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Dave Van Horn: 'Comical' number of players competing for first base spot

Matt Connollyby:Matt Connolly02/03/25

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(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Arkansas and head coach Dave Van Horn are searching for a replacement at first base after Ben McLaughlin was drafted in the ninth round of last year’s MLB Draft.

Van Horn recently opened up about how the competition is going at first base and revealed that there are a number of players in the mix for the job.

“Yea, that’s a tryout camp over there right now,” Dave Van Horn said. “If you come to our practices it’s almost comical, you know. I feel like I’m at a summer tryout camp. We’ve got five guys working out over there that also play other positions. I could throw a couple more over there.”

McLaughlin started 57 games at first base for Arkansas last season, hitting .302 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs.

Ideally, a first baseman is a really good hitter with power. However, as Dave Van Horn said, Arkansas is looking for a capable defender, too.

“You know, we want to get a hitter over there. But honestly, you’ve gotta be able to field and catch pick-offs and know the bunt coverages,” Van Horn said. “You can’t just stick somebody on first base because he’s a good hitter. I mean that position touches the ball second behind the catcher, and the pitcher. So they’ve gotta play defense. … We’re not sure yet, honestly.”

Arkansas still has a little bit of time to figure the first base position out before opening the season against Washington State on Feb. 14.

The Razorbacks are coming off of a 44-16 season in 2024. Arkansas had an excellent regular season, before struggling in the postseason and falling in its own regional.

Dave Van Horn reveals where Arkansas starting rotation stands entering season

In addition to the first base position, Dave Van Horn also addressed where the Arkansas starting rotation stands ahead of the season.

While Van Horn didn’t want to commit to a starting rotation, he did share some options that Arkansas has and broadly explained where the rotation stands.

“We’re going to let them prove it to us a little more,” Dave Van Horn said. “We saw a lot of good things in the fall and then off-season. I think just because we’ve been around Gabe Gaeckle so much, had him here, we feel like that he will definitely be a starter. [Zach] Root looks like a starter. Gage Wood[Landon] Beidelschies. Those are all possibilities, and there are some other guys in there now.”

Gaeckle, who Van Horn shared will be a starter, is a right-handed sophomore who appeared in 22 games out of the bullpen last season. He had a 2.32 ERA in 42.2 innings pitched, striking out 57 while only walking 19 batters. Then, Root, another pitcher in a good position to start, is a left-handed junior who transferred in from ECU. Last season, he made 13 appearances and 12 starts, pitching 68.1 innings with a 3.56 ERA. He did that while striking out 76 batters and walking another 21.

As for Gage Wood and Landon Beidelschies, they both started games last season. In Wood’s case, it was three starts in 22 appearances with a 4.46 ERA. Then, Beidelschies comes as a transfer from Ohio State where he started 15 games with a 4.15 ERA.