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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn wasted no time after a season-ending loss to Southeast Missouri State last year talking about a new approach to his offense.
Nearly one year ago, fresh off the disappointment of another early exit at a home regional, Van Horn envisioned a more athletic and dynamic offense for his Razorbacks in 2025. He wanted to recruit players who could steal bases, embrace small ball and find different ways to score without relying on home runs.
Embedded content: https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/college/sec/2024/06/03/dave-van-horn-must-fix-arkansas-baseballs-postseason-problem/73955658007/
The Hogs have now played 30 games since that declaration. The offense is much-improved, but talent and development appear to be spearheading the turnaround, rather than a massive shift in offensive philosophy.
More: Arkansas baseball injury updates: Gage Wood, Parker Coil to miss Missouri series
More: Why Arkansas baseball players relish rare road triumph over Vanderbilt
Four high-profile transfers — Logan Maxwell, Charles Davalan, Cam Kozeal and Kuhio Aloy — are prime examples. Three of those players have already matched or eclipsed their home-run totals from 2024, with Davalan needing just one more long ball to join the group.
"One reason they came in here was to get better and develop and play in our league and play at the University of Arkansas," Van Horn said. "We take a lot of pride in getting our guys a little better when they — really a lot better — by the time they leave here. So hats off to them and hats off to our coaching staff."
In addition to a power surge from the newcomers, Arkansas simply has better depth in 2025. At this stage in 2024, only four players scored at least 20 runs, and Wehiwa Aloy led the team with 26. This year's team has seven players crossing the 20-run threshold, and Davalan ranks fourth nationally with 46.
As a team, Arkansas ranks in the top-five nationally in runs, home runs, doubles and slugging percentage. The stolen bases are down, sacrifice bunts are still rare and small ball is more backup option than primary point of attack, but the Arkansas offense is better.
Here's a look at how this year's team compares to the 2024 squad after 30 games. Both teams were 27-3 overall with just one SEC loss, but the offensive improvement nearing the halfway point of the season is substantial across a variety of categories.
(National Rank/Conference Rank in 2025)
2024: 223 runs, 7.4 runs per game
2025: 283 runs, 9.4 runs per game
2024: 44
2025: 65
2024: .283
2025: .322
2024: .476
2025: .585
2024: 170
2025: 160
2024: 44
2025: 65
2024: 6
2025: 11
2024: 25
2025: 24
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: How much has Arkansas baseball's offense improved in 2025
Continue reading...
Nearly one year ago, fresh off the disappointment of another early exit at a home regional, Van Horn envisioned a more athletic and dynamic offense for his Razorbacks in 2025. He wanted to recruit players who could steal bases, embrace small ball and find different ways to score without relying on home runs.
Embedded content: https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/college/sec/2024/06/03/dave-van-horn-must-fix-arkansas-baseballs-postseason-problem/73955658007/
The Hogs have now played 30 games since that declaration. The offense is much-improved, but talent and development appear to be spearheading the turnaround, rather than a massive shift in offensive philosophy.
More: Arkansas baseball injury updates: Gage Wood, Parker Coil to miss Missouri series
More: Why Arkansas baseball players relish rare road triumph over Vanderbilt
Four high-profile transfers — Logan Maxwell, Charles Davalan, Cam Kozeal and Kuhio Aloy — are prime examples. Three of those players have already matched or eclipsed their home-run totals from 2024, with Davalan needing just one more long ball to join the group.
"One reason they came in here was to get better and develop and play in our league and play at the University of Arkansas," Van Horn said. "We take a lot of pride in getting our guys a little better when they — really a lot better — by the time they leave here. So hats off to them and hats off to our coaching staff."
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In addition to a power surge from the newcomers, Arkansas simply has better depth in 2025. At this stage in 2024, only four players scored at least 20 runs, and Wehiwa Aloy led the team with 26. This year's team has seven players crossing the 20-run threshold, and Davalan ranks fourth nationally with 46.
As a team, Arkansas ranks in the top-five nationally in runs, home runs, doubles and slugging percentage. The stolen bases are down, sacrifice bunts are still rare and small ball is more backup option than primary point of attack, but the Arkansas offense is better.
Here's a look at how this year's team compares to the 2024 squad after 30 games. Both teams were 27-3 overall with just one SEC loss, but the offensive improvement nearing the halfway point of the season is substantial across a variety of categories.
Comparing Arkansas baseball stats through 30 games
Runs Scored
(National Rank/Conference Rank in 2025)
2024: 223 runs, 7.4 runs per game
2025: 283 runs, 9.4 runs per game
Home Runs
2024: 44
2025: 65
Batting Average
2024: .283
2025: .322
Slugging Percentage
2024: .476
2025: .585
Walks
2024: 170
2025: 160
Doubles
2024: 44
2025: 65
Sacrifice Hits
2024: 6
2025: 11
Stolen Bases
2024: 25
2025: 24
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: How much has Arkansas baseball's offense improved in 2025
Continue reading...
