas A&M defensive tackle Walter Nolen transferred to Ole Miss. The Rebels also added former Florida defensive lineman Princley Umanmielen and former Alabama cornerback Trey Amos, among others, to really help round out a very talented roster.

Three of Ole Miss' first five conference matchups will be on the road and two of those (at South Carolina and LSU) will come before the Arkansas game on Nov. 2.

The Razorbacks will also play three of their first five conference games away from home, with the sixth being the matchup with Ole Miss. Arkansas will play at Mississippi State the week prior to the game with the Rebels.

It's worth noting that Sam Pittman is 2-0 against Kiffin and Ole Miss during his four full seasons at the helm in Fayetteville, but the talent gap seems too wide (at least as of June 12) this year.

- Mason Choate, HawgBeat Publisher

Tennessee - Saturday, Oct. 5​

Despite having first choice on Arkansas’ most difficult home game of the season, I still picked the Tennessee matchup over Texas, and here's why.

Heading into this Week 6 matchup, the Razorbacks will be — if my personal season projections hold up — licking their wounds after only playing one true home game up to this point (UAB).

Momentum will be low and apathy in the fanbase will be leaking out, providing the perfect storm for the expected high-ranked and well-rested (after coming off a bye week) Volunteers to dismantle Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Besides the storyline aspect of it, Tennessee is just a really good football program under head coach Heupel. He’s led the Volunteers to a 27-12 (14-10 SEC) record in three seasons, which includes 11-win and 9-win campaigns in 2022 and 2023,
respectively. Heupel has put his team on an upwards trajectory, while Sam Pittman has done the opposite with the Hogs in the last two years.

Is there a scenario where Arkansas wins this game? Absolutely. If offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino puts all the pieces together to make a high-octane offense, the Razorbacks may be able to match Tennessee blow-for-blow.

That's doubtful, though, especially because the Volunteers have former five-star signal caller Nico Iamaleava leading the way with receivers Bru McCoy and Dont'e Thornton spread across the field. Can the Razorbacks' secondary make a big jump in 2024? That might be the defining question when these two programs meet in October.

- Riley McFerran, Managing Editor

Texas - Saturday, Nov. 16​

Since Arkansas and Texas teed off on the gridiron in 2021 at Razorback Stadium, it’s hard to deny the two programs have been on wildly different trajectories. While Arkansas won that matchup 40-21, it has since been in the cellar of the SEC, while Texas came within one play of a National Championship appearance last season.

This game stands to be the hardest on Arkansas’ schedule this season because of a couple of different factors. First and foremost, the level of athletes the Longhorns have is much better than Arkansas. In the last three recruiting cycles, the Longhorns have brought in two top-5 classes and one top-20 class.

Those classes have featured a total of seven five-star recruits and 46 four-stars. Arkansas has zero five-star prospects and 20 four-stars in that same span.

The Razorbacks will be outmatched star-level-wise on the field, and while that may have been the case in 2021, Longhorns’ head coach Steve Sarkisian won’t forget what happened the last time he was in Razorback Stadium.

Secondly, the game comes as one of the last in the 2024 season. If this game were played earlier in the year, Texas would be pushing for a playoff spot, while Arkansas would already be out of bowl contention.

If that same trajectory holds for the 2024 season, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman will have to rely on motivating his team on pride alone. It’s possible, sure, but it’s harder to hype up a team that knows there’s little hope of a postseason.

- Daniel Fair, HawgBeat Recruiting

Two of Arkansas baseball's top bullpen arms have received invites to USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp.

The Razorbacks announced Monday that right-handed pitchers Christian Foutch and Gabe Gaeckle were among the 56 non-draft eligible players invited to the training camp.

Should Gaeckle or Foutch make the final cut for the 28-man roster, they will play five games against Chinese Taipei. Team USA will follow that up with two games against the Coastal Plain League and two games against the Appalachian League.

The summer concludes with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Fourth of July Game in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Recently, Arkansas lefty ace Hagen Smith was a part of the USA Collegiate National Team in 2023. He appeared three times out of the bullpen against Chinese Taipei and posted an ERA of 1.59 in 5.2 innings. Since 1979, 22 Razorbacks have suited up for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

RELATED: Hagen Smith named finalist for two prestigious awards

In the 2024 season, Gaeckle cemented himself as one of Arkansas' top arms coming out of the bullpen. The Aptos, Californian native appeared in 22 games for the Razorbacks and finished with a 2.32 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 42.2 innings to earn him Freshman All-SEC honors.

Foutch just finished his second season with the Razorback program, and appeared in 20 games. He pitched 22.1 innings and owned an ERA of just 0.81 with 20 strikeouts. His velocity is his strength, as he can regularly hit 98-99 miles per hour, and he built on his splitter and sinker to devastate hitters down the stretch.

"He can throw 100 miles an hour if he wants to," Van Horn said March 26 after an 11-0 win over Little Rock. "He’s got a little different pitch going and it’s got a little sink on it. You’ll probably see him more. He’s just been working on it. Threw it last week to some live hitters. Didn’t pitch this weekend. Threw it tonight. Still touched 98-99 tonight.

"Then he threw one about 96 and it had some sink on it. That’s the one I like, because that one is hard to square up. And then he’s got another one or two, but I think that could be the difference maker for him, and it might even be a career-maker for him if he can get that sinker going up with that velocity."

Arkansas is currently working on rebuilding the roster after a disappointing exit in the Fayetteville Regional, utilizing the transfer portal to fill holes. Stay tuned to HawgBeat for the latest developments.

A look here:

New Arkansas head coach John Calipari is known as one of the greatest recruiters in the sport's history, as he constantly produces NBA talent.

In 14 seasons at Kentucky, Calipari had 47 players selected in the NBA Draft, 35 of which were first round picks. Each of those numbers are set to increase in the upcoming NBA Draft, as well.

Many of those draft picks were one-and-done freshmen, the Calipari formula to success for much of his time in Lexington and even Memphis (2000-2009) prior to his time with the Wildcats.

With rule changes and exceptions allowing players to stay in school longer, the sport has gotten much older. The stark change has affected the entire landscape of college basketball, most notably forcing one of the best recruiters the sport has ever seen to adjust his strategy.

"I’ve always said, ‘What’s next and how can we be first?’" Calipari said to reporters at the SEC Spring Meetings on Wednesday. "So, you kind of read the tea leaves and how they’re going to do things. How are they going to do things where it works for everybody. I’ve always been about players and so I want them to do well but I also want to make sure I’m doing right by them in how you’re dealing with this."

Part of that adaptation has led Calipari not to recruit so many freshmen, but still making a national recruiting impact through any means necessary, such as potentially scheduling games at Madison Square Garden.

"(We) want to have the type of games, national games — you need to play in Madison Square Garden," Calipari said. "Look, we want to recruit Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Saint Louis, we do. We know we’re going to recruit nationally. The only thing is, we’re not going to take six or seven freshmen, now it’ll be three or four. Hopefully we retain a few, get a couple transfers and that is the formula."

ALSO READ: Calipari reveals notable schedule details for Arkansas

Talks of Calipari cutting down on the number of freshmen, adding transfers, and retaining players is a concept that seems so foreign, especially considering the fact that he signed seven true freshmen in the 2023 class at Kentucky. At Arkansas, though, he's added just three incoming freshmen — Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, and Billy Richmond — along with five incoming transfers so far.

"I think of last year’s team and what we were able to do with so many young guys," Calipari said. "The lesson was, you can’t do this now with seven freshmen, you just can’t. You’re going to hit a team that’s 25 years old on average, one was 26 and that team is physically going to get you. Now we have a couple transfers that are older, some kids that transferred from Kentucky that went through it that are a year older and some freshmen."

RELATED: Arkansas signee Johnell Davis withdraws from NBA Draft

There are still five scholarship spots to fill, although the head coach seems to only want to fill one more spot. That concept, on the other hand, is not as foreign. He made the comment that at UMass (1988-96), he only played six players.

While the process is a little bit different, the Head Hog still shows some moxy when it comes to his ability to produce results on the court.

"If you watch my history, hopefully you would feel that we’ll be fine," Calipari said.

Arkansas currently has eight scholarship players for the 2024-25 roster with the recent addition of Kentucky transfer DJ Wagner. Click here for HawgBeat's Arkansas basketball roster tracker.

The 5-seed Arkansas Razorbacks (44-16) were eliminated from the NCAA Tounament after dropping their first ever regional game to a 4-seed in a 6-3 loss to the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (36-26) on Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Arkansas never found a rhythm offensively, as the Hogs were outmatched by Redhawks starting right-hander Collin Wilma's mixture of mid-60s curveballs and low-90s fastballs. The lack of offensive production continued throughout the entire match, as bullpen lefty Logan Katen and right-handers Payton Lawrence and Kyle Miller cruised through 4.1 total innings to win the game.

As a whole, the Razorbacks finished 6-for-33 at the plate (.182), 2-for-9 with runners on (.222) and 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position (.000).

Right-handed sophomore Gage Wood made his third career start and shined for the first two innings against the Redhawks despite giving up a solo homerun to the third batter he faced. He ran into trouble in the third and ultimately exited the frame after allowing a combined three earned runs on three hits.

Relievers Jake Faherty and Will McEntire each allowed one run respectively in a combined 3.1 innings, while Stone Hewlett, Christian Foutch and Koty Frank finished out the matchup.

Top 1 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 0, SEMO 0

A bright afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium gave way to a perfect day for baseball yet again. To start off Arkansas' elimination game against the Redhawks, Peyton Stovall swung and missed at strike three but thought he foul tipped it. Instead, he was thrown out at first base. Hudson White made good contact but flew out to left center, and Jared Sprague-Lott fouled out to first base to complete the 12-pitch inning.

Bottom 1 (SEMO) - SEMO 1, Arkansas 0

Batesville native Gage Wood made his third career start against SEMO, and his outing started with a groundout from Brooks Kettering, who walked five times against the Hogs on Friday. A one-pitch foul out to the next Redhawk had the Hogs ready to head to the dugout, but Ty Stauss smoked one to left field for a solo homerun. Wood capped the frame off with a strikeout looking.

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Top 2 (Arkansas) - SEMO 1, Arkansas 0

With the pressure on down a run, Ben McLaughlin flew out to center field to begin the second. Wehiwa Aloy nearly went yard to left field, but the wind carried it foul. He eventually grounded out in a full-count back to SEMO RHP Collin Wilma. Kendall Diggs drew a much-needed walk, but he was stranded following a well-struck line out by Peyton Holt to center field.

Bottom 2 (SEMO) - SEMO 1, Arkansas 0

Wood shook off a few pitches and delivered a fastball across the plate, but SEMO's Michael Mugan tapped it into the infield past Wood for an infield single to leadoff the inning. Bryce Cannon struck out swinging on a beautiful fastball from Wood, and then a groundball double play got the Hogs out of the inning on only 10 pitches.

Top 3 (Arkansas) - SEMO 1, Arkansas 0

Wilma continued pumping in 90 MPH heaters and low-60's curveballs, and it was too much for Ryder Helfrick who struck out swinging to start the third. Ty Wilmsmeyer grounded out in his first at-bat of the day, and Stovall grounded out to second base for the final out of the frame.

Bottom 3 (SEMO) - SEMO 1, Arkansas 0

SEMO's Ian Riley worked a full-count to leadoff the bottom of the third, but he struck out swinging on a Wood fastball. Arkansas' righty followed that up with another swinging strikeout on a high fastball and a grounder to complete the 1-2-3 inning.

Top 4 (Arkansas) - SEMO 1, Arkansas 0

White opened the fourth frame with a three-pitch swinging strikeout, and Sprague-Lott matched him with a swing and a miss on a low breaking ball. McLaughllin flew out to left field on two pitches to end the inning.

Bottom 4 (SEMO) - SEMO 4, Arkansas 0

The Redhawks doubled to left field to leadoff the latter half of the fourth against Wood, who then walked Ty Stauss to give SEMO two baserunners with no outs. After a long at-bat, Josh Cameron singled through the right side to score another run and Wood's day was done.

RHP Jake Faherty entered with no outs and runners on first and third, and immediately allowed a run to cross home plate on a groundball that he picked up and tossed wide of home plate. A sac-bunt moved both runners to second and third. The next Redhawk hit a ball to Sprague-Lott at third, but he threw the runner out at home for the second out of the inning. With two men on, a single tacked on another run and put two more Redhawks in scoring position.

Faherty finally escaped the inning on a strikeout looking.

Top 5 (Arkansas) - SEMO 4, Arkansas 1

Aloy swung and missed at a low-60s curveball in the dirt to start the fifth, followed by a strikeout looking by Diggs. Holt breathed some life into the Arkansas bullpen with a 400+ foot solo homer to left field, and Helfrick reached first after a hit-by-pitch. Wilmsmeyer worked a quality at-bat to walk to set up Stovall, who got hit by the first pitch he saw to load the bases.

With the red-hot White coming to the plate, SEMO made a pitching change to LHP Logan Katen. After getting ahead 3-0 in the count, White grounded out to second base spoil a massive opportunity.

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Bottom 5 (SEMO) - SEMO 5, Arkansas 1

With some newfound momentum, Faherty gave up a leadoff solo homerun to Brooks Kettering to give the Redhawks a four-run advantage again. Faherty battled back and struck out the next three batters to hand the reigns back over to the offense.

Top 6 (Arkansas) - SEMO 5, Arkansas 1

Sprague-Lott grounded out in a full-count to leadoff the sixth. McLaughlin poked a one-out single into left field to give the Hogs a man on base, but Aloy struck out swinging at a head-level ball for the second out of the frame. Diggs grounded up the middle to bring the top of the sixth to a close.

Bottom 6 (SEMO) - SEMO 5, Arkansas 1

Senior right-hander Will McEntire took the mound in the sixth for the Hogs, and he struck out his first batter of the game on four pitches. It was a good inning for McEntire, who drew a fly out and strike out from the final two batters to move to the seventh.

Top 7 (Arkansas) - SEMO 5, Arkansas 1

With nine outs left in Arkansas' season, Holt flew out to right field to being the seventh. Helfrick and Wilmsmeyer struck out swinging to end a 1-2-3 frame for the Hogs.

Bottom 7 (SEMO) - SEMO 6, Arkansas 1

McEntire returned to the mound again in the seventh and promptly allowed a leadoff single to right field. That runner made his way to second after a sac-bunt and eventually scored after a Brooks Kettering right-field single. For potentially the last time in a Razorback uniform, McEntire struck out a Redhawk looking before exiting the game.

Dave Van Horn handed the ball off to LHP Stone Hewlett out of the bullpen, and he ended the frame with a strike out looking.

Top 8 (Arkansas) - SEMO 6, Arkansas 1

In potentially his last at-bat in a Hog uniform, Stovall led off the eighth with a single to right field. White slapped a double down the right field line to give the Razorbacks two runners in scoring position and no outs.

SEMO brought in RHP Payton Lawrence from the bullpen, and he goes groundball to Sprague-Lott, one-pitch foul out to McLaughlin and groundball to Aloy to escape the jam on only five pitches.

Bottom 8 (SEMO) - SEMO 6, Arkansas 1

SEMO right fielder Josh Cameron led the bottom of the eighth off with a single to bring RHP Christian Foutch out of the bullpen. Fouth picked up his first out on a bunt before hitting Bryce Cannon with a pitch. Aloy nearly made a SportsCenter Top-10 play at short stop to throw a runner out at first, and Van Horn called upon RHP Koty Frank for the final out.

Top 9 (Arkansas) - SEMO 6, Arkansas 3

With its season on the line and only three more outs, Diggs grounded out into the shift to start the ninth. Holt kept the season alive with a seeing-eye-single to right, and Parker Rowland tanked a right-field homer to draw the score within three runs. Pinch-hitter Nolan Souza struck out on four pitches and Stovall flew out to left field to end the game.

The Razorbacks' 2024 baseball season has come to a close. Be sure to follow along at The Trough premium message board for the best offseason coverage.

Box Score​

From @DanielFair


The TV times and broadcast information for the first three weeks of Arkansas’ 2024 football season were announced by the SEC on Thursday.

Arkansas will open its season with an in-state tilt against UAPB on Thursday, Aug. 29, at 6:30 p.m. CT before traveling to face Oklahoma State on Sept. 7 with kickoff set for 11 a.m. CT. The Razorbacks will return home in Week 3 to host UAB with a 3:15 p.m. CT kickoff on Sept. 14.

The game against UAPB will air on ESPNU, while the Oklahoma State and UAB matchups will broadcast on ABC and the SEC Network, respectively.

This is the first time since the 2017 campaign that the Razorbacks will open their season on a Thursday. The game will be played at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

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UAPB last faced off against Arkansas in 2021, another game that was held at War Memorial Stadium. The Hogs made quick work of the Golden Lions with a 45-3 win that featured shortened quarters in the second half.

Arkansas’ Week 2 matchup against Oklahoma State at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma, will be the first matchup between the two programs since 1980, one that Arkansas claimed victory by a final score of 33-20 in Little Rock.

The Week 3 matchup against UAB is the second head-to-head in the two schools’ history, with the most recent outing occurring in 2014. Arkansas won that game 45-17 in then-head coach Bret Bielema’s second season with the Razorbacks.

Here is Arkansas’ full schedule for the 2024 season:

— vs. UAPB, Aug. 29 (6:30 p.m.)

— at Oklahoma State, Sept. 7 (11 a.m.)

— vs. UAB, Sept. 14 (3:15 p.m.)

— at Auburn, Sept. 21

— at Texas A&M, Sept. 28 (at AT&T Stadium in Arlington)

— vs. Tennessee, Oct. 5

— BYE, Oct. 12

— vs. LSU, Oct. 19

— at Mississippi State, Oct. 26

— vs. Ole Miss, Nov. 2

— BYE, Nov. 9

— vs. Texas, Nov. 16

— vs. Louisiana Tech

— at Missouri, Nov. 30

FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 5 national seed Arkansas Razorbacks scored 17 runs on 16 hits and they mashed six home runs in their regional-opening win Friday over 4-seed Southeast Missouri State at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Hosts of the Fayetteville Regional, the 1-seed Diamond Hogs had to sweat things out on the mound with Razorbacks' pitchers issuing 10 walks to Redhawks' hitters — a new single game program-record for SEMO. Arkansas started with an 8-0 lead, SEMO tied it at 8-8, and the Razorbacks then ended with an eight-run lead, 17-9.

"Credit to them, man," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. "Their offense came back and took a couple walks and I don’t know, maybe a home run or whatever, but it was a great job by our offense really the whole game. We’re up eight, it’s tied and we end up winning by eight. It didn’t feel like that, but it was a really good job of continuing to play the game and have good at bats."

Two sluggers had multi-homer outings for the Hogs, as catcher Hudson White mashed two longballs and first baseman Ben McLaughlin hit a pair of three-run bombs.

"I guess I want to talk to whoever said Arkansas couldn’t hit," SEMO head coach Andy Sawyers said postgame. "That was the narrative kind of coming into it, was one of the best pitching staffs in the country, but had struggled offensively."

Right from the start, the Razorbacks were getting to SEMO starter Haden Dow, who surrendered a solo homer to White in the bottom half of the first inning.

"He’s swinging the bat with a lot more bat speed, not so tied up," Van Horn said of White. "Obviously he’s really confident, but he’s been hitting the ball a lot better ever since we played Kentucky on the road, that’s when it started."

Arkansas broke things open an inning later by plating seven runs on four hits to take an eight-run lead in what felt like an instant.

Left fielder Peyton Holt made it a two-run lead with a one-out RBI single and centerfielder Ty Wilmsmeyer followed that with an RBI fielder's choice knock. Following the second out of the frame and a pitching change to right-hander Collin Wilma, Arkansas third baseman Jared Sprague-Lott dropped a two-RBI single to left to make it 5-0.

The next at bat, McLaughlin hit a 104 mile per hour three-run laser off the JB and Johnelle Hunt Family Baseball Development Center in right field to give the regional hosts an 8-0 lead.

"I’ve just been staying consistent with my work and what I do," McLaughlin said postgame. "For me, I’m just keeping the same approach and if it goes out, it goes out, but stacking AB’s is all I’m trying to do."

SEMO responded against Arkansas starter Mason Molina by plating four runs on two hits — one of which was a three-run homer from Redhawks' shortstop Ben Palmer — in the top of the third inning to make it an 8-3 ballgame.

Wilmsmeyer led the bottom of the fourth off by reaching via an error on the second baseman for the second time, but he was stranded at second. Meanwhile, the Redhawks managed to tied at eight runs each in next half inning — this time via a three-run homer off hit off right-hander Will McEntire.

Arkansas responded in the bottom half of the fifth with back-to-back homers from shortstop Wehiwa Aloy and right fielder Kendall Diggs. Aloy's ball traveled 427 feet to left field as his team-leading 14th homer, while Diggs' swing was his first longball since March 28.

The Redhawks plated their ninth run in the top of the seventh, and Arkansas responded again, this time with four runs in the bottom half. White drove in the first with an RBI sacrifice fly, and McLaughlin then hit his second three-run homer 413 feet and off the scoreboard in right-center to give the Hogs a 14-9 lead.

"I just feel like I was trying to hit it wherever they were pitching it and for me, just competing with two strikes," McLaughlin said postgame. "Both of my home runs were with two strikes. It was more-so just competing. Trying to put a ball in play. Doing whatever I could to help the team."

Diggs led the bottom of the eighth off with a single, Wilmsmeyer hit a one-out double and then White hit his second homer — a three-run shot — to make the lead 17-9 for Arkansas with three outs to go.

McLaughlin led the team with three hits and six RBIs, while White, Aloy, Diggs, Holt and Wilmsmeyer all had two hits in the game. Wilmsmeyer, Diggs and White all scored three runs each.

"I’m just proud of the way we competed at the plate," White said postgame. "You know, we’ve been working hard all season. I felt like we were kind of due for a game like that. I’m proud of the group."

Up next, the Razorbacks will face the winner of 2-seed Louisiana Tech and 3-seed Kansas State on Saturday at 8 p.m. CT at Baum-Walker Stadium. The Bulldogs and Wildcats will play Friday night in Fayetteville.

Denton (Texas) Guyer three-star defensive tackle

Xavier Ukponu
is in the midst of a string official visits to a number of programs around the country.


Ukponu is fresh off a weekend visit to Arkansas, a school that was previously not among the top contenders.

But after a strong visit, the Razorbacks have increased their status among the top programs in the race for the 6-foot-3, 290-pounder. He has also decided on a trio of programs that are the true contenders to land his commitment.

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Ukponu already has a trio of official visits notched off in Oklahoma State, California, and Arkansas. The Cowboys and Golden Bears hosted Ukponu in previous weeks, hoping to capitalize on early visit relationships going into the summer.

The pair of programs impressed but appear to be on the backend of the contenders at this time.

This weekend's Arkansas visit brought the Razorbacks from the back of the group and propelled them into the top three in the running.

Ukponu says he enjoyed his time in Fayetteville and was able to bolster some key relationships on staff, especially defensive line coach Deke Adams. "He's a great guy and a great coach too."

Ukponu felt good about the pitch from Adams and the rest of the staff, which surrounded early playing time.

"They told me they need defensive tackles for next year and I would have the chance to come in and play as a freshman."

Ukponu told he now has Arkansas as a "top three team" in his recruitment.

The other two programs to fit among the group are LSU and Florida. Ukponu will officially visit each, the Gators on June 14 and Tigers on June 21.

Back in April, I logged a FutureCast in favor of LSU, a prediction I still feel comfortable with at this time. Ukponu is expected to make a commitment before the season.

Louisiana Tech already went. HC Lane Burroughs, LHP Luke Nichols, 1B Dalton Davis and RHP/DH Ethan Bates.

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The 5-seed Arkansas Razorbacks (44-15) dropped their second NCAA Tournament Regional matchup 7-6 to the Kansas State Wildcats (34-24) on Saturday evening at Baum-Walker Stadium to fall to the loser's bracket.

After pummeling the baseball in its regional-opening 17-9 win over SEMO on Friday, the Diamond Hogs came back down to Earth against the Wildcats. Despite totaling 13 hits, Arkansas finished 13-for-41 at the plate (.317), 6-for-22 with runners on (.273) and 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position (.222).

Hudson White, Jared Sprague-Lott, Wehiwa Aloy, Peyton Holt and Ty Wilmsmeyer all recorded two hits with Sprague-Lott and Holt delivering home runs against the Wildcats. Peyton Stovall reached base twice (hit, walk) and Ben McLaughlin just once (hit-by-pitch).

Lefty ace Hagen Smith started the game like he has many times, as he held the Kansas State offense at bay through the first four frames.The fifth inning was disastrous, however, as the Wildcats struck the southpaw with six earned runs. In potentially his final outing as a Razorback, Smith broke the single-season program strikeout record after retiring seven batters on strikes.

Head coach Dave Van Horn turned to right-hander Ben Bybee in relief, and the Kansas native proved vital in Arkansas saving its bullpen as he threw three innings of one-run ball with four punchouts and zero walks to close the game.

Top 1 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 0, Kansas State 0

To start a picture-perfect night at an electric Baum-Walker Stadium, Peyton Stovall pulled a grounder straight into a right-field shift for the first out of the game. Hudson White saw five pitches and made his way to first base for a walk. Jared Sprague-Lott took some Herculean hacks in his at-bat, which ultimately resulted in a looking strikeout. Ben McLaughlin — who homered twice against SEMO on Friday — nearly did it again to center field but the ball came up just short on the wall.

Bottom 1 (KSU) - Arkansas 0, Kansas State 0

Ace left-hander Hagen Smith walked on to the mound to right the wrongs of last season's regional performance against TCU, and things went smoothly in the first. He retired the first Wildcat batter on a wipeout slider before forcing a groundout on only two pitches. Against former Team USA teammate Kaelen Culpepper, Smith worked fast and finished a 10-pitch frame after another groundout.

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Top 2 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 0, Kansas State 0

Kansas State right Jackson Wentworth was dialing his fastball up to 94-95 MPH, and he got Wehiwa Aloy to pull a ground ball over to third base for a quick first out in the second. After a strong multi-hit game on Friday, Kendall Diggs got his day started with a swinging strikeout on a low breaking ball. Wentworth put the exclamation mark on a strong 1-2-3 frame with a strikeout looking to Peyton Holt.

Bottom 2 (KSU) - Arkansas 0, Kansas State 0

The single-season program strikeout record for Arkansas was broken in the bottom of the second, as Smith's first out came swinging. It was Smith's 156th of the year, passing David Walling (1999). Arkansas' southpaw had to quickly dial in, though, as a walk gave the Wildcats some life. That runner was replaced with another at first base after a fielder's choice groundout, but he too was wiped off by Hudson White on a caught-stealing attempt.

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Top 3 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 0, Kansas State 0

In Jack Wagner's first start since April 30, he popped up right behind the plate to get the third inning started. A good play by Kansas State infielder Brady Day retired Ty Wilmsmeyer at first base, and Stovall picked up Arkansas' first hit of the day on a shift-beater. A check-me swing by White resulted in a two-foot groundout for an anticlimactic end to the inning.

Bottom 3 (KSU) - Arkansas 0, Kansas State 0

Smith's low-pitch count day continued in the third, as he quickly set down the first two Kansas State batters with a grounder and a strikeout on only four pitches. Naturally, Smith walked the next Wildcat in a full-count but forced another groundball on the first pitch to end the inning.

Top 4 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 0, Kansas State 0

Despite their being no obviously apparent reason for it, Sprague-Lott attempted to bunt to start the fourth but was thrown out at first. McLaughlin followed up with a grounder into the shift. Aloy broke up the 1-2-3 bid on a single up the middle, and Diggs kept the train chuggin with an oppo-single to left field. With runners on first and third, Holt popped up to first base in foul territory to strand both baserunners.

Bottom 4 (KSU) - Arkansas 0, Kansas State 0

The Hagen Smith show continued in his fourth inning, as he picked up two quick strikeouts on the Wildcats' 2 and 3-hole hitters to start things off. Kansas State did end the no-hitter on a single up the middle, but Smith fought back to strike out another Wildcat to end the frame.

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Top 5 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 2, Kansas State 0

Wagner popped up to start the fifth, but the bad vibes quickly flipped after hitting-machine Wilmsmeyer poked one through the right side of the infield. He stole second and Stovall walked to give the Hogs two men on base. Wilmsmeyer forced the issue on a steal attempt and he came around to score after Kansas State's catcher threw the ball into foul territory. Stovall advanced to third on the play and crossed home plate following a single by White to center field.

Sprague-Lott kept the station-to-station baseball churning with a single over the third baseman. McLaughlin picked up the second out of the frame on a fly ball to left field, and Aloy matched with a popup to right on the first pitch of his at-bat.

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Bottom 5 (KSU) - Kansas State 6, Arkansas 2

Kansas State earned its first leadoff man of an inning in the fifth after Smith walked a batter in a full-count. Smith's lack of control followed him to the next Wildcat, who also walked in a full-count to put the pressure on the Razorback ace. A good sac-bunt moved both runners over into scoring position, and a run came in to score after a single. Another single tied the game, and a sac-bunt gave the Wildcats the lead. Smith wasn't out of trouble yet, as he gave up a three-run bomb to hand Kansas State a 6-2 advantage. Smith picked up a much-needed strikeout and groundout to end the unideal frame.