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Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Heartbreak anatomy: How Arkansas baseball blew late lead in another crushing loss at CWS
OMAHA, Neb. — Heartbreak Hogs. It's a moniker so unfortunate and so fitting that not even one of the best teams in Arkansas baseball history could ditch it. There is a clear second place behind the foul ball against Oregon State in 2018 when ranking most-crushing defeats. The Razorbacks blew a two-run lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday, falling to LSU 6-5 in the semifinals of the College World Series. Advertisement An Arkansas victory would not have sent the Hogs to the final. The Razorbacks still needed one more victory over the Tigers in the double-elimination bracket to secure a date with Coastal Carolina, but the nature of the collapse made the stakes seem amplified. Here's a deeper look into the loss, with insight from coaches and players that participated in an unforgettable night at Charles Schwab Field. The first chess move between Arkansas baseball and LSU coaches The Razorbacks led 1-0 entering the bottom of the fifth. Landon Beidelschies provided five quality innings before a leadoff double and a hit by pitch chased the lefty from the contest. Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn summoned Gabe Gaeckle out of the bullpen. Advertisement Gaeckle got two quick outs, with a sacrifice bunt moving the runners to second and third. Arkansas intentionally walked lefty Josh Pearson to give Gaeckle a righty-righty matchup against Chris Stanfield. But LSU coach Jay Johnson went to lefty Jake Brown as a pinch hitter. Johnson thought Arkansas would make another pitching change and go to freshman Cole Gibler, a lefty. "Gaeckle was getting pretty close to the point where if we had to play tomorrow, I thought, I don't know if they're going to be able to bring him back," Johnson said. "Getting Gibler in the game, I also thought would give us a little bit of an advantage if we had to play tomorrow." Van Horn didn't go to the bullpen, and Brown slapped a single to left field to give LSU a 2-1 lead. All of a sudden, Arkansas was nine outs away from elimination. Advertisement "We weren't going to take Gaeckle out at that time," Van Horn said. "No, we weren't thinking about going to him. That was just a clutch hit. You've got to give him credit." Fresh relievers left in the bullpen Gaeckle stayed on the mound for another two innings. In total, he threw 141 pitches in a four-day span after tossing six innings with 10 strikeouts against LSU on Saturday night. Arkansas took the lead in the top of the eighth. A failed double play from LSU let the Hogs score two runs and go up 3-2. Gaeckle came out for the bottom of the eighth and recorded two quick outs. But LSU finally took advantage of a hefty workload. First baseman Jared Jones hit a fastball the opposite way for a solo home run that tied the score at 3-3. Advertisement "Messed up with two pitches and a good team takes advantage of that," Gaeckle said. "They got me on those two. Props to them, they're a good team." Jones was 0 for 4 with four strikeouts against Gaeckle before the home run. It's no surprise Van Horn and pitching coach Matt Hobbs liked the matchup, but a fastball down the heart of the plate could be a sign of fatigue. The Hogs had plenty of fresh flame-throwing righties available, including Dylan Carter and Christian Foutch. The back-to-back defensive miscues Again, the Arkansas offense responded. Justin Thomas Jr. plated two runs with a single to left field in the top of the ninth and the Hogs carried a 5-3 lead into the final half inning. Advertisement Gibler finally came out of the bullpen. He struck out John Pearson, allowed an infield single to Derek Curiel and walked Ethan Frey. The Tigers had runners on first and second with one out. The next batter was Steven Milam, who hit a grounder to shortstop Wehiwa Aloy. Instead of trying to turn a double play, Aloy threw to third base to get the lead runner. The Hogs were one out away from the win, but they could have already been celebrating. "I haven't talked to (Aloy) about it," Van Horn said. "I think he felt he moved too far to his right for Cam (Kozeal) to turn it. I don't know. (Milam's) an average runner. He's not a flyer, but he's not slow either. So I don't know." That brought Luis Hernandez to the plate, and the LSU catcher smoked a 104 mph line drive to left field. It was right at Charles Davalan, but he slipped with one of his first steps and then made a failed diving attempt. The play was ruled a double and both runs scored to make it 5-5. Advertisement After the game, the entire Arkansas team went out to left field to console an emotional Davalan. The Canadian left fielder said sorry to his teammates and coaches. They didn't appreciate the apology, but their reasoning was supportive. "I said, 'Why are you sorry?' We wouldn't be where we are today without him, the way he competes, and he's one of the best hitters and people and just all-around best baseball players I've ever been around," Ryder Helfrick said. "For him to say sorry, it kind of pissed me off because the game's not on him. It's on the team. He's one of the greatest to do it here." Van Horn agreed with his sophomore catcher. "That kid doesn't have to be sorry for anything," Van Horn said. "He was our glue, man. He held it together." Jun 18, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks shortstop Wehiwa Aloy (9) reacts as LSU Tigers players celebrate the win at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images No regrets on the final gut punch After Davalan's miscue, Jones stepped to the plate, just one inning after his game-tying home run. Advertisement First base was open and Josh Pearson was on deck with Gibler still on the mound. Arkansas could have intentionally walked the Tigers' slugger who leads the team with 22 home runs and 76 RBIs and give Gibler a lefty-lefty matchup. Instead, the Hogs went to Aiden Jimenez and pitched to Jones. "Right on right, I don't think so. We didn't feel like that it was something we needed to do. Hindsight is 20-20. We could talk about all the ifs and buts until we're sick of each other," Van Horn said. The LSU first baseman delivered a walk-off single that hit second baseman Cam Kozeal's glove and squirted into center field. Advertisement Hernandez sprinted around third. The Tigers celebrated. The Arkansas season ended. Jimenez threw 41 pitches Tuesday. Again, Arkansas left fresh arms in the bullpen. Add it all up, and the heartbreak Hogs made another appearance in Omaha, Nebraska. The hunt for a first national title in program history lives until 2026. Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@ or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: How Arkansas baseball blew a late lead in crushing loss to LSU at CWS
USA Today
17-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How Gage Wood's no-hitter could help Arkansas baseball in losers bracket at College World Series
How Gage Wood's no-hitter could help Arkansas baseball in losers bracket at College World Series Show Caption Hide Caption Arkansas' Gage Wood throws historic no-hitter in College World Series Arkansas' Gage Wood tosses the third no-hitter in Men's College World Series history as Arkansas tops Murray State. NCAA OMAHA, NE ― After losing its College World Series opener, Arkansas baseball faced a daunting task − winning four games in four days to keep its season alive. June 16 was just the first of those games, but what a game it was: a 19-strikeout no-hitter from Gage Wood in the 3-0 victory over Murray State. The game not only was a history-making outing − the first Men's College World Series no-hitter since 1960 − it put the Razorbacks in a better position to keep its season going. Arkansas used four pitchers in its first game. Gabe Gaeckle, who pitched six innings in relief, is unlikely to be available before the semifinal. But Zach Root, the game 1 starter, threw just 38 pitches. Relievers Cole Gibler and Christian Foutch should be available, too. Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn would not tip his hand after the no-hitter. But Root returning seems like a possibility. Only Gaeckle should be unavailable. Landon Beidelschies, Ben Bybee, Aiden Jimenez and Dylan Carter are other frequently-used relievers who should be available. How many teams have won College World Series after losing the first game? Four teams have won the College World Series after losing the first game: 1998 USC, 2006 Oregon State, 2010 South Carolina and 2018 Oregon State. The Beavers in 2006 are the only one of those teams that won four games in four days, as the others had the benefit of an off day or rainout. The Beavers threw shutouts in each of their two semifinal games against Rice to advance to the championship series. The 2018 Oregon State team is one Arkansas will be familiar with, too, as that team beat the Razorbacks to win the national title. Why Arkansas baseball needs to hit better to get through the losers bracket Arkansas isn't the only team that has struggled offensively in Omaha. The highest number of runs scored in a game was eight by Louisville, and that was done with only one extra-base hit. The first multi-run home run wasn't hit until Day 4. But the Razorbacks have seen the worst offensive production compared to what's typical of any team in Omaha. Their typically strong power production has disappeared. Arkansas hasn't been like Louisville or Coastal Carolina, who have thrived playing small ball all year. But the Razorbacks have already started to adjust. They haven't stolen many bases this season, but in the elimination game, they stole four bases from four different players. "This ballpark's really big," outfielder Charles Davalan said. "So we've got to do some different stuff just to get runs. ... We knew coming in that the running game would be in action. When usually, in season, we didn't have to use it. But now, bigger ballpark, we've got to do different stuff." More on Gage Wood How Arkansas baseball's Gage Wood silenced Murray State with a dominant no-hitter at CWS Arkansas baseball has history of postseason heartbreak Arkansas is one of the best teams in college baseball without a national title. If the Razorbacks fail to come away with a championship this year, they will be tied for second all time in most trips to Omaha without a title. They have hosted a regional in seven of the last eight tournaments, including a stint as the No. 1 overall seed in 2021. That season ended in a super regional heartbreak, as did the 2023 and 2024 seasons where Arkansas lost in regionals as a national seed. Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@ or on X @aria_gerson.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Men's College World Series 2025: LSU bests Arkansas, UCLA defeats Murray State on Day 2
The Men's College World Series continued Saturday, with Day 2 in Omaha, Nebraska, featuring some solid wins from UCLA and LSU. The Bruins threatened the Cinderella run of Murray State with a victory, and the Tigers dispatched SEC rival Arkansas to stay in the winners' bracket. LSU 4, Arkansas 1 LSU picked up a 4-1 win over Arkansas to close out Saturday. The Tigers earned the win against their SEC rival largely off a strong second inning and kept the lead with some great pitching from starter Kade Anderson. Advertisement LSU got things started in the second, loading the bases off star Razorbacks pitcher Zach Root. The Tigers then scored on three consecutive plays. Chris Stanfield and Josh Pearson each notched RBI singles; sandwiched between the two RBI, Michael Braswell III was hit by a pitch to advance the runners for another run. After that, Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn pulled Root early, and sophomore Gabe Gaeckle came in to replace him. Gaeckle put up quite a performance, notching 10 strikeouts across six shutout innings before being replaced in the eighth. Gaeckle and Anderson each put up a great defensive performance, holding the score at 3-0 through the next three innings. In the bottom of the sixth, the Razorbacks finally got on the board with a solo homer from first baseman Reese Robinett. Advertisement Gaeckle held off the LSU offense while on the mound, but the Tigers came right back the minute he left. It took only one batter after Gaeckle was replaced by freshman Cole Gibler, as LSU left fielder Derek Curiel notched an RBI single to put the Tigers up 4-1. At the start of the eighth, Anderson was replaced after allowing a base hit. The lefty sophomore ended with seven strikeouts on 100 pitches while holding Arkansas to four baserunners. The Razorbacks' defense held on in the top of the ninth, stranding two LSU batters to keep the score at 4-1. But LSU freshman Casan Evans was able to close out the game and secure the Tigers' victory. Advertisement The Tigers move on to the winners' bracket, next facing UCLA, while Arkansas will try to dispatch Murray State in a must-win game. Both games will take place Monday. UCLA 6, Murray State 4 Murray State is the underdog darling of the MCWS, having advanced to Omaha as a regional No. 4 seed. But they are one game away from elimination after losing Saturday's opener to UCLA. Racers pitcher Nic Schutte struggled with his control from the start, walking Dean West and Roch Cholowsky, then giving up a single to Mulivai Levu to load the bases. He then walked Roman Martin on five pitches to bring in the Bruins' first run. However, Schutte retired the next three — with two strikeouts — to limit the damage. UCLA added to its lead with Cashel Dugger hitting a double to lead off the second. A sacrifice bunt from Phoenix Call advanced Dugger to third before West drove him home with a single. Advertisement The Bruins put the game out of reach in the fourth inning. Following a Dugger lineout, Call and West each singled. They were moved into scoring position by a Cholowsky sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Schutte could have escaped the inning, but he hit Levu with his first pitch to once again load the bases. Martin then hit an RBI single, followed by a double from AJ Salgado that scored another two runs. UCLA pitcher Michael Barnett was on his way to getting through five scoreless innings after retiring the first two Racers batters in the fifth. But he allowed a single to Jonathan Hogart and walked Dustin Mercer before leaving the game. Bruins coach John Savage told ESPN reporter Dani Wexelman that Barnett was dealing with leg cramps. Advertisement Wylan Moss took over and gave up an RBI single to Carson Garner for Murray State's first run. The run was charged to Barnett, who finished with one run and three hits allowed, with four strikeouts and four walks in 4 2/3 innings. The Racers added another run in the sixth on singles by Luke Mistone and Will Vierling, followed by a sacrifice fly from Dan Tauken. They threatened to score more in the seventh against UCLA reliever Jack O'Connor, with Hogart and Mercer leading off the frame with singles. But O'Connor got the next two batters to fly out before August Souza took over and got Mistone to line out. Souza walked Vierling and gave up a double to Tauken to begin the eighth. Both runners came around to score on RBI groundouts, closing Murray State's deficit to 6-4. But Hogart struck out to end the Racers' last best threat. Advertisement UCLA will enjoy a steak dinner courtesy of Bruins alum Gerrit Cole, according to Savage. The team will face LSU on Monday. Murray State will play Arkansas on Monday in an elimination game. In the meantime, Racers fans in Omaha can perhaps console themselves with the fact that their school currently ranks second in the Rocco's Jell-O shot challenge. The MCWS's secondary competition, the Rocco's Jello Shot Challenge, is in full swing after two days of the tournament. In addition to the win over Arkansas, LSU fans are still holding strong on their Jell-O shot consumption, tallying 10,197 shots as of Saturday evening. As a result, Tigers fans are still well on pace to break their own record. In contrast, Murray State and Arkansas — once just behind LSU in terms of shot consumption — have fallen behind, with 5,396 and 4,823 shots each. Once again, the Tigers are really running away with this one.
08-06-2025
- Sport
Zach Root, Gabe Gaeckle shackle Tennessee on two hits, Arkansas tops defending champs 4-3
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Zach Root and Gabe Gaeckle combined on a two-hitter, Ryder Helfrick hit the go-ahead home run, and Arkansas defeated defending national champion Tennessee 4-3 on Saturday in the opening game of the best-of-three Fayetteville Super Regional. Helfrick's two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning gave Arkansas a 3-2 lead and Charles Davalan drove in a run with a single that made it 4-2 in the sixth. Root (8-5) started and went seven innings, allowing one hit and one earned run. Gaeckle threw two innings in relief, allowing the other hit and one run for his second save. Dean Curley's two-run home run in the fifth inning gave the Volunteers a 2-1 lead. It was their only hit until Andrew Fischer's solo home run in the ninth. The Razorbacks' Cam Kozeal scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Tennessee starter Marcus Phillips (4-5) allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. Tennessee (46-18) is making its fifth straight super regional appearance. Arkansas (47-13) is making its third appearance since 2021. The Razorbacks will lock up their 11th College World Series berth if they win Game 2 on Sunday. ___
Fox Sports
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Zach Root, Gabe Gaeckle shackle Tennessee on two hits, Arkansas tops defending champs 4-3
Associated Press FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Zach Root and Gabe Gaeckle combined on a two-hitter, Ryder Helfrick hit the go-ahead home run, and Arkansas defeated defending national champion Tennessee 4-3 on Saturday in the opening game of the best-of-three Fayetteville Super Regional. Helfrick's two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning gave Arkansas a 3-2 lead and Charles Davalan drove in a run with a single that made it 4-2 in the sixth. Root (8-5) started and went seven innings, allowing one hit and one earned run. Gaeckle threw two innings in relief, allowing the other hit and one run for his second save. Dean Curley's two-run home run in the fifth inning gave the Volunteers a 2-1 lead. It was their only hit until Andrew Fischer's solo home run in the ninth. The Razorbacks' Cam Kozeal scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Tennessee starter Marcus Phillips (4-5) allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. Tennessee (46-18) is making its fifth straight super regional appearance. Arkansas (47-13) is making its third appearance since 2021. The Razorbacks will lock up their 11th College World Series berth if they win Game 2 on Sunday. ___ AP college sports: recommended
