3 Keys to the game- Arkansas baseball vs. Washington State

Arkansas baseball kicks off the season with a series against Washing State. Here are the keys to the game for today's doubleheader.

LSU v Arkansas
LSU v Arkansas | Wesley Hitt/GettyImages

The 2025 Arkansas baseball season is finally here as the No. 5 team in the nation takes on Washington State in a four-game series in Baum-Walker Stadium to open up the year. With the Razorbacks and the Cougars facing off in a doubleheader to begin the four-game series, here are three keys to the game to lead the Hogs to victory.

3 Keys to Arkansas baseball's game vs. Washington State

1. Stay warm!

It’s going to be a long, cold day at the ballpark for Arkansas, and it’s only going to get colder throughout the weekend. The Razorbacks felt this last year at the beginning of the 2024 season against the James Madison Dukes, where the Hogs took three out of four.

Fortunately, the cold weather will cease once Arkansas hits the end of February or early March.

2. Use this doubleheader as a way to see where everyone is at.

With the Razorbacks playing two games in one day, this will be a great opportunity for the Hogs to see how some of the players will do against competition beyond their own squad. Some of the up-and-coming freshmen could see the field early, like RHP Carson Wiggins and INF Gabe Fraser. This experience will be vital for the Hogs going deeper into the year.

3. See how far Gabe Gackle can go.

RHP Gabe Gaeckle has become the Friday starter for Arkansas even though he has not made a collegiate start. His amazing freshman year in 2024 has earned him the trust of head coach Dave Van Horn after making 22 relief appearances while logging a record of 3-3 with a 2.32 ERA across 42.2 innings and 57 strikeouts. The longest Gaeckle went last season was three innings, which he did on two occasions (May 5 vs. Kentucky and May 31 vs. Southeast Missouri State).

The first pitch for the first game of the doubleheader is scheduled for noon, and the second game will start 30-45 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Both games will be streamed on SEC Network+.

Schedule

Schedule