Arkansas
Arkansas baseball: 3 important tasks for Dave Van Horn this offseason
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas baseball head coach Dave Van Horn is already thinking about the future.
The Razorbacks (44-16) watched their season come to an end Sunday in a 6-3 loss to Southeast Missouri State in the Fayetteville Regional. Arkansas was ranked No. 1 in the country for nearly half the season, but the Hogs weren’t even one of the top two teams in their own regional.
A long offseason is ahead, and here are the three biggest tasks Dave Van Horn and his coaching staff must accomplish in the next year.
Develop the bats already with Arkansas baseball
Shortstop Wehiwa Aloy is the only everyday starter from this year’s team projected to return in 2025. After hitting .270 with a team-high 14 home runs and 56 RBIs, he should slot into the heart of the lineup next year.
It’s imperative that hitting coach Nate Thompson maximizes other returnees who are already on the roster. The most notable names in this category are freshmen Ryder Helfrick and Nolan Souza.
More: COLUMN: Arkansas baseball has a postseason problem, and Dave Van Horn has a year to fix it
More: Arkansas baseball: What went wrong in Fayetteville region for Razorbacks
Helfrick arrived in Fayetteville with plenty of hype, but he couldn’t find consistency at the plate and finished the year with a .179 batting average and just eight RBIs. Souza got scorching hot midway through the season and early in the SEC slate, but he fell off a cliff down thme stretch recording just one hit in May.
Helfrick needs to be the starting catcher, and Souza must join Aloy in the middle of the batting order. Get those two rolling, and Van Horn will already have a core group of hitters to build around.
Any other in-house growth would be a bonus. Jayson Jones was the starting left fielder on opening day, but he never got going. Will Edmunson lacked the hitting juice to carve out a meaningful role while Reese Robinett redshirted. Can freshman Kade Smith become a contributor?
Maximizing the pieces already inside the program needs to be the primary focus. This year, Arkansas had just two everyday starters who began their college careers in Fayetteville. Perhaps the reliance on transfers is a reason the offense has struggled so mightily in back-to-back seasons.
An open competition for the weekend rotation
It was obvious from the beginning of the fall that Hagen Smith, Brady Tygart and Mason Molina would be the weekend starters for Arkansas in 2024. All three of those arms are likely leaving the program this offseason.
Who replaces them in the rotation will be a key storyline. Rising sophomore Gabe Gaeckle figures to be a starter, but the other two spots are wide open. Ben Bybee made seven starts this spring, but he finished with a 5.83 ERA. Gage Wood moved into the rotation late in the year and faired well, while freshmen Colin Fisher and Hunter Dietz both dealt with injuries.
Those five names figure to be the leading candidates, but there are only three spots in the weekend rotation, and there could be some other competitors on the way.
Land (at least) three big fish in the transfer portal
Aloy, Molina and Hudson White were the headliners of the 2023 transfer class. Arkansas needs three more stars this offseason.
The Hogs will undoubtedly target two more bats, but there’s a case for trying to get three with how many starting spots are up for grabs. Bats are the top priority, but Van Horn and pitching coach Matt Hobbs will surely try and find another pitcher who can compete for a starting role.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KAIT) – Registration is open for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s annual urban deer hunt.
This year’s hunts will be held in Cherokee Village, Fairfield Bay, Heber Springs, Helena-West Helena, Horseshoe Bend and Russellville.
The archery-only hunts are designed to offer an “inexpensive and effective method of nuisance deer management,” according to an AGFC news release.
Deer harvested during the urban hunts do not count toward a hunter’s seasonal limit, and there are no limits to the number of deer that can be harvested.
However, the first deer taken must be donated to Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry, which provides ground meat to food pantries across the state.
Hunters must pass the International Bowhunters Education Program before participating. The program is available at www.agfc.com/education/hunter-education.
Hunters also must attend orientation to learn the specific rules of the hunts and pass a shooting proficiency test.
For more information, visit www.agfc.com/urbanhunt.
To report a typo or correction, please click here.
Copyright 2026 KAIT. All rights reserved.
The Arkansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Monday, June 22, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 22 drawing
17-19-21-45-48, Powerball: 13, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from June 22 drawing
Midday: 8-6-8
Evening: 4-9-7
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from June 22 drawing
Midday: 4-4-6-9
Evening: 6-4-1-4
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Natural State Jackpot numbers from June 22 drawing
07-17-23-28-32
Check Natural State Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 22 drawing
07-08-20-24-42, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Arkansas Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash 3 Midday: 12:59 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
- Cash 3 Evening: 6:59 p.m. CT daily.
- Cash 4 Midday: 12:59 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
- Cash 4 Evening: 6:59 p.m. CT daily.
- Lucky For Life: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Natural State Jackpot: 8 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
- LOTTO: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arkansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Arkansas
Latest Peppermint Hippo court filing alleges misconduct by Arkansas officials, asks for liquor license reinstatement
Video: Peppermint Hippo appeals liquor license revocation before Alcoholic Beverage Control board
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The latest court filing by a lawyer representing the Peppermint Hippo gentlemen’s club alleges misconduct by an Arkansas agency and its department head.
The filing asks that the club’s liquor license be reinstated pending judicial review of the January 2026 decision to revoke it. It alleges that Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Director Christy Bjornson “tainted the entire administrative proceedings.”
The filing alleges Bjornson had ex parte, or single-sided, conversations with Peter Riberiro about the death of his brother, John Riberiro. John Riberiro was killed in November 2021 after being ejected from the club and climbing a fence alongside Interstate 40, where he was hit by a car.
Peter Riberiro contacted ABC by email in February 2025, calling for the club’s license to be revoked. Bjornson replied to the email personally, and she and ABC Director of Enforcement David Potter then had a series of phone conferences with Peter Riberiro and his attorney through January 2026, ex parte communications since Peppermint Hippo representatives were not included, the filing alleges.
The filing also alleges that Bjornson acted with “extreme bias” in the club’s list of violations, including those that had previously been investigated and found unfounded. Bjornson determined the club was in violation, then looked for evidence substantiating her views, the filing alleges.
The state maintains, in a separate filing, that Bjornson’s communications were not ex parte under Arkansas law because she was acting as an administrator and the final decision was made by the ABC board, not her. Even if she was, the state’s filing continues, the decision to revoke was due to “substantial evidence and was neither arbitrary, capricious, nor an abuse of discretion.”
A hearing about the reinstatement is scheduled for Aug. 3 in Pulaski County Circuit Court.
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