Van Horn sizes up Arkansas roster after MLB draft and 31-player recruiting haul

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

FAYETTEVILLE – What can only be described as a great outcome for Arkansas in last month’s Major League Baseball Draft did present a mild roster management issue.

But as Razorback head coach Dave Van Horn notes, that’s a great problem to have.

Eight current Arkansas players were drafted and signed, but only two high school signees in Nebraska shortstop Tyson Lewis and Kansas high school outfielder Eli Lovich were chosen and inked contracts by Thursday’s 4 p.m. CST MLB signing deadline.

That’s down from x prep stars and portal transfer additions that chose to turn professional instead off head to Fayetteville after the 2023 draft.

“Last year we got hurt, especially on position players,” Van Horn said recently in an appearance on Little Rock radio station 103.7 The Buzz. “We had four go the first day or early the second day and between those four high school players, they signed for $11 million.  

“We really didn’t have that happened this year. We had one infielder (Lewis) who signed for $3 million and we almost held him,  but one team (Cincinnati) decided to come up with enough money.”

“But we kept some guys, a lot more guys than we were expecting to be honest with you and that’s a really good problem to have. What I mean by that is we had a few more players than we thought we were going to have and we had a couple of kids committed through the transfer portal.”

Arkansas is thrilled freshmen pitchers Carson Wiggins and Cole Gibler and shortstop Gabe Fraser are making it to Fayetteville.

The Razorbacks also got word that veteran pitcher Will McEntire and outfielder Kendall Diggs are returning to join shortstop Wehiwa Aloy as leaders for the 2025 squad.

Arkansas added in 12 portal transfers before the draft, but redirected Georgia State shortstop Maximus Martin to Kansas State and Milwaukee outfielder Carson Hansen to Kentucky.

“Quite frankly, we talked with their agents and talked to them and said ‘you better not come now, it’s not a good idea,” Van Horn said. “We had a couple of kids that were coming that are now going to go to other universities this season.”

Other roster changes include redshirt freshmen Ty Waid (McLennan Community) and pitcher Adam Hachman (Kentucky)  as well as junior outfielder Will Edmunson (ORU) exiting after the draft.

They join former Razorback outfielders Jayson Jones (OSU), Kade Smith (Harding) and Hunter Grimes in changing addresses for next season.

“There were also some kids in our program that they see who is coming back and somebody is at their position and somebody didn’t sign, so they are transferring to a junior college or to another school,” Van Horn said.

The Razorbacks should have 31 new players on roster – 15 high schools signees, 10 transfer portal additions and 6 junior college transfers.

Van Horn mentioned at his post season press conference that he wanted his 2025 roster to have more athleticism.

“Really I think my comment was that I wanted to become more athletic, have maybe an opportunity to steal a bag here or there and be able do that a little more,” Van Horn said. “You have to work at it and you also to have athletes.

“We have brought in a couple of kids in the portal that are that way,  couple of high school kids that are that way, couple of JC kids with that athleticism that we are looking for. Plus got some guys back that are good athletes like Nolan Souza.

“…We’re got guys that have good speed, but we were looking for a guy here and there. We will see how all that fans out in fall ball.”  

• • •

Arkansas got a boost when McEntire and Diggs both decided to return for an extra season.

McEntire is 16-5 with a 4.23 ERA in his Razorback career after going 5-0 with a 4.83 ERA last season.

Diggs, a 2022 second-team All-SEC selection after hitting .299 with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs, recently had surgery on a torn labrum..

He played part of the season with that injury and saw his numbers plummet after starting the season hitting .340.

“First off, I feel great about him coming back and excited about his talent and experience back,” Van Horn said. “You have got to give credit to him for playing hurt for all or most of the year.

“It was worse them we thought. They got in there for surgery and I think they put seven staples in there on the front and the back.  It effected this swing, it effected his swing.

“So he’ll rehab, we will let that heal and he will be bigger and stronger than ever. He’ll miss fall ball, but he’ll be swinging the bat probably more toward late November, December, somewhere in there.  

“We’’ll try to get him some live pitching and hopefully he’ll be ready to go the first game of the game, but super happy to have him back.”

• • •

Arkansas players and recruits who signed MLB contracts:

• Hagen Smith (Chicago White Sox, 1st round, $8 million)
• Peyton Stovall (Cincinnati, 4th round, $625,000)
• Mason Molina (Milwaukee, 7th round, $254,900)
• Jared Sprague-Lott (Oakland, 9th round, $50,000)
• Hudson White (Boston, 9th round, $185,000)
• Ben McLaughlin (Arizona, 9th round, $75,000)
• Jake Faherty (Miami, 11th round, $200,000)
• Brady Tygart (Boston, 12th round, $300,000)
• Stone Hewlett (Los Angeles Angels, free agent, NA)

• • •

Arkansas transfer portal additions (10):

• Kuhio Aloy, 1B-DH, 6-1, 200, BYU
• Michael Anderson, 1B, 6-3, 227, Rhode Island
• Landon Beidelschies, LHP, 6-3, 225, Ohio State
• Carson Boles, OF, 5-11, 190, Lincoln Memorial (Division II)
• Charles Davalan, OF-2B, 5-10, 180, Florida Gulf Coast University
• Aiden Jimenez, RHP, 6-3, 216, Oregon State
• Camden Kozeal, 2B, 5-11, 207, Vanderbilt
• Logan Maxwell, OF, 5-10, 175, TCU
• Rocco Peppi, OF, 5-11, 200, Fresno State
• Zach Root, LHP, 6-1, 177, East Carolina

Arkansas junior college signees (6):

• Brent Iredale, 3B, 6-2, 220, Hobbs (NM) New Mexico JC
• Kolton Reynolds, OF, 6-2, 215, Neosho (Mo.) Crowder CC
• Trenton Rowan, INF, 6-2, 200, Liberal (Kan.) Seward County CC
• Carson Schrack, IF, 5-9, 170, Coffeyville (Kan.) CC
• Justin Thomas, OF, 6-0, 190, Florida Southwestern State (Georgia)
• Elliott Peterson, C, 6-1, 200, Beatrice (Neb.) Southeast Community College

Arkansas high school signees (15):

• Tag Andrews, RHP, 6-0, 185, Maumelle
• Zane Becker C, 6-0, 185, Flower Mound, Texas
• Kel Busby, RHP, 6-2, 200, Pulaski Academy
• Brenton Clark, OF, 6-0, 190 Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove
• Eli Crecelius, RHP, 6-2, 210, Valley View
• Lance Davis, RHP, 6-4, 205, Valley View
• Steele Eaves, RHP, 6-0, 195, Lonoke
• Jackson Farrell, LHP, 6-3, 210, Owasso (Okla.) Jenks
• Ross Felder, RHP, 6-3, 190, Springdale Har-Ber
• Gabe Fraser, INF, 6-2, 185, Westmister (Calif.) Orange Lutheran

• Cole Gibler, LHP, 6-0, 175, Blue Springs, Mo.


•  Sam Lee, OF, 5-11, 175, Montgomery, Texas, Lake Creek

• Wade Mountz, RHP, 6-7, 230, Morgan Hills (Calif.) Bellarmine College Prep

• Carson Wiggins, RHP, 6-5, 210, Roland, Okla.

• Carson Willis, C, 5-11, 195, Rogers P27 Academy