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Taking stock of Arkansas’ outfield situation ahead of weekend scrimmages

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Taking stock of Arkansas’ outfield situation ahead of weekend scrimmages


FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas wraps up the fall schedule with its first look at outside competition with a pair of scrimmages at Baum-Walker.

The Razorbacks will play against Arkansas-Little Rock and Dallas Baptist Friday and Saturday to round out over a month of prep before the team takes a hiatus before the spring.

One of the most crowded position battles features six names fighting for three spots to replace one of the more productive and powerful outfields under coach Dave Van Horn.

Charles Davalan, Justin Thomas and Logan Maxwell hit 36 home runs, the third-most for a Dave Van Horn outfield since 2014, behind only the 2023 and 2018 teams. Here’s the case for each of the six players to start.

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Fall Stats: 7-for-21, home run, 2 doubles, 6 walks, 6 strikeouts (all stats are kept by the media and unofficial)

For the second straight season, Arkansas is on course to have a converted infielder make the change to outfield. Charles Davalan converted from an infielder to the outfield in high school. Niu will be making a similar transition.

Niu spent the 2024 season as Marshall’s every day shortstop, but spent the summer in the Cape Cod League as an everyday center fielder.

The transition is one that has gone well, Niu has looked comfortable in both center and left field and could replace some of the pop lost from 2025. Niu homered in six straight games as part of a 14-homer campaign with the Thundering Herd.

Fall Stats: 9-for-29, double, triple, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts

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Ruiz brings in the most accomplished resume amongst the new candidates. He slashed .388/.511/.607 in his junior season with Lamar en route to winning the Southland Conference Hitter of the Year. Ruiz has yet put one over the confines on Baum-Walker but should remain a solid lock to start somewhere.

Fall Stats: 7-for-16, 2 doubles, 11 walks, 4 strikeouts

Clark has paid his dues after redshirting in 2025. He has put in a strong fall showing for the second straight year and leads the team with 11 walks, five more than anyone else in the scrimmages.

“He usually stays in the strike zone,” Van Horn said. “He went out and had a really good summer, gained a lot of experience, did what we asked him to do. Bunt, take pitches, steal bases, just be a guy that can hit one-two in the order or maybe the nine hole.” 

Clark could find himself replacing Davalan’s role in the leadoff spot as someone who routinely gets on base behind some of the more powerful bats in the order.

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Fall Stats: 1-for-7, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

Aloy will play somewhere, leading a team that went to the semifinals of the College World Series in RBIs with 70 locks in a spot in the lineup. It remains to be seen if the coaching staff will be comfortable enough to send Aloy out to right field when the team opens the season in February.

His offseason was hampered by a hand injury followed by a undiagnosed illness.

“He lost weight and strength,” Van Horn said. “[He lost] a lot of strength, felt fatigued all the time. Went through a lot of tests, but they really didn’t quite figure it out, but that’s probably the most educated guess, from a few things that have shown up, that he was on the back end of that. So he’s really just getting his strength back.”

Van Horn remains optimistic about the progress that Aloy has made in the outfield. His inexperience still shows at times, especially when covering ground in right field, allowing him to play in the field would allow the Hogs to rotate their DH spot.

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Arkansas' Christian Turner during an intrasquad scrimmage

Arkansas’ Christian Turner during an intrasquad scrimmage at Baum-Walker Stadium / Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Fall Stats: 11-for-23, 1 home run, 2 doubles, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts

Turner is in a similar spot as Clark was in 2024, crashing an already crowded competition and hitting his way into consideration. His 11 strikeouts are tied for the most on the team, but his consistent hard content has quickly made an impression on the coaching staff over the past month.

Fall Stats: 5-for-22, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts

Stewart brings the biggest power bat from his previous school. He finished the season seventh all-time in career homers at Missouri State (44). Stewart has struggled mightily in the fall, still searching for his first extra-base hit, but a strong spring could put his name back in the mix,

First pitch against Arkansas-Little Rock is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday. Admission is free.

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Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet

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Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet


Arkansans can now present their driver’s licenses and state identification cards on mobile devices using Apple Wallet, state finance officials announced Wednesday.

The Department of Finance and Administration said Arkansans can use Apple Wallet to present their license or ID in person, online and in apps at select organizations, including at more than 250 Transportation Security



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Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone

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Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone


IDEMIA Public Security North America and the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles have launched Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet, allowing residents to securely store and use their credentials on an iPhone or Apple Watch.

The new feature gives Arkansans the ability to present their identification at participating businesses and venues, at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in more than 250 airports, and online or within apps when age or identity verification is required.

The launch builds on Arkansas’ ongoing efforts to expand digital identification options. In March 2025, the state introduced the Arkansas Mobile ID app, and officials say adding IDs to Apple Wallet offers residents another secure and convenient way to access their credentials.

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“We’re proud to build on our partnership with the Arkansas DFA’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles, expanding on the launch of the Arkansas Mobile ID app in March 2025. The launch of ID in Apple Wallet in the state provides Arkansas residents a new, secure way to store and present their digital credentials, with transparency and control over how their information is shared at the forefront,” said Rob Gardner, CEO, IDEMIA Civil Identity.

To add an Arkansas driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet, users can tap the plus sign at the top of the Wallet app on their iPhone, select “Driver’s License or State ID,” and follow the verification process.

Officials say privacy and security were central considerations in the rollout. Information stored in Apple Wallet is encrypted on a user’s device, and users control when and how their information is shared. When presenting an ID, only the information necessary to verify age or identity is provided.

Apple and the Arkansas Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles also do not receive information about when or where residents use their digital IDs.

The technology is also designed to make verification easier for businesses. Participating businesses can use IDEMIA’s Mobile ID Verify app to accept and verify mobile IDs directly from an iPhone without requiring customers to hand over their devices or use additional hardware.

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The launch marks another step toward broader adoption of digital credentials in Arkansas, giving residents a secure alternative to carrying a physical driver’s license or state ID while maintaining control over their personal information.

For information on the launch of IDs in Apple Wallet in Arkansas, click here.

READ ALSO: Adam O’Neal Stepping into Chancellor Role at UA-EACC



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Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette


New Arkansas gymnastics coach Chris Brooks announced Monday the hiring of Zan Jones to complete his first staff, as well as the promotion of assistants Kyla Ross and Catelyn Branson.

Brooks succeeded his wife, Jordyn Wieber, on April 28 after Wieber stepped down.

Jones joins the Razorback after two seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. The Pioneers won back-to-back Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational Championship titles in 2025 and 2026 with Jones on staff. He has been named a Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division II assistant coach of the year three times, including this spring.

Jones also earned Midwest Independent Conference assistant coach of the year in both of his seasons at Texas Woman’s.

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Jones served as the Pioneers’ primary vault and uneven bars coach, and the team set a program record of 49.35 on the bars in March.

An Alabama alumnus, Jones served as a student manager for the Crimson Tide gymnastics team. He served a year at Talladega (Ala.) College in its inaugural season of gymnastics and spent time as a recreational and team coach at Trussville (Ala.) Academy of Gymnastics.

Brooks also promoted both Ross and Branson to the title of associate head coach. Ross, a former UCLA gymnast and Olympic gold medalist as part of Team USA in 2012, started at Arkansas as a volunteer assistant in 2022. Ross helped Arkansas produce program records on the balance beam in back-to-back years before taking over the vault squad, which set a program high 49.675 in 2026. 

The Razorbacks ranked as high as No. 2 on the vault last season and were never lower than No. 7. Senior transfer Morgan Price landed the first 10 in school history on the vault in February.

Branson returned to the Arkansas staff ahead of the 2025 season, helping lead the floor squad. In that time, Branson has led the Gymbacks to two of their top five best floor scores ever and Arkansas has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the country on floor in the last two seasons. In 2026, over 60% of the team’s scores on floor were 9.85 or better.

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Branson served as Lindenwood’s head coach from 2022-24, where she was named 2024 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association South Central Region Coach of the Year and the Midwest Independent Conference Coach of the Year. She led the Lions to their second consecutive and fifth overall USAG national championship and seventh MIC title in 2024.

Branson had a prior stint at Arkansas from 2020 to 2022, in which time the Gymbacks ranked as high as third on beam and second on floor.



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