Arkansas lands JUCO national champion pitcher Lance Alexander

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas lands JUCO national champion pitcher Lance Alexander

The Arkansas Razorbacks didn’t wait long to get back to business after their baseball season ended.

Multiple media reports are confirming that Lance Alexander, a right-handed pitcher from Johnson County Community College in Kansas, has announced his commitment to Arkansas on Saturday via social media, giving the Hogs a significant addition to their pitching pipeline.

What makes this signing stand out isn’t just Alexander’s numbers, it’s where he came from. According to multiple reports, Alexander was a key figure in Johnson County’s run to a JUCO national championship, starting the title game and earning the win against Blinn CC.

He went 6.2 innings in that championship contest, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out eight. That’s the kind of winning pedigree pitching coach Matt Hobbs is looking to bring into the program.

Alexander will arrive in Fayetteville as a sophomore in 2027. He spent his freshman year at JCCC putting up numbers worth noting with 67 strikeouts across 50.1 innings with a 4.47 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in 19 appearances and seven starts. He also walked 19 batters on the season.

At 6-foot, 185 pounds, Alexander isn’t a physically imposing frame, but reports indicate he’s got room to develop.

His fastball sits in the 91-93 mph range and he complements it with a changeup and slider. There’s upside here, and the Razorbacks are betting on it.

Alexander prepped at Olathe Northwest High School in Olathe, Kansas, where he earned two Kansas 6A All-State selections and was named the 6A Pitcher of the Year as a junior.

That same season, he finished 6-2 with a 1.41 ERA and 72 strikeouts. He followed that up his senior year with a 6-3 record, a 2.14 ERA and 64 more punchouts.

By the time he left high school, he’d gone 15-6 with 156 strikeouts over 138.2 innings.

Perfect Game ranked him the No. 433 prospect on its national Top-500 list for 2026 and No. 31 overall in the state of Kansas. Prep Baseball Report graded him the No. 9 right-handed pitcher in the state.

He’s also from Lenexa, Kansas, which reports note makes him the latest in a well-established pipeline of Kansas City-area players making their way to the Hill.

Alexander earned the JCCC Student-Athlete Academic Award during his freshman year, adding a classroom track record to his on-mound résumé. He’s majoring in biology.

Alexander is the second JUCO arm to pledge to the Hogs in a span of three days, following left-hander Micah Henson, who announced Thursday that he’d be coming to Fayetteville after his sophomore season at Crowder College.

The back-to-back additions signal an aggressive approach from Dave Van Horn’s staff as they work to reload the pitching staff this offseason.

Arkansas basketball fills out December with Central Michigan home date

Andy Hodges
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Arkansas basketball fills out December with Central Michigan home date

John Calipari doesn’t do boring schedules.

He made that clear early in the offseason when he locked in a Thanksgiving neutral-site game against Michigan State, a road trip to Chapel Hill for the SEC/ACC Challenge and a Sweet 16 rematch with Arizona in Phoenix.

Those are the kinds of games that move the needle in August when there’s nothing else going on, and Calipari knew exactly what he was doing when he put them on the calendar.

But a schedule still needs its working parts.

You can’t play three games and call it a non-conference schedule, and apparently that’s where Central Michigan comes in.

The Razorbacks will host the Chippewas at Bud Walton Arena on Dec. 22, according to a report from Rocco Miller of Bracketeer.org.

It’s not a glamour game, and it’s not meant to be.

It’s the kind of home date that keeps the schedule moving and gives Arkansas a tuneup three days after a neutral-site battle with a Pac-12 powerhouse before the SEC grind begins.

It’s also a rare one from a historical standpoint. This’ll be just the second time these two programs have shared the court.

The only previous meeting came on Dec. 5, 2006, when Central Michigan traveled to Fayetteville and went home with a 75-59 loss.

Charles Thomas led the way that afternoon with 14 points and Sonny Weems added 13.

That was nearly 20 years ago, which tells you everything you need to know about how infrequently these two programs cross paths.

Central Michigan arrives in Fayetteville under second-year head coach Andy Bronkema, who came to the program after 12 years at Division II Ferris State.

His first season with the Chippewas wasn’t what anyone had in mind, going 10-21 overall and finished 6-12 in MAC play, good for 10th in the conference.

There’s room to grow, but this shouldn’t be a team that’s going to give Arkansas fits in late December.

That’s fine. Not every game has to be a statement.

After consecutive neutral-site games against Michigan State and Arizona sandwiching a road trip to one of college basketball’s most storied venues, a home date against a rebuilding MAC program is exactly what the doctor ordered.

The SEC schedule is another matter entirely.

The conference controls that calendar, and it’ll be released whenever the league office gets around to it.

For now, though, the Razorbacks are doing what programs do during the slow stretch of summer by adding pieces, keeping fans engaged and reminding everyone that basketball season is coming whether the full schedule is posted yet or not.

Photos of Calipari and this basketball camp and that one all over the country doesn’t do much that add to the count in a slow news time that spikes with other sports from time to time.

For now, here’s where the Arkansas non-conference slate stands heading into 2026-27:

  • Nov. 26 – vs. Michigan State (neutral site, Thanksgiving)
  • Dec. 1 – at North Carolina (SEC/ACC Challenge)
  • Dec. 19 – vs. Arizona (neutral site, Phoenix)
  • Dec. 22 – vs. Central Michigan (Bud Walton Arena)

Razorbacks Marin and Lopez both survive cut at U.S. Women’s Open

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Razorbacks Marin and Lopez both survive cut at U.S. Women’s Open

Two players with Arkansas ties are in contention at one of golf’s biggest events, and the Razorbacks couldn’t have asked for a better showing through the first two rounds.

Maria Jose Marin and former Hog Gaby Lopez both made the 36-hole cut at the 81st U.S. Women’s Open, which is being held at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on a par-71 layout.

The cut line came in at 4-over par, and both players finished well clear of it.

Lopez enters the weekend tied for third at 3-under, just one shot behind co-leaders Alison Lee and Ruoning Yin.

Marin sits tied for 22nd at 1-over, making her one of five amateurs to survive the cut in a field that started with 28.

Lopez stays in the hunt

The former Arkansas All-American got off to a fast start in round one, making five birdies on her first nine holes after teeing off from the 10th.

Things tightened up on the way in, though, as she bogeyed three of her final eight holes.

She came back Friday in a similar position — one shot off the lead and tied for second — and kept pace right away with a birdie on No. 1.

Lopez parred the remaining eight holes on the front nine before running into trouble on the back.

Bogeys on two of the three holes in the stretch from Nos. 13 through 15 threatened to push her down the board, but she answered with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th to get back to even for the day.

Lopez closed out the second round with a 71 and will tee off Saturday alongside Sei Young Kim at 4:15 p.m.

Marin holds her own as an amateur

Marin arrived at Riviera with momentum, having posted a top-5 finish at the NCAA Championship in Carlsbad just the week before.

She picked up where she left off in the opening round, making birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 after sticking both approach shots to six feet.

A three-putt bogey on the following hole was the only real slip, and she steadied herself over the final 11 holes with clutch up-and-down pars on Nos. 9, 12 and 13.

The junior wrapped up Thursday at 1-under 70 and was tied for 13th.

Friday was a rougher ride. She teed off from No. 10 and opened with a birdie on 11 followed by a bogey on 12.

She got to 2-under for the tournament with a five-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th, moving inside the top 10.

A seven-footer for par on 18 lipped out, but she bounced back immediately with a birdie on No. 1 after her eagle attempt stopped three feet short and she finished the tap-in.

Marin gave shots back on No. 3 and headed to her final hole — the par-4 ninth — at even for the tournament.

Her approach from the right edge of the fairway came up well short of the green, and an 11-foot par putt didn’t fall. She finished the round with a 2-over 73 for a two-day total of 1-over.

Despite the late stumble, Marin stands tied with world No. 1 Kiara Romero and Canada’s Aphrodite Deng as the low amateurs in the field.

It’s also worth noting that she’s now made the cut in each of her three major appearances, including the 80th U.S. Women’s Open and the 2025 Amundi Evian Championship.

The Arkansas junior tees off in the third round at 1:55 p.m. alongside Shuri Sakuma.

Television coverage Saturday runs on USA Network from 5-7 p.m. before shifting to NBC from 7-10 p.m.

479 Equipment Ruscin & Zach Podcast June 5

Derek Ruscin
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479 Equipment Ruscin & Zach Podcast June 5

Eastside Liquor Halftime Podcast: 6.5.26

Christian Johnston
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Eastside Liquor Halftime Podcast: 6.5.26

The Horse Right Here – Belmont Stakes 2026

Christian Johnston
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The Horse Right Here – Belmont Stakes 2026

Arkansas basketball faces North Carolina for first time in Chapel Hill

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas basketball faces North Carolina for first time in Chapel Hill

Arkansas will head to Chapel Hill this December for one of the more recognizable matchups on its non-conference slate.

The Hogs are set to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Dean Smith Center on Dec. 1 as part of the 2026 SEC/ACC Challenge, according to CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, who broke the full slate of matchups Thursday night.

It’s a road trip with a clear historical edge. The Tar Heels hold an 8-3 all-time record against Arkansas and have won five straight meetings between the two programs.

The most recent came in November 2023 at the Battle 4 Atlantis, where North Carolina pulled away for an 87-72 win in the third-place game.

The Razorbacks haven’t beaten the Tar Heels since a Final Four showdown in the 1995 NCAA Tournament, when Arkansas knocked off North Carolina 75-68 to punch its ticket to a second straight national championship game.

That win remains one of the more memorable moments in program history.

This will be the 12th all-time meeting between these two schools and, notably, the first to take place at either team’s home court.

The only game ever played in the state of Arkansas came way back in 1984, when the Hogs hosted the No. 1-ranked Tar Heels — and a young Michael Jordan — at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.

Charles Balentine’s last-second baseline runner with four seconds left gave Arkansas a 65-64 upset.

It’ll also be just the second time the Razorbacks have played away from Fayetteville in the SEC/ACC Challenge.

Arkansas enters this year’s matchup with a perfect 3-0 record in the event and hasn’t dropped a game since the challenge launched. Next season marks the fourth edition of the SEC/ACC Challenge overall.

John Calipari’s Hogs beat Miami 76-73 on the road in his first season at the helm, then topped Duke 80-75 in 2023 and handled Louisville 89-80 last year, all wins that helped build the program’s unblemished Challenge record.

The North Carolina game rounds out what’s shaping up to be a demanding non-conference stretch for Arkansas in the 2026-27 season.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Razorbacks will travel to Phoenix on Dec. 19 to face Arizona in a rematch of this past season’s Sweet 16 meeting.

That game is set for Mortgage Matchup Center as part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Series and is the first in a multi-year agreement that includes a home-and-home over each of the following two seasons, with an option for a fourth game in 2029-30.

Arkansas is also headed to Detroit on Thanksgiving to face Michigan State, the second meeting in a three-game series after the Hogs fell to the Spartans 69-66 in Breslin Center last season.

Calipari has confirmed that Michigan State will eventually make the trip to Bud Walton Arena at a date yet to be determined.

Three marquee non-conference dates now locked in for the Hogs with games against North Carolina, Arizona and Michigan State. The non-conference portion of the schedule is already stacking up as one of the tougher slates in the country heading into next season.

Finding Value S2E13 – Belmont Stakes 2026

Christian Johnston
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Finding Value S2E13 – Belmont Stakes 2026

Report says Schaefer entering portal after one season with Razorbacks

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Report says Schaefer entering portal after one season with Razorbacks

A promising freshman is leaving Dave Van Horn’s roster, as infielder/outfielder Landon Schaefer has entered the transfer portal, a source confirmed with HawgBeat’s Daniel Fair on Friday.

Schaefer, from Fayetteville, came to the Razorbacks with a solid recruiting profile behind him.

Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 70 overall prospect and the No. 31 shortstop nationally in the class of 2025, while also tabbing him the top overall player and top shortstop in the state of Arkansas.

Prep Baseball Report was equally high on him, slotting Schaefer at No. 78 overall and No. 26 among shortstops in the country while also naming him Arkansas’ top prospect.

He wasn’t just a highly rated high school player — he was also a legitimate pro prospect.

MLB Pipeline had him at No. 125 among all draft-eligible players, and Baseball America listed him at No. 138 overall.

The Philadelphia Phillies were sold enough to select him in the 20th round — No. 611 overall — in the 2025 MLB Draft, but Schaefer chose college over pro ball and headed home to play for the Hogs.

His time in Fayetteville didn’t produce many at-bats. Schaefer got into eight games for the Razorbacks, earning one start in right field against Northern Colorado on March 17.

Over five plate appearances, he didn’t record a hit but drew two walks and struck out twice. He did contribute on the bases, though, scoring three runs and stealing a pair of bags.

Schaefer’s family connection to college athletics runs deep.

His father, Todd, served eight seasons on the Arkansas staff from 2017 through 2024 before moving on to become an assistant coach with the Missouri women’s basketball program.

He’s also a decorated amateur résumé holder beyond the scouting rankings. Schaefer participated in the 2024 Area Code Games and earned Perfect Game Preseason All-American recognition at the Southeast All-Region level in multiple years.

He picked up first-team honors in 2025 and a pair of second-team nods in 2022 and 2023.

With his departure, Schaefer becomes the fifth player to enter the transfer portal from Arkansas this offseason cycle, adding to what’s been an active period of roster turnover for Van Horn’s program.

Hogs get home game in SEC/ACC Challenge after last year’s road loss to SMU

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Hogs get home game in SEC/ACC Challenge after last year’s road loss to SMU

women’s basketball will host Wake Forest on Dec. 3 in the 2026 SEC/ACC Women’s Challenge, the league announced Thursday.

It’ll be a home game for the Razorbacks, who carry a 2-1 record in the event heading into their fourth appearance.

The Demon Deacons come in off a 14-18 season in which they went 4-14 in ACC play.

Wake Forest did earn a Women’s NIT bid but dropped a first-round contest to Maryland-Eastern Shore 59-48, ending the year on a losing note.

The two programs don’t have much history together.

Their lone meeting came at the 2020 Gulf Coast Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., where the Hogs put up 98 points and won comfortably, 98-82.

Wake Forest’s experience in the Challenge is equally limited. The Demon Deacons took part in just the inaugural 2023 edition, hosting Texas A&M but falling 81-57 in that matchup.

Arkansas in the SEC/ACC Women’s Challenge

The Razorbacks have built a solid book in this event. It started with a road win in 2023, when Arkansas went into Tallahassee and topped then-No. 15 Florida State 71-58.

The Hogs followed that with a home victory over Boston College on Dec. 5, 2024, winning 75-64 at Fayetteville.

The only blemish came last season.

Arkansas traveled to Dallas to face SMU on Dec. 4, 2025 and dropped a 78-63 decision, their first loss in Challenge play.

That puts the program at 2-1 going into the Dec. 3 home game against Wake Forest, a chance to get back to even on the road and move above .500 in the series overall.

Playing in front of a home crowd at Bud Walton Arena gives Arkansas a built-in edge it didn’t have in that SMU loss.

The 2026-27 schedule is still taking shape, but the Challenge date is now locked in.

It’s one of the earlier marquee non-conference matchups fans can circle on the calendar heading into the new season.

Ruscin & Zach Podcast June 4

Derek Ruscin
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