Arkansas lands transfer outfielder Charles Davalan from Florida Gulf Coast
Head coach Dave Van Horn and the Arkansas baseball team landed its second portal addition of the offseason Friday, as Florida Gulf Coast outfielder Charles Davalan committed to the Razorbacks.
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Davalan swung the bat very well as a freshman for the Eagles this spring. He slashed 288/.413/.514 with 10 home runs and 38 runs batted in over 276 plate appearances as the team's leadoff hitter.
Davalan was tied for third on FGCU's squad with 16 doubles and he paced the Eagles with 13 stolen bases. He also posted a .960 fielding percentage with seven errors on the year.
During an April 26 win at Lipscomb — a team that beat Arkansas during the 2023 season in a midweek game — Davalan hit a season-high three doubles. His season-best RBI total (4) came on May 14 against Florida Atlantic.
Davalan, who attended TNXL Academy in Ocoee, Florida, has three years of eligibility remaining, but he will be a draft-eligible sophomore in 2025.
Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn made it clear after the season-ending loss to Southeast Missouri State in the Fayetteville Regional that he needed to go get athletes in the transfer portal, especially in the outfield.
"We've got to get a little better athlete," Van Horn said June 2. "We can't just have eight guys that hit homers. I like guys that hit doubles and I like guys that hit homers, but you've got to have some guys that can run, too."
Davalan joins BYU transfer Kuhio Aloy, brother of Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, as the only transfer additions this offseason so far. The Razorbacks have not had a player enter the transfer portal yet. Click here for HawgBeat's full 2024 Arkansas baseball roster tracker.