Kozeal’s Five-RBI Game Leads #12 Arkansas to Win against #5 Texas in SEC Tournament
HOOVER, Ala. – Camden Kozeal swatted two homers and finished with five RBI to lead No. 12 Arkansas (38-19) to an 8-1 win against No. 5 Texas (40-13) Friday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament.
With the win, the Razorbacks punched their ticket to the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament for the first time since the 2023 campaign. Seventh-seeded Arkansas, seeking its first championship game appearance since 2021, will square off against sixth-ranked and sixth-seeded Auburn at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 23, on SEC Network with Karl Ravech (play-by-play), Chris Burke (analyst), Kyle Peterson (analyst) and Kris Budden (reporter) on the call from inside The Hoover Met.
The Hogs tagged Longhorn starter Cody Howard, who lasted just two innings on the mound, for six runs on five hits, including a double and two home runs. Kozeal blasted the go-ahead two-run homer in the first inning, his team-leading 19th long ball of the season, before belting a 450-foot three-run homer over the batter’s eye in center in the second, reaching the 20-homer mark for the year and opening Arkansas’ lead to a commanding 6-0 margin in the process.
The Razorback shortstop, who finished Friday’s game with three hits, is now slashing .317/.402/.679 through his 56 games played on the year. His 20 home runs are tied with for fifth most in a single season by an Arkansas player.
After throwing 21 pitches in the bottom of the first inning, Razorback starter Hunter Dietz departed Friday’s ballgame with a bruised shin when he was struck in the right leg by a 105 mph comebacker. The Hogs’ First Team All-SEC left-hander allowed one run on one hit and a pair of walks in his shortened outing on the mound against the Longhorns.
In relief of Dietz, Steele Eaves (2.1 IP, 5 R) and Gabe Gaeckle (6.0 IP, 9 SO) emerged from the bullpen and combined for 8.1 shutout frames with 14 strikeouts to seal Arkansas’ 8-1 win. Gaeckle matched his career long in innings pitched with his six-inning relief outing while also matching his season high in strikeouts with nine, one shy of his career high.
Along with Kozeal’s three-hit game, TJ Pompey (2-for-5, 2B, SB), Nolan Souza (2-for-4, RBI) and Maika Niu (2-for-4, 2B) each finished with multi-hit performances in Friday’s win. Souza drove in a run on a single up the middle in the bottom of the first inning, while Carter Rutenbar and Reese Robinett each collected an RBI in the Razorbacks’ two-run fifth.
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