Arkansas baseball transfer tracker: Hogs, Dave Van Horn building 2026 roster in portal

Arkansas baseball’s long road back to Omaha begins in the transfer portal.

The Razorbacks can officially turn their full attention to next year’s roster after the 2025 season ended Wednesday, June 18 in the College World Series semifinals. Arkansas fell two wins short of reaching the championships series.

The Hogs crushed the 2024 transfer portal, bringing in four All-SEC players in Charles Davalan, Zach Root, Kuhio Aloy and Cam Kozeal. They also landed the likes of Landon Beidelschies and Logan Maxwell.

A similar haul would once again make Arkansas a national title contender. The Hogs are bringing back a strong core of players, led by Gabe Gaeckle and Ryder Helfrick.

Here’s a look at who is coming and who is going for the Razorbacks this summer.

Players transferring to Arkansas baseball

Jackson Wells, pitcher, Little Rock

Wells attended Rogers High School and spent three years with the Trojans after beginning his collegiate career at UA Rich Mountain. In 2023, Wells led the country with a 1.65 ERA. Paul Skenes had the next-best ERA during his final season at LSU. The righty wasn’t able to replicate that dominance over his next two seasons, and in 2025 he went 3-8 with a 5.36 ERA in 87⅓ innings. At Arkansas, Wells figures to compete for a spot in the back end of the rotation or as a high-leverage option out of the bullpen.

Ethan McElvain, pitcher, Vanderbilt

McElevain went 2-3 with a 7.24 ERA in 2025. Those numbers are underwhelming, but the flame-throwing lefty struck out 45 batters in 27⅓ innings. According to D1Baseball, McElvain had a better-than 50% whiff rate on his slider, complimenting a fastball that lives in the upper 90s. Arkansas will hope to rein in his 1.02 walks per inning and turn McElvain into a reliable left-handed option out of the bullpen.

Players entering the portal from Arkansas baseball

Gabe Fraser, infielder

Fraser became the first portal departure who played in 2025. The California native hit .250 with one home run and 12 RBIs in 52 at-bats. He spent a brief period as the starting second baseman after Nolan Souza went down with a season-ending injury, but a leg ailment derailed Fraser’s own playing time. He was ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 144 overall prospect and the No. 37 shortstop in the class of 2024.

Jackson Farrell, pitcher

Farrell did not make an appearance during his one and only season with the Razorbacks. Perfect Game ranked Farrell as a top-500 overall prospect and the No. 70 left-handed pitcher in the class of 2024.

Ross Felder, pitcher

The Springdale native did not pitch for Arkansas in his one-year career with the Hogs. He was a a top-500 overall prospect and the No. 287 right-handed pitcher in the class of 2024, according to Perfect Game.

Tag Andrews, pitcher

Another in-state pitcher, the graduate from Maumelle High School was Perfect Game’s No. 345 overall prospect and the No. 105 right-handed pitcher in the class of 2024. He did not pitch during his freshman season.

Luke Williams, pitcher

Just like the three players above, Williams did not pitch in 2025. He was as a top-500 overall prospect and the No. 72 left-handed pitcher in the class of 2024, according to Perfect Game.

Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@gannett.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.