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.

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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.