Ryder Helfrick powers Arkansas past Auburn for spot in SEC Tournament championship game
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Ryder Helfrick and the Arkansas Razorbacks will play for an SEC Tournament title. No. 7 seed Arkansas won a rain-delayed thriller over No. 6 seed Auburn 2-1 to advance to Sunday’s championship game against No. 1 seed Georgia.
Helfrick was the hero for the Hogs on Saturday night in Hoover. In the top of the 8th inning, Helfrock broke a 1-1 tie with a 446-foot blast over the wall in left field.
SWEET HOME RUN ALABAMA pic.twitter.com/7onkDCOOgE
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 24, 2026
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It takes great pitching to win a 2-1 ballgame. Dave Van Horn used 4 Arkansas pitchers on Saturday night.
Cooper Dossett got the start for the Razorbacks. He pitched 2 innings, allowing the only Auburn run in the 2nd inning.
James DeCremer and Colin Fisher combined for 2.2 scoreless innings. In the bottom of the 5th, Arkansas turned to Ethan McElvain.
McElvain, the game’s winning pitcher, went the rest of the way for the Hogs. He posted 4.1 scoreless innings, allowing just 2 hits while striking out 6 without issuing a walk.
Arkansas has now won 3 SEC Tournament games over No. 10 seed Tennessee (8-4), No. 2 seed Texas (8-1) and No. 6 seed Auburn (2-1). No. 1 seed Georgia earned a double-bye, defeating No. 8 seed Mississippi State (5-3) and No. 5 seed Florida (8-7) to reach the championship game.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
