Three Razorbacks named to All-SEC Team
Two Arkansas pitchers picked up All-SEC honors, while catcher Ryder Helfrick garnered All-SEC defensive team honors.
Starting pitcher Hunter Dietz is the lone Razorback on the All-SEC first team. He was one of four pitchers on the team alongside Florida’s Aidan King, Mississippi State’s Tomas Valincius and Texas’ Dylan Volantis. Dietz finished the regular season as the SEC leader in strikeouts and fifth nationally with 117 strikeouts. Dietz’s 7-3 record and 3.32 ERA (6th) in 78 2/3 (7th) innings makes him the latest in a long line of left-handed starters to get first-team honors.
Dietz joins Hagen Smith (2023, 2024) and Zach Root (2025) as lefties that have garnered first-team All SEC honors. It is the first time in SEC history that the same team has put a left-handed starter on the first team in 4 straight seasons.
Ethan McElvain picked up second-team honors after finishing the season 5-0 with a 1.24 ERA in 29 innings to go along with 6 saves. McElvain struck out 45 hitters with just 10 walks after transferring from Vanderbilt with a 7.24 ERA in 2025.
Catcher Ryder Helfrick made the All-Defensive team. Helfrick ranks No. 1 in the nation with 21.62 defensive runs saved according to D1Baseball’s Synergy Leaderboard. Also known for his bat, Helfrick hit .292 with 15 home runs while catching 54 out of 55 games.
Arkansas begins postseason play 4:30 p.m. Wednesday as the No. 7 seed in the SEC Tournament. The Razorbacks will face the winner of South Carolina and Tennessee and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
