Five things to know before heading to Baum-Walker Stadium opening weekend

The 2025 Arkansas baseball season begins on Friday with a four-game series against the Washington State Cougars at 3 p.m. With the highly anticipated season drawing near, here are five things to know if you are heading to Baum-Walker Stadium this weekend.

Five things to know before Baum-Walker Stadium on Friday

New additions to the roster

With a lot of familiar faces returning to the team this season, Arkansas has some new talent they are ready to showcase with both freshmen and players out of the transfer portal.

The Razorbacks added two starting pitchers out of the portal during the offseason, with junior lefties Zach Root (East Carolina) and Landon Beidelschies (Ohio State). Both hurlers were ranked in the Top 5 Impact Transfer Pitcher List by D1Baseball (Root at No. 2 and Beidelschies at No. 5). Both arms are going to see the mound this weekend as the new starting pitchers for the Hogs.

INF Brent Iredale is going to become a fan favorite with the crowd coming from the JUCO route out of New Mexico Junior College. The Australian native has both the power and speed Arkansas is going to need in the lineup after swinging for an average of .441 with 25 homers and 78 RBIs as a sophomore in 2024, as well as stealing 24 bases on 27 attempts in 58 games.

As far as freshmen go, RHP Carson Wiggins, who is the younger brother of former Arkansas standout Jaxon Wiggins, is going to showcase a lot of heat. His fastball maxes out at 99 MPH, according to MLB Pipeline, and is going to see the mound early out of the bullpen whenever he is needed.

Returning players

Arkansas will be led by RHP Gabe Gaeckle on the bump after an outstanding freshman campaign last year. The Preseason Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year after he posted a 3-3 record with a 2.32 ERA across 42.2 innings while carving up 57 batters in 22 relief appearances.

SS Wehiwa Aloy is poised to have another huge year for the Razorbacks after hitting a team-leading 14 home runs and a team-high 56 RBIs while swinging for an average of .270. Along with Gaeckle, Aloy is on the preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, presented annually to the best amateur baseball player in the nation.

Prepare for cold weather

Opening day on Friday is going to be cloudy with a high of 35 and a low of 16. Saturday shows a 70% chance of rain and will be the warmest day this weekend at a high of 53 and a low of 26. With Sunday’s game showing clear skies, the sun is not going to do any favors with a high of 33 and a low of 19. Monday rounds out the four-game slate as partly cloudy with a high of 44 and a low of 20.

First pitch for all four games

And with the bad weather, there's been a few changes to the schedule for this week. Instead of Sunday's game, the Hogs will play a doubleheader on Friday, with the first game starting at noon.

The first pitch for Friday is slated for noon with the second game starting 30-45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Saturday is tabbed for 2 p.m. Monday’s game begins at noon to round out the weekend. All four games will be streamed on SEC Network+.

Parking options

If you have a 2025 parking pass, it must be hung up on the rearview mirror of your vehicle and remain visible at all times. Tailgating is available on a first-come, first-served basis in any grass areas near the Cardinal and Baum-Walker East parking lots.

Lot 500 (formerly Lot 99) on Benchwood Ave. is no longer free public parking. A $5 fee is required 24/7 if you do not have a University of Arkansas parking permit. You will need to download the Flowbird App to pay the fee.

If you are looking for parking that is only a simple walk to the stadium, the Stadium Shoppe on Razorback has parking spots for $30 first come, first served. You can reserve a spot for $40 through their website to beat the rush.

For any other questions, here's a link to any additional information you may need.