Resume Check: Looking ahead to South Carolina baseball's next opponent, the Arkansas Razorbacks

South Carolina baseball dropped its first SEC series last weekend to the Oklahoma Sooners. Then, the Gamecocks bounced back a bit on Tuesday with a victory over the College of Charleston Cougars in the mid-week.

This weekend, though, USC will face one of its toughest tests of the season. Paul Mainieri and his team will travel to Fayetteville for a date with the Arkansas Razorbacks.

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Resume Check: Arkansas Razorbacks

Record: 20-2 (2-1)
D1Baseball Ranking: 3rd
Most recent games: 2-1 series win over Ole Miss in Oxford; two mid-week victories over Oral Roberts, 4-1 and 16-0
Previous Meeting: Arkansas defeated South Carolina 2-1 in a three-game series in Columbia during 2024 season

The Arkansas Razorbacks are one of the best baseball teams in the entire country. Dave Van Horn’s team ranks third in the country in the D1Baseball poll and just won a series over a top-15 Ole Miss Rebels squad on the road. The Hogs’ only other loss this season came to Kansas State in a neutral site tournament.

This preseason, the SEC coaches voted Arkansas as the third-best team in the conference. Three of those coaches voted the Razorbacks as the top team in the league. Starting pitchers Gabe Gaeckle and Landon Beidelschies and relief pitcher Christian Foutch earned preseason All-SEC honors.

Despite earning no offensive preseason all-conference selections, the Arkansas bats have been much better than predicted. Brothers Wehiwa Aloy and Kuhio Aloy lead the team with nine and eight home runs, respectively. Brent Iredale has smacked seven, and the trio of power hitters all rank in the SEC’s top 10 in homers.

The Razorbacks are often known for their pitching prowess, but the team’s starters have been decidedly average this season. However, a look at their underlying numbers suggests better statistical days are ahead. Beidelschies owns a strong 22-5 K-BB ratio, while Zach Root has amassed a whopping 39 strikeouts in just 24.1 innings. Gaeckle has struggled with his command but has limited opposing hitters to a .218 batting average.

If the starters have been a bit underwhelming, the bullpen in Fayetteville has covered for them. Arkansas has nine relievers who have logged multiple appearances and own an ERA under 4.00. Lefty Parker Coil has been the best of the bunch, logging a 0.69 ERA (and a league-leading one earned run), a 14-1 K-BB ratio, and a WHIP of 1.00.

South Carolina baseball coach Paul Mainieri has not shared his rotation for the weekend. Jarvis Evans pitched again in the mid-week, so it is likely that Brandon Stone, Jake McCoy, and Dylan Eskew toe the rubber for the second SEC series in a row.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and Arkansas Razorbacks will begin their series at Baum-Walker Stadium on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Game two is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. The series finale on Sunday also will start at 3:00 p.m. All three games will be available via streaming on SEC Network+ but not broadcast on traditional television.

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