The No. 3 Arkansas baseball team (15-1, 0-0 SEC) has officially concluded its non-conference portion of the 2025 schedule, and now it's time to compare this squad's statistics to previous years.
In doing this, HawgBeat looked at cumulative stats through the conclusion of the final non-conference weekend series, not through the same total number of games. With that said, some seasons have more or fewer games considered in their calculations (ex: 2025's 16 games vs. 2021's 13 games).
What stands out immediately is just how improved the 2025 offense is at not only getting on base, but hitting for power too. The latest rendition of the Diamond Hogs also has the best single batting average overall, as designated hitter Kuhio Aloy comes in at .468, and they have the most run-rules (seven).
The key to the success, according to coach Dave Van Horn, is not as complicated as you might think.
"It’s just playing," Van Horn said Friday. "Playing the game and relaxing and you know, kind of hitting the way we thought we were going to hit. You can say, yeah, the pitching, probably not quite as good every day, but when you get it going you can hit good pitching, too. Maybe not to this certain extreme where you’re run-ruling people, but you can barrel up a lot of balls. I just feel like our guys are getting into the season. They’re starting to get a little rhythm."
Stat Comparison
| Year | At-bats | Slash Line | Home Runs | K:BB Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 500 | .320/.442/.598 | 33 | 107:90 |
| 2024 | 497 | .300/.416/.461 | 16 | 98:85 |
| 2023 | 499 | .311/.426/.571 | 32 | 99:89 |
| 2022 | 467 | .276/.380/.467 | 17 | 106:70 |
| 2021 | 419 | .274/.399/.494 | 21 | 121:71 |
What isn't as strong as last year's team, at least so far, is the pitching staff. A likely culprit is the difference between the Razorbacks' aces in both years, as lefty Hagen Smith started the year on fire (17 strikeouts against Oregon State ring a bell?) while current Friday-night frontliner Gabe Gaeckle has struggled a bit out of the gate.
Still, pitching coach Matt Hobbs' group has a better ERA, more strikeouts and the least amount of walks of any season other than 2024. Some wrinkles need to be ironed out, though.
"I don't think we're peaking by any means...As far as pitching, there's still some roles to be won, so to speak," Van Horn said Sunday. "Still not 100% sure who you want to finish a game if it's a one-run lead, but then again, it depends on who's available. There's still a lot to figure out with this team, which is a good thing."
Van Horn also updated the health status of right-handed pitcher Gage Wood, who struck out all six batters he faced against Michigan on Feb. 23 before exiting with a shoulder injury. Once he returns, the ceiling gets that much higher for Arkansas' pitching staff.
"(Wood is) spinning the ball a little bit, and he's rolling right along, I don't feel like it's going to be on the long side of any recovery," Van Horn said. "I think it'll be shorter if anything. It's up to him but we still have to get him back up on the mound, start letting it fly a little bit so we can figure out where he's at."
Stats Comparison
| Year | Innings Pitched | ERA | Hits | K:BB Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 131.0 | 3.09 | 110 | 155:35 |
| 2024 | 132.1 | 2.79 | 91 | 208:43 |
| 2023 | 132.0 | 4.91 | 126 | 138:59 |
| 2022 | 125.0 | 3.24 | 91 | 148:60 |
| 2021 | 114.0 | 3.39 | 84 | 137:56 |
