Three weeks have passed since the opening of the transfer portal and Arkansas has laid the groundwork for what should be another quality offseason class, but there are still glaring needs that need to be addressed over the coming weeks.
Arkansas has landed multiple instant-impact players already in TCU outfielder Logan Maxwell, Florida Gulf Coast outfielder Charles Davalan, Georgia State shortstop Maximus Martin, Milwaukee outfielder Carson Hansen and BYU designated hitter Kuhio Aloy.
The Razorbacks have yet to add a pitcher to their ranks so far, and the crop of non-JUCO portal commitments have a grand total of 35 home runs between them.
RELATED: Kuhio Aloy could help Arkansas more than just at the plate
Head coach Dave Van Horn has added some sluggers through JUCO, namely Florida Southwestern State outfielder Justin Thomas (14 home runs) and New Mexico J.C. infielder Brent Iredale (25 home runs). Coffeyville C.C. infielder Carson Schrack, Crowder C.C. outfielder Kolton Reynolds and Seward County C.C. infielder Trenton Rowan have also pledged to the Hogs.
RELATED: Arkansas Baseball 2024 Offseason Roster Tracker
Surprisingly, the Razorbacks have only lost two players to the portal so far in outfielders Hunter Grimes and Jayson Jones.
Let's dive deep into the behind-the-scenes of Arkansas' portal movements with transfers to watch, interesting nuggets and a look around the SEC:
Commitments so far:
Transfers:
~ DH Kuhio Aloy, BYU
.269/.329/.447, 52 GP, 53 H, 8 HR, 9 2B, 1 3B, 39 RBI, 20 BB, 62 K
~ OF/INF Charles Davalan, FGCU
.290/.417/.520, 56 GP, 64 H, 10 HR, 17 2B, 2 3B, 38 RBI, 29 BB, 35 K
~ OF Carson Hansen, Milwaukee
.315/.404/.604, 55 GP, 64 H, 11 HR, 25 2B, 63 RBI, 27 BB, 42 K
~ OF Logan Maxwell, TCU
.335/.447/.482, 46 GP, 57 H, 3 HR, 12 2B, 2 3B, 25 RBI, 30 BB, 23 K
~ SS Maximus Martin, Georgia State
.297/.430/.458, 44 GP, 46 H, 3 HR, 12 2B, 2 3B, 21 RBI, 32 BB, 42 K
JUCO transfers:
~ OF Justin Thomas, Florida Southwestern State
.393/.514/.699, 58 GP, 86 H, 14 HR, 21 2B, 2 3B, 49 RBI, 44 BB, 52 K, 35 SB
~ INF Brent Iredale, New Mexico J.C.
.441/.576/1.000, 58 GP, 83 H, 25 HR, 22 2B, 4 3B, 78 RBI, 47 BB, 32 K, 24 SB
~ INF Carson Schrack, Coffeyville C.C.
.348/.435/.478, 57 GP, 70 H, 2 HR, 16 2B, 2 3B, 42 RBI, 26 BB, 20 K, 13 SB
~ OF Kolton Reynolds, Crowder C.C.
.369/.475/.644, 62 GP, 86 H, 10 HR, 24 2B, 5 3B, 68 RBI, 38 BB, 62 K, 6 SB
~ INF Trenton Rowan, Seward County C.C.
.403/.510/.765, 35 GP, 48 H, 10 HR, 11 2B, , 1 3B, 41 RBI, 14 BB, 15 K, 2 SB
Transfers to watch:
Arkansas hosted Oregon State right-handed pitcher Aiden Jimenez on Sunday (64analytics No. 752), a player that's been on HawgBeat's radar since the transfer portal first opened.
If a FutureCast could be placed for baseball transfers, the redshirt freshman is certainly worthy of one. A 6-foot-3, 216-pound California native, Jimenez didn't play during the 2024 season due to a season-ending injury suffered in preseason camp. He was expected to compete for a starting spot in the Beavers' rotation.
As a freshman in 2023, Jimenez made 22 appearances with one start and tossed 38.0 innings. In that span, he accumulated a 5.68 ERA and a 5-2 win/loss record. Jimenez struck out 35 batters and walked only seven while holding hitters to a .283 batting average.
Another pitcher to monitor is Ohio State lefty Landon Beidelschies (64analytics No. 3), who has been in contact with the Razorbacks' coaching staff, sources tell HawgBeat. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound southpaw racked up a 4.15 ERA last season across 15 starts and 84.2 IP. Beidelschies struck out 91 batters, walked 31 hitters and held opponents to a .231 batting average.
The final pitcher to track is Kentucky's Travis Smith (64analytics No. 9), a former top-100 prospect according to Perfect Game. After accumulating a 4.84 ERA in 2023, Smith's numbers took a step back with a jump to 6.21 earned runs per game in 13 appearances. Still, the potential is palpable and the Hogs make sense as an option.
Now onto hitters, where it seems Arkansas is looking for some power bats. The first name to check off is Division II National Player of the Year Hayden Jatczak out of Saginaw Valley State (64analytics No. 173). The 6-foot-5, 240-pound infielder slashed .468/.551/.827 with 27 doubles, four triples and 16 home runs in 2024. He also walked more (43 BBs) than he struck out (26 Ks). HawgBeat can confirm that the Razorbacks' staff has reached out to Jatczak in recent days.
Finally, keep an eye on Campbell DH/C Grant Knipp (64analytics No. 15) should he turn down professional options. Though not likely — especially because he's tearing the ball up in the MLB Draft League right now — Arkansas has a desperate need for power and Knipp has that in droves after hitting for a .402 average and 1.576 OPS in 102 at-bats last season. Despite the limited plate appearances, Knipp still smashed eight doubles and 18 home runs with 46 RBI.
