Program-Record Four Razorbacks Selected in First Round on Day One of MLB Draft

ATLANTA – A program-record four Hogs heard their names called in the first round of the MLB Draft on Sunday, July 13.

Right-handed pitcher Gage Wood was taken No. 26 overall by the Philadelphia Phillies and infielder Wehiwa Aloy was selected No. 31 overall by the Baltimore Orioles before left-handed pitcher Zach Root and outfielder Charles Davalan were drafted 40th and 41st overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers with back-to-back picks on the first day of the draft.

Arkansas (4), which has now had at least one player selected in each of the past 51 MLB drafts dating back to 1975, and Tennessee (4) tied for the most players drafted in this year’s first round, which consisted of 43 total picks. The 2025 MLB Draft marks the first time the Razorbacks have had multiple players selected in the first round of the same draft.

Entering Sunday, 10 players in the history of Razorback baseball had been selected in the first round of the MLB draft. Wood, Aloy, Root and Davalan, the 268th, 269th, 270th and 271st draft selections in Arkansas history and 145th, 146th, 147th and 148th draft picks in the Dave Van Horn era, became the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th to accomplish the feat.

Since Nate Thompson’s first season as hitting coach and recruiting coordinator in 2018, Arkansas has now had 26 hitters selected in the MLB draft, including three first-rounders. Meanwhile, since Matt Hobbs’ first season as pitching coach in 2019, Arkansas has now had 25 pitchers selected in the MLB draft, including three first-rounders.

Wood, a native of Batesville, Ark., made 10 starts on the mound during the 2025 campaign. The hard-throwing right-hander went 4-1 with a 3.82 ERA in 37.2 innings and recorded 69 strikeouts while walking only seven batters all year, good for a 9.86 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Wood, who limited opposing hitters to a .194 batting average, logged two quality starts on the year, highlighted by his legendary 19-strikeout no-hitter against Murray State in the College World Series.

Aloy was named the winner of the Golden Spikes Award and SEC Player of the Year after slashing .350/.434/.673 with a team-high 21 homers and 68 RBI in 65 games during the 2025 season. The Wailuku, Hawai’i, native, who became the first Hawaiian-born player and first player born outside the U.S. mainland to win the Golden Spikes Award, led the Hogs in nearly every major offensive category, including slugging percentage (.673), on-base plus slugging (1.107), hits (93), runs scored (81), doubles (19), triples (2), homers (21), extra-base hits (42), multi-hit games (30) and total bases (179).

Root earned All-America and All-SEC honors after completing the 2025 campaign with a 9-6 record and a 3.62 ERA in 99.1 innings across a team-high 19 starts on the mound. The left-hander from Fort Myers, Fla., racked up a team-best 126 strikeouts, seventh most in a season by an Arkansas pitcher, and recorded a team-leading seven quality starts.

Davalan earned All-America and All-SEC honors after playing in all 65 games with 64 starts (49 in left field, 15 in center field) and slashing .346/.433/.561 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI during the 2025 season. The Montreal, Quebec, Canada, native finished as the team leader in base hits (93) and stolen bases (10) and was second in runs scored (71).

The MLB Draft concludes tomorrow with rounds 4-20 slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. CT Monday, July 14, on MLB.com.

First-Round Razorbacks (14)
1981 – OF Kevin McReynolds – 6th overall, San Diego Padres
1986 – INF Jeff King – 1st overall, Pittsburgh Pirates
1999 – RHP Dave Walling – 27th overall, New York Yankees
2007 – LHP Nick Schmidt – 23rd overall, San Diego Padres
2008 – INF Logan Forsythe – 46th overall, San Diego Padres
2010 – INF Zack Cox – 25th overall, St. Louis Cardinals
2013 – RHP Ryne Stanek – 29th overall, Tampa Bay Rays
2015 – OF Andrew Benintendi – 7th overall, Boston Red Sox
2020 – OF Heston Kjerstad – 2nd overall, Baltimore Orioles
2024 – LHP Hagen Smith – 5th overall, Chicago White Sox
2025 – RHP Gage Wood – 26th overall, Philadelphia Phillies
2025 – INF Wehiwa Aloy – 31st overall, Baltimore Orioles
2025 – LHP Zach Root – 40th overall, Los Angeles Dodgers
2025 – OF Charles Davalan – 41st overall, Los Angeles Dodgers

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