Arkansas is off to the best 34-game start in school history. The Razorbacks have swept three straight SEC series for the first time since 1999.
Now, the team takes on the Georgia Bulldogs this weekend in a top-10 battle. Who will be in the Arkansas starting rotation this weekend?
Arkansas Razorbacks Starting Rotation This Weekend
The top-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks, 31-3 overall, 11-1 in the SEC, and winners of eight straight, head to Athens to take on No. 7 Georgia (30-5, 8-4) this weekend. Coach Dave Van Horn’s squad is tied with the Texas Longhorns at the top of the conference standings, and its 11-1 SEC start is the best in program history.
Two of the nation’s best offenses will be on display, as both teams are averaging 10 runs a game. The Razorbacks’ pitching staff boasts a cumulative 3.52 ERA, 10th best in the nation, and will have its hands full against a Bulldogs side that leads the country with 92 home runs.
Friday: Zach Root, RHP
Root transferred from East Carolina, where he was the Pirates’ Saturday starter in 2024. He went 6-2 with a 3.56 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings pitched.
Root began this season as the Razorbacks’ Saturday starter but moved up to the lead Friday role a month ago ahead of the conference opening series against Ole Miss.
In eight starts, Root is 5-1 with 60 strikeouts and a 3.48 ERA. Opposing hitters are batting just .209 against him.
It was a rough start at first, as Root allowed seven runs on 10 hits in just three innings of work and took his only loss of the season against the Rebels.
Since then, he’s settled down and won three straight decisions over the South Carolina Gamecocks, at the Vanderbilt Commodores, and against the Missouri Tigers.
In those three outings, Root has allowed five earned runs on 12 hits and struck out 21 in 19 2/3 innings of work.
Saturday: Gabe Gaeckle, RHP
Gaeckle had a dominant freshman campaign out of the bullpen. He was named a unanimous first-time Freshman All-American after recording seven saves and a 2.32 ERA.
As the season began, Gaeckle was assigned the unenviable task of taking over for last year’s ace, Hagen Smith, who was the SEC and national Pitcher of the Year and a consensus All-American before being taken fifth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox.
Gaeckle was the Friday starter for the first four weeks of the season. He went 1-0 but allowed 13 runs and 17 hits in 14 innings of work over his last three outings before being switched to the Saturday starter ahead of the Ole Miss series.
He recorded three no-decisions after the switch before picking up a win against Missouri last week. Gaeckle went four innings in the seven-inning contest, allowing two earned runs and striking out six.
On the season, Gaeckle is 2-0 with 40 strikeouts and a 5.77 ERA.
Sunday: Landon Beidelschies, LHP
Like Root, Beidelschies played elsewhere last year. The Canfield, Ohio native was Ohio State’s ace, going 6-7 with a 4.15 ERA and a team-leading 91 Ks in 84 2/3 innings. He limited opposing hitters to a .231 batting average.
This season, Beidelschies has solidified the hold on the Sunday starting slot, especially after the Razorbacks lost Gage Wood to a shoulder injury in February.
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Beidelschies has allowed 15 earned runs and 32 hits while posting a 3.82 ERA and a 4-0 record. Arkansas is 8-0 in Beidelschies’ appearances, including all seven of his starts.
In his last outing, he allowed just one earned run on four hits and struck out seven in four innings to lead the Razorbacks to the sweep over Missouri last weekend.
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