It’s rare that the outcome of a game can be as easily understood as the one Sunday evening between Arkansas and Kansas.
Kansas won the shootout 13-10 and in baseball, when the both teams score 10 or more runs, pitching was the deciding factor.
The Razorbacks, playing their second game Sunday and third in two days, went deep into their bullpen. Six other pitchers entered the game after starter Ethan McElvain.
The Jayhawks had to tap into their bullpen, too, but not as deep. They had two of their best relievers available (Riane Ritter and Boede Rahe) and Arkansas didn’t. McElvain, arguably the best reliever, had start Sunday’s regional final because Arkansas had already used Gabe Gaeckle, Hunter Dietz and Tate McGuire and weren’t available.
The second-best reliever, Steele Eaves, was needed to help secure a win against Northeastern in the first game Sunday. That left a pretty bare cupboard for Dave Van Horn to work with, but don’t expect anyone to use that as an excuse.
111 mph | 400 ft 💥
MLB's No. 13 Draft prospect Ryder Helfrick unloads on his second HR of the game, 18th of the season for @RazorbackBSB:pic.twitter.com/pNGG5jbqZQ
— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) June 1, 2026
The offense could’ve done more. The Razorbacks were 0-for-2 with runners on third base and less than two outs and just 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position. A three-run deficit isn’t insurmountable if those stats are a little better.
But still, a lineup that records 13 hits, four home runs, two doubles and five walks is something any coach would take. The Razorbacks did strike out 10 times, which is a little high but not as impactful when they’re hitting home runs like that.
Also, for three innings it felt like Arkansas was headed to a comfortable win that’d force a game seven Monday. It built a 5-0 lead on a Ryder Helfrick home run and two singles. McElvain was his normal, dominant self. He allowed just one hit and had two strikeouts.
5-0 HOGS! pic.twitter.com/ydSbuniJYu
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 31, 2026
Then the fourth inning happened and changed the entire game. Six runs scored by Kansas took the lead started an 11-0 run. Arkansas broke the streak with Helfrick’s second home run of the day in the sixth inning and two more home runs in the eighth and ninth innings kept things close.
It just wasn’t enough.
Now, the offseason begins for Arkansas who posted another 40-win season and will probably hear a few Razorbacks’ names called in the first round of the upcoming MLB Draft. It’s a talented team with some talent coming back. Eaves, Cole Gibler, Reese Robinett, Damian Ruiz, Nolan Souza, TJ Pompey, Camden Kozeal, Gabe Gaeckle and others all have eligibility remaining.
Some will get picked in the MLB Draft and begin their professional careers. Others will enter the transfer portal. But there’s the potential for a lot of talented Razorbacks to come back next season.
This weekend ends in disappointment. But Arkansas is still a premier baseball program and won’t be sitting by idly in the coming weeks and months. The Razorbacks will reload and probably come back with one of the best rosters in the nation.
It’s what happens in Fayetteville and the fans hope it keeps happening.
Now if only the heartbreak could stop happening.
