Arkansas may have finally found its go-to closer during its 5-1 Friday night victory over the Murray State Racers, as freshman RHP Gabe Gaeckle secured the win for the Hogs at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Up 3-1 in the eighth and cruising off the back of elite pitching, Arkansas ran into trouble in the top of the inning once RHP Koty Frank allowed a double and hit-by-pitch to put runners on first and second base.
Head coach Dave Van Horn could have turned to a myriad of experienced bullpen arms to close things out, but he chose Gaeckle. The former 2023 MLB Draft selection proceeded to strike out the next two batters to get the Hogs out of the frame.
"Gabe Gaeckle came in and did a super job, having to go through the top of their order with the tying run on base," Van Horn said after the game. "So that was another opportunity for him to gain some experience closing a game when it was tight. And he did a great job."
After Arkansas tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the eighth, Gaeckle took the mound in the ninth to potentially earn the first save of his Razorback career.
Things were a little rocky for Gaeckle, who walked the leadoff batter before battling back with a strikeout. The freshman forced the second out on a fielder's choice and was on track for an easy inning, but a passed ball on a strikeout made things interesting.
With two runners on once again, Gaeckle punched out the final Murray State Racer to hand Arkansas the win. He concluded the game with 1.2 innings pitched, five strikeouts, one walk and no hits allowed.
"His stuff was good," Van Horn said. "He was still throwing the ball right around the plate. Fastball was electric and had a pretty good breaking ball going, especially, it seemed like when he got a couple strikes on guys, they didn’t want to go down swinging. They fouled off a couple of pretty good pitches. Got to give them credit, but his stuff was good."
Gaeckle was last called upon in Arkansas' extra-inning battle versus Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas, during the Kubota College Baseball Series. The California native tossed 2.2 innings against the Cowboys and struck out six without allowing a hit, which gave him a much-needed boost for future outings.
“I think it was just confidence," Gaeckle said after the game. "Going out there and being able to succeed against those guys. It just gave me confidence whenever I went back out there.”
Up next, No. 2 Arkansas (7-2) will face off against the Murray State Racers on Saturday at Baum-Walker Stadium. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. CT and will stream on SEC Network+.
