The No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks (43-13, 20-10 SEC) did everything possible in the first inning to lose the game against the No. 17 Ole Miss Rebels (39-18, 16-14 SEC) in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, allowing five runs, for which their bats couldn't overcome.
Although Wehiwa Aloy is the 2025 SEC Player of the Year, his significant errors in the first inning, in which the Ole Miss Rebels scored five runs, cost the Arkansas Razorbacks the game. While Zach Root didn't have his best stuff on the mound, he's not responsible for this loss against the Rebels. However, in his last outing in Game 1 against Tennessee, he was responsible for that loss. The team's poor defense made it appear that Root had a worse day on the mound than he did.
In 4.0 innings, Root only surrendered one earned run and seven hits and delivered four strikeouts. Arkansas' defense owes Root an apology for its horrible performance today. Root arrived determined to avenge his loss against the Rebels earlier this season in Oxford.
The Hogs played uninspired baseball today in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, demonstrating that they didn't take the SEC Tournament seriously. After such an unserious and uninspiring performance against the No. 17 Ole Miss Rebels, the No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks generated many reactions on social media that reveal a lack of confidence in them as they head back to Fayetteville as a regional host.
Arkansas baseball vs. Ole Miss social media reactions: SEC Baseball Tournament Quarterfinals
After the game, Dave Van Horn, Arkansas Razorbacks head baseball coach, stated, "The message going forward is that we got to tighten up as a group. We can't let this happen again."
NCAA Baseball noted that Ole Miss got "OFF TO A HOT START."
Daniel Shi, an Arkansas Razorbacks beat writer at Sports Illustrated, contended that Wehiwa Aloy's first-inning errors cost the Hogs the game against the Rebels.
Otis Kirk, an Arkansas beat writer and reporter for Pig Trail Nation, wrote, "There will be better days ahead for the #Razorbacks (at least you hope so)."
Trey McBride, a Razorback fan, didn't appreciate how the umpire called the game.
Allen Woodhouse, an Ole Miss Rebels fan, showed great respect for Arkansas: "Ole Miss needs to score more than 5 runs to win this baseball game. Arkansas is too good."
Andrew Ellis, an Arkansas beat writer at Inside Arkansas, highlighted Cam Kozeal's inside-the-park homer.
Uncle Cocktail, a Hog fan, was displeased with Arkansas' performance: "I know this game doesn't matter but that was a piss poor performance. But still WPS!"
Barstool Hogs hopes that "this isn't the Root I see next week."
Dr. Antonio M. Daniels, an Arkansas Razorbacks beat writer at FanSided's Razorbackers, is not pleased with how the Razorbacks start games.