Arkansas Smashes Ole Miss 12-3, Coach Van Horn Hits 900 Wins

OXFORD, Miss. — No. 3 Arkansas (17-2, 1-1 SEC) triumphed over No. 13 Ole Miss (15-3, 1-1 SEC) with a decisive 12-3 victory Saturday at Swayze Field, evening the SEC Opening Weekend series. The highlight of the game was an eight-run fifth inning, characterized by back-to-back-to-back home runs and marking head coach Dave Van Horn‘s 900th career win.

Arkansas’ win improved their record to 17-2 overall and added to a remarkable streak of not losing an SEC-opening series since 2016. The Razorbacks will seek to clinch the series in a rubber match against Ole Miss Sunday at 1:30 p.m. CST on SEC Network+.

The outing featured an explosive performance from hitters Charles Davalan, Wehiwa Aloy, and Kuhio Aloy, who contributed to five Arkansas home runs. Davalan, who went 4-for-6 with two runs and a home run, launched the go-ahead two-run home run in the fifth inning. His performance raised his season batting average to .352 with five home runs and 18 RBIs.

“It was fun,” Davalan said. “They make my life at-bat really easy because I just got to get on base for those two big sluggers. It felt good just to get the rally started.”

Gabe Gaeckle, making his first Saturday start of the season, pitched four innings, allowing only two runs on one hit and three walks while striking out a career-high eight batters.

Arkansas initially fell behind after Ole Miss took a 2-1 lead in the first. However, Gaeckle bounced back and posted three consecutive shutout innings, setting the stage for the explosive fifth inning. Arkansas sent nine consecutive batters to the plate, with Davalan’s two-run shot igniting the offensive surge.

The Razorbacks quickly piled on with home runs from Wehiwa and Kuhio Aloy, extending the lead to 5-2. The inning ended with Arkansas scoring a total of eight runs, effectively sealing the game. “I just appreciate having the opportunity to be here,” Van Horn said after the game. “It’s a good number. Hopefully we can keep building on it a little bit.”

Arkansas added three more runs in the ninth, including another home run from Logan Maxwell. Maxwell finished the game 3-for-5 with two runs and a home run, further emphasizing the offensive depth of the Razorbacks.

The victory reinforces Arkansas’s strong start to the season and their ability to perform under pressure. As they head into the final game of the series, momentum is clearly on their side.