HawgBeat - Arkansas Baseball Portal Intel: New Names Emerging for Diamond Hogs
HawgBeat has the latest on Arkansas baseball's targets in the transfer portal.
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What a difference a week makes for the Arkansas baseball program. In HawgBeat's transfer update seven days ago, questions loomed on the Razorbacks' recruiting approach with only one commitment. Now, Arkansas has three portal players locked in with other potential pledges on the horizon.
After landing the brother of current Hog shortstop Wehiwa Aloy in BYU two-way player Kuhio Aloy on June 7, Arkansas has added Florida Gulf Coast freshman outfielder Charles Davalan and Milwaukee junior outfielder Carson Hansen.
RELATED: Kuhio Aloy could help Arkansas more than just at the plate
Head coach Dave Van Horn has also received commitments from a handful of JUCO athletes, including Florida Southwestern State outfielder Justin Thomas, New Mexico J.C. infielder Brent Iredale, Coffeyville C.C. infielder Carson Schrack, Crowder C.C. outfielder Kolton Reynolds and Seward County C.C. infielder Trenton Rowan.
RELATED: Arkansas Baseball 2024 Offseason Roster Tracker
The Razorbacks fell victim to the wave of offseason fluctuations as well, as outfielder Hunter Grimes entered the transfer portal on Friday.
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
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:
After visiting Arkansas last week, TCU transfer outfielder Logan Maxwell took a trip to Ole Miss and confirmed to HawgBeat that he plans on taking a few more SEC visits before making a final decision.
A 5-foot-10, 185-pound soon-to-be senior, Maxwell finished the 2024 season with TCU's second-highest batting average at .335. He added 12 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 25 RBIs across 170 at-bats.
Another name that HawgBeat can confirm has talked to Arkansas' staff is East Carolina standout outfielder transfer Bristol Carter, who holds the Razorbacks and specifically hitting coach Nate Thompson in high regard. Since our last update on Carter, Arkansas is still viewed as a competitor in his recruitment and potentially even a finalist.
Editor's Note: Carter reportedly committed to Auburn on Monday morning.
Fans of the Diamond Hogs are begging for some power pickups from the portal, and Arkansas may be on one in USC Upstate outfielder/catcher Koby Kropf. The No. 155 overall transfer prospect finished with a .352 batting average but added 20 home runs and 21 doubles to his resume in 2024.
He told HawgBeat that he is considering the Razorbacks, has talked to the staff and will potentially take a visit should things work out.
The final new name added to the list is Houston freshman outfielder Ace Reese, who checks in at No. 110 after slashing .278/.395/.506 with eight doubles, four triples, seven home runs and 34 RBI. HawgBeat can confirm contact between Reese and the coaching staff.
As for updates on known targets, Jacksonville State third baseman Brennan Norton and Sam Houston State outfielder Malachi Lott are in wait-and-see mode with the Hogs. Stetson outfielder Kyle Jones also told HawgBeat that he currently has Arkansas outside of his list of finalists.
Other nuggets:
Note: The following tidbits of information are deemed as nuggets because, well, they're small and potentially insignificant in the grand scheme of things. However, there's always a chance that players here become one to watch, so why not talk about them now?
Finding information on pitchers connected to Arkansas has been a difficult task, and it wouldn't be a surprise if one committed out of the blue. A name that fits the bill is Long Beach State left-hander Myles Patton, who accumulated a 3.26 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 66.1 IP last season.
The No. 98th overall portal player was followed by Arkansas pitching coach Matt Hobbs on social media early in the process, so keep an eye on him going forward.
Memphis outfielder Pierre Seals is confirmed to have been contacted by the Razorbacks, but the staff has likely moved on over the last few days.
Toledo center fielder Garret Pike is one of the best players currently in the portal after hitting .360 with 21 home runs in 2024, but he's considered an MLB Draft lean as of now. Should he return and the Razorbacks still need help at the position, watch Pike closely as he told HawgBeat that he's heard from the coaching staff.
A potential backup shortstop option has also heard from Arkansas, as Tennessee Tech transfer Tanner Shiver told HawgBeat that he is "definitely interested in playing for the Hogs." He slashed .296/.388/.559 with 12 doubles, four triples and nine home runs last season.
Updates around the SEC:
Kentucky - No. 1:
~ DH Cole Hage, Columbia - No. 74
~ RHP Ryan Verdugo, CSU Bakersfield - No. 83
~ RF Jackson Strong, Canisius - No. 130
~ RHP Nic McCay, South Dakota State - No. 149
~ RHP Scott Rouse, Radford - No. 183
~ LHP Ethan Walker, Longwood - No. 197
~ SS Trent Youngblood, Transylvania - No. 272
~ LHP Cole Hentschel, Richmond - No. 463
~ RHP Chase Alderman, Eastern Kentucky - No. 546
Georgia - No. 2:
~ 2B Ryan Black, UT Arlington - No. 11
~ 3B Ryland Zaborowski, Miami (OH) - No. 23
~ 2B Christian Adams, Florida Atlantic - No. 72
~ CF Robbie Burnett, UNC Ashville - No. 92
~ C Daniel Jackson, Wofford - No. 240
~ RHP Eric Hammond, USC - No. 255
~ INF Charlie Jones, Air Force - No. 336
~ RHP Davis Chastain, Georgia State - No. 1,373
~ DH Justin Byrd, USK Aiken - No. 1,543
~ LHP Bradley Stewart, Eastern Kentucky - No. 2,341
LSU - No. 6:
~ RHP Luke Hayden, Indiana State - No. 13
~ RHP Deven Sheerin, Mount St. Mary's - No. 24
~ 1B Luis Hernandez, Indiana State - No. 45
~ RHP Zac Cowan, Wofford - No. 49
~ RHP Chandler Dorsey, USF - No. 123
Auburn - No. 8:
~ C Lucas Steele, Samford - No. 22
~ RHP Samuel Dutton, LSU - No. 33
~ SS Eric Snow, South Florida - No. 202
~ 2B Andrew Dutton, Birmingham-So. - No. 442
~ RHP Ryan Hetzler, Cal Baptist - No. 492
Vanderbilt - No. 16:
~ LHP Joseph Dzierwa, Michigan State - No. 7
~ RHP Cody Bowker, Georgetown - No. 75
~ LF David Mendez, Dayton - No. 299
~ RHP Tommy O'Rouke, Stanford - No. 3,376
Alabama - No. 17:
~ 1B Jason Torres, Miami - No. 8
~ DH Carson Ozmer, Penn - No. 25
~ 3B Garrett Staton, Samford - No. 44
Florida - No. 23:
~ LF Blake Cyr, Miami (FL) - No. 6
~ 2B Justin Nadeau, Jacksonville - No. 203
~ DH Landon Stripling, Texas Tech - No. 639
Arkansas - No. 24:
~ 2B/OF Charles Davalan, FGCU - No. 35
~ RF Carson Hansen, Milwaukee - No. 215
~ DH Kuhio Aloy, BYU - No. 692
Texas A&M - No. 32:
~ 3B Wyatt Henseler, Penn - No. 69
~ 1B Matt Bergevin, Fairfield - No. 121
Mississippi State - No. 33:
~ 3B Gehrig Frei, North Alabama - No. 87
~ SS Sawyer Reeves, The Citadel - No. 168
South Carolina - No. 34:
~ CF Dalton Mashore, Saint Mary's - No. 62
~ RHP Caleb Jones, Winthrop - No. 307
Note: Tennessee, Ole Miss and Missouri have yet to receive a transfer commitment. All rankings are courtesy of 64analytics.
