Baxendale Named Hogs' Director of Player Personnel & Acquisitions

Oliver Grigg July 1, 2026

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas’ DJ Baxendale has been named the baseball program’s director of player personnel and acquisitions.

Baxendale, the Razorbacks’ first general manager for baseball, will take a leading role in roster construction and serve as an intermediary between the coaching staff, Arkansas Front Office, current student-athletes and prospective student-athletes, including high school recruits and transfer portal targets.

The Arkansas Front Office is the strategic arm of the University of Arkansas Athletic Department that manages the business and operational aspects of modern college athletics. The department oversees key functions such as revenue sharing, NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) partnerships, roster management and recruiting strategy.

Baxendale completed his seventh season on the Arkansas baseball staff in 2026. Serving as the Razorbacks’ director of analytics from 2023-26, Baxendale spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as a student assistant coach before moving into a graduate manager role in 2022.

The Jacksonville, Ark., native pitched at Arkansas from 2010-12, cementing himself as one of the Hogs’ top hurlers during the team’s 2012 run to the College World Series. He won a team-best eight games that season, tossing 107.0 innings and racking up 96 strikeouts with a 3.11 ERA.

His 2011 season was his best on the mound as a Razorback, posting a 10-2 record over 19 appearances and 12 starts with three saves. He totaled 79 strikeouts, allowing 15 earned runs over 85.1 frames of work for a 1.58 ERA, the best among starting pitchers at Arkansas that year.

Baxendale was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 10th round of the 2012 MLB Draft. He spent eight years playing minor league baseball for the organization, including four seasons with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate in Rochester, N.Y.

For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).