How Diamond Hogs are faring in summer baseball
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn and the Razorbacks are represented by double-digit Diamond Hogs across various summer baseball leagues around the country.
Three players, pitchers Gabe Gaeckle and Cole Gibler and catcher Ryder Helfrick, have already wrapped up their summer schedule as members of the Team USA Collegiate National Team.
Others can be found in the well-known Cape Cod Baseball League, the California Collegiate League and even the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Baseball League, though the majority of Hogs are in the Cape.
For the purposes of this story, HawgBeat will take a look at how every Arkansas player and incoming Razorback transfer is performing in their respective league with stats, video and more.
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Team USA Roundup
It wasn’t what most would call a successful campaign for Team USA this year. The group of top college prospects got swept by Japan in five games, two of which weren’t very competitive. Participating for the squad was Gaeckle, Gibler and Helfrick (Cam Kozeal did try out for the team, but didn’t make the final roster cut).
Helfrick appeared in three games and finished 0-for-8 at the plate with three strikeouts, one walk and one RBI. Gaeckle combined for 1.1 innings with five hits allowed, one earned run, two walks and two strikeouts in two games out of the bullpen. In Gibler’s two outings, he tallied 3.2 innings pitched, six hits allowed, six earned runs, two walks and six punchouts.
Bourne Braves Trio
Kuhio Aloy didn’t close his debut season in Fayetteville on the strongest foot, as he struggled with offspeed pitches, struck out more and generally didn’t play as confident as he did at the beginning of the year.
In 16 games for the Braves, though, it seems that switch has flipped. Across 54 at-bats, Aloy is hitting .333 with three doubles, two homers, 13 RBIs, 12 walks and 16 strikeouts. He also took part in the Cape Cod home run derby, an event he unsurprisingly won. Aloy has also primarily played in right field, the position he’s expected to compete for in 2026, and has yet to make an error.
Also on the Braves is lefty Colin Fisher, who took a step back in 2025 after a promising freshman year. The southpaw has a big opportunity this upcoming season as one of the few known-commodity lefties in the bullpen, and the early showings out of the Cape should make fans feel confident.
Through four games and 14.0 innings, Fisher has collected a 3.86 ERA with 10 hits allowed, six earned runs, eight walks and 17 strikeouts. That includes an impressive fine-inning, five-strikeout performance July 18.
The third member of the Braves trio is Kozeal, who is hitting just .184 in 38 at-bats. In that span, the infielder has seven hits, a double and a homer, with the latter two extra-base hits coming in the same July 18 game. Defensively, Kozeal has played six games at second base (three errors) and one at first base.
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Rest of the Cape
Perhaps the top Razorback performer across all summer leagues is incoming Marshall transfer Maika Niu. He currently boasts a .337/.402/.630 slashline with 31 hits, four doubles, one triple, a league-leading seven bombs, 20 RBIs, eight walks and 25 strikeouts for the Falmout Commodores.
Niu is expected to play centerfield for Arkansas in 2026 and has subsequently spent all of his time in the Cape at that position. Much like Aloy, Niu also has zero errors to his name so far.
It’s now-or-never for McGuire in an Arkansas uniform and he’s making the most of it with the Wareham Gatemen. So far in 13.0 innings, the soon-to-be junior right-hander has amassed a 1.38 ERA, four walks and seven strikeouts. On July 17, he went a strong five frames with four Ks, one walk and three hits allowed.
The final two Cape participants are Oregon State transfer righty James DeCremer and left-hander Hunter Dietz. DeCremer has thrown 8.2 innings for the Brewster Whitecaps and has recorded a 4.15 ERA with 10 strikeouts and four walks in that time.
Dietz, a once-promising freshman who has dealt with injuries, is no longer playing summer ball after giving up 10 hits and 10 earned runs through just six innings (15.0 ERA) with seven strikeouts and eight walks.
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The Others
Outfielder Brenton Clark is on fire for the Santa Barbara Foresters in the California Collegiate League, as he’s currently slashing .359/.531/.424. He has 33 hits, four doubles, one triple, 13 RBIs, 35 walks and only 13 strikeouts through 128 plate appearances. If he continues that momentum into the fall, he’ll play himself into being a starting outfield candidate for the Razorbacks.
Another who might play himself into a bigger role is righty Steele Eaves, who hasn’t allowed a run in 10.0 innings pitched. The Lonoke native has struck out 14 batters with zero walks and only four allowed hits for the Foresters.
Infielder Tyler Holland has struggled for the Orange County Riptide, with a lowly .114 average in 56 plate appearances. Catcher Carson Willis is the lone representative for Arkansas in the Rocky Mountain League, but stats for the league are not publicly available.
