Gaeckle's Quality Start Leads Hogs to Series-Opening Win against Hatters

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Gabe Gaeckle tossed a career long-tying six shutout innings with six strikeouts to lead No. 6 Arkansas (11-3) to a 7-1 series-opening win against Stetson (5-9) Friday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Behind Gaeckle’s quality start, Arkansas is in position to secure its 35th consecutive non-conference weekend series at home. The Hogs, who have not lost or tied a non-conference weekend series in the regular season at Baum-Walker Stadium since 2014, and Hatters square off in game two of the series at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 7, on SEC Network+.

The Razorback right-hander recorded his second win of the season and logged his first career quality start with his strong performance on the mound in Friday’s series opener against the Hatters. Gaeckle’s six-inning start marked the longest of his career and matched his six-inning relief outing against LSU on June 14, 2025, in the College World Series.

Arkansas jumped on Stetson for four runs in the bottom half of the first inning and controlled the game for the entire afternoon. Camden Kozeal, Kuhio Aloy, Maika Niu and TJ Pompey each collected RBI base knocks in the four-run first.

The Hogs added three more runs in the fifth on Carson Brumbaugh’s RBI sacrifice fly, Ryder Helfrick’s RBI single and Kozeal’s RBI single to extend their lead to 7-0. Five Arkansas batters finished with multi-hit games, including Damian Ruiz (2-for-5, 2B), Helfrick (2-for-4, BB), Kozeal (2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI), Aloy (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB) and Pompey (2-for-3, RBI, BB).

With his two-hit day, Aloy raised his team-leading slash line to .396/.431/.667 with three homers and 17 RBI through 12 games. Kozeal, meanwhile, raised his team-leading RBI total to 19 with his multi-RBI game, his seventh of the season.

In relief of Gaeckle, Parker Coil (1.0 IP, 1 R, 3 SO), Mark Brissey (1.0 IP, 0 SO) and Jackson Kircher (1.0 IP, 2 SO) combined for three innings of one-run ball to lock down Arkansas’ series-opening win against Stetson. Through four appearances, Brissey, a freshman right-hander, has not given up a run in six innings while allowing only one hit and striking out nine.

Through three starts this season, Gaeckle owns a 2-1 record with a 2.61 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 20.2 innings of work on the mound. The Aptos, Calif., native has allowed just seven runs (six earned) on six walks and 21 hits this year.

Hunter Dietz (1-1, 4.15 ERA) will toe the rubber for Arkansas in Saturday’s game against Stetson. Shawn Murnin (play-by-play), voice of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, and Troy Eklund (analyst) will have the call on SEC Network+.

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