Gaeckle Dominates with Grit and Precision But Arkansas Falls to Tigers in College World Series Opener Thriller in Omaha
Arkansas came into the 2025 College World Series opener riding a wave of momentum, belief, and the surging arm of freshman pitching sensation Mason Gaeckle. The energy around the Razorbacks had been growing steadily throughout the NCAA Tournament, and Omaha welcomed the red and white faithful with open arms. But on the biggest stage in college baseball, dominance doesn’t always guarantee victory. Despite Gaeckle’s stellar performance, Arkansas fell to LSU 4-3 in a heartbreaker on Saturday night, a gut-punch defeat that leaves the Hogs teetering in the double-elimination format.
It was a night of fire and finesse from the mound as Gaeckle delivered arguably the best outing of his young collegiate career. From his first pitch—an electric 96-mph fastball that painted the inside corner—to his final pitch in the sixth inning, the right-hander looked fearless. He struck out nine, walked only one, and gave up just three hits in six innings of one-run ball. For large portions of the game, LSU hitters looked overmatched, off-balanced, and tentative against Gaeckle’s repertoire, particularly his devastating slider.
“I wanted the ball. No moment is too big when you trust your stuff,” Gaeckle said afterward, his voice steady but his eyes betraying the sting of defeat. “We’ve got more baseball left to play. That’s what I’m holding on to.”
Arkansas jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning thanks to a perfectly executed hit-and-run and a clutch RBI double by Jared Sprague-Lott. With Gaeckle dealing, it felt as though the Hogs might cruise into the winner’s bracket with minimal turbulence. But baseball, like Omaha weather, is prone to quick and violent changes.
After Gaeckle exited following 89 pitches, Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn handed the ball to his bullpen with a slim 2-1 lead. That’s when the tide began to shift. LSU, capitalizing on a leadoff walk and a pair of softly hit singles, tied the game in the seventh. In the eighth, disaster struck as Arkansas reliever Gabe Gaeckle—Mason’s older brother—served up a three-run homer to LSU slugger Brayden Jobert, flipping the game on its head.
“I hate it for the kid,” Van Horn said. “Both Gaeckle brothers pitched their guts out tonight. Mason set the tone early and showed why he’s going to be one of the best pitchers in the SEC for years to come. Gabe made one mistake, and LSU made him pay. That’s baseball.”
Jobert’s blast sent the purple and gold contingent into a frenzy and silenced the Razorback-heavy crowd at Charles Schwab Field. Arkansas scraped together a run in the ninth to make it 4-3, but LSU closer Griffin Herring slammed the door with back-to-back strikeouts to end it.
While the loss stings, there’s no question who emerged as the breakout star of the night—Mason Gaeckle. In a pressure-packed environment under the brightest lights of the college game, the freshman out of Anaheim, California, stood toe-to-toe with one of the nation’s most potent lineups and refused to flinch. His fastball had late life, his slider was vicious, and his poise was years beyond his age.
“He’s got bulldog in him,” said Arkansas catcher Hudson White. “You can feel it when he takes the mound. He commands respect.”
The numbers back it up. In his last five starts leading into Omaha, Gaeckle had posted a 1.73 ERA with 39 strikeouts across 31 innings. Against LSU, his ability to spot pitches on the corners and generate swings and misses was a masterclass in command and confidence. What makes Gaeckle special isn’t just his velocity or movement—it’s his fearless mindset. He doesn’t pitch like a freshman. He pitches like a Friday night ace.
But despite his brilliance, the Razorbacks are now in a precarious position. One more loss and their season comes to a close. They’ll need to regroup quickly and prepare for an elimination game against the loser of the Texas-Florida State matchup.
“We’ve been here before,” said Van Horn. “This team doesn’t quit. We’ll be ready to fight.”
The pressure is immense, but the foundation is firm. Arkansas knows it has elite pitching, a deep lineup, and a culture built on resilience. They’ll need all of it if they hope to claw their way back into contention.
Gaeckle, for his part, is already preparing.
“If they give me the ball again, I’ll be ready. We all will,” he said. “I believe in these guys. We’re not done.”
For now, the spotlight is squarely on Gaeckle—the freshman phenom who gave Arkansas everything he had and more. His performance was worthy of victory, even if the scoreboard didn’t reflect it.
“It’s not the result we wanted,” he said quietly. “But I’ll never forget this night.”
Neither will Arkansas fans.
And perhaps, just perhaps, there’s more to write in this Razorback story. In Omaha, legends are forged in fire. Mason Gaeckle lit the first flame.
