Gaeckle Named Preseason SEC Pitcher of the Year by Baseball America

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas right-hander Gabe Gaeckle has been named the preseason SEC Pitcher of the Year by Baseball America.

Previously selected as a preseason first-team All-American by Perfect Game, Gaeckle enters his sophomore campaign at Arkansas looking to build upon a historic rookie campaign in which he was named a unanimous first-team Freshman All-American after emerging as the Razorbacks’ most dependable bullpen arm.

The Aptos, Calif., native made 22 relief appearances on the mound as a true freshman in 2024, posting a 3-3 record with a 2.32 ERA, 57 strikeouts and a team-leading seven saves in 42.2 innings of work. Gaeckle became just the fifth Arkansas freshman pitcher since 2003, Dave Van Horn’s first year as head coach, to record five or more saves in a season.

In its summary of Gaeckle, Baseball America writes:

A 6-foot, 195-pound righty entering his sophomore season in Fayetteville, Gaeckle is set to make the huge jump from high-leverage reliever to Friday-night ace. It’s a transition he seems particularly well-suited for after a dominant showing in 2024 in which he earned a 2.32 ERA, seven saves, 57 strikeouts and 19 walks in 42.2 innings, all of which came from the bullpen. Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said Gaeckle consistently wowed onlookers throughout the fall, and that he has the potential to join a long list of former Razorback arms to be selected early in the 2026 draft.

The Hogs, ranked No. 5 in D1Baseball’s preseason top 25, open the year with a four-game series against Washington State on Feb. 14-17 at Baum-Walker Stadium. Arkansas, the winningest program in the country since 2017 with 333 total victories, is one of only two schools in the country to win 40 or more games in each of the last seven full seasons.

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