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Vanderbilt transfer pitcher Ethan McElvain commits to Arkansas

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz06/13/25NickSchultz_7

Vanderbilt transfer pitcher Ethan McElvain committed to Arkansas, he announced via social media. He spent two years with the Commodores before entering the transfer portal.

McElvain appeared in 16 games this past season, including five starts. He had a 2-3 record with a 7.24 ERA while totaling 45 strikeouts. In 2023, he went 1-2 with a 3.24 era across 11 appearances and four starts.

McElvain came in as the No. 24-ranked sophomore entering the 2025 season, according to Perfect Game. He was also D1Baseball’s No. 111-ranked starting pitcher in its preseason.

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“Ethan has arm talent and physical size that are rare in the college game,” Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said of McElvain, according to the VU athletics website. “We leaned on him throughout his freshman year. He’s a very aggressive kid that has matured on the mound over the last year.

“He had some great experiences this past summer in the Cape and with Team USA. I really enjoy watching him compete for his team. Already a good student, Ethan took it to another level this past fall, earning Dean’s List status. He will impact our team in a big way.”

McElvain is the latest transfer pitcher to commit to Arkansas this cycle. The Razorbacks also landed a commitment from former Little Rock standout Jackson Wells earlier this week.

Wells started 16 games for Little Rock this season, where he pitched to a 5.36 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 87.1 innings of work. He arrived at UALR in 2023 after transferring from UA Rich Mountain, where in his first season of Division I baseball, he was named the 2023 OVC Pitcher of the Year as well as earning All-OVC First Team. He led all of Division I with a 1.65 ERA in 93 innings and pitched two shutouts that year.

In 2024, though, Wells struggled a bit. His ERA jumped to 5.91 in just 64 innings pitched. Little Rock won the Ohio Valley regular season title that year, but failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas is 48-13 this year and, after back-to-back losses in the Fayetteville Regional, punched its ticket to the College World Series. The Razorbacks are currently getting ready to kick off their time in Omaha on Saturday against SEC rival LSU in the double-elimination bracket. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Daniel Hager contributed.