FAYETTEVILLE -- University of Arkansas right-handed pitcher Jaxon Wiggins signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday just before the signing deadline for drafted players.
Wiggins, 21, was drafted by the Cubs 68th overall in the second round of the major league draft July 9. He signed for more than $1.4 million, according to Jim Callis of MLB.com. The value for his slot in the draft was a little more than $1.1 million.
Wiggins was the final unsigned player from Arkansas, which had seven players drafted. The Razorbacks also had seven high school signees drafted, six of whom have signed professionally.
Right-handed pitcher Gabe Gaeckle of Aptos, Calif., did not sign with the Cincinnati Reds after he was selected in the 20th and final round of the draft. Gaeckle has reported to Fayetteville and is working out at the team's facility, according to a team spokesman.
Wiggins, from Roland, Okla., missed the 2023 season after he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament that required Tommy John surgery in February. He was expected to be in the Razorbacks' starting rotation in the months leading up to the injury that occurred during preseason practice.
He appeared in 34 games with 19 starts during his freshman and sophomore seasons, and recorded a 9-4 record with a 6.17 ERA in 89 innings. Wiggins had 110 career strikeouts and 57 walks.
Arlington-bound
The first dates have been announced for Arkansas' 2024 baseball schedule.
The Razorbacks will play Feb. 23-25 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, against a field that includes Oklahoma State, Oregon State and Michigan. Dates for the individual matchups will be announced at a later time.
All three games will be streamed by FloSports.
Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn first mentioned the Razorbacks' involvement in the 2024 College Baseball Series during a January luncheon in Fayetteville, but REV Entertainment, the organizer for events at the Texas Rangers' ballpark, did not confirm the matchups until Tuesday.
The ballpark will host 14 college baseball teams during the first three weeks of the season, beginning with the six-team College Baseball Showdown on Feb. 16-18. Arkansas' games will be played on the second weekend of the season.
The Razorbacks have played at the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington twice since the inaugural event in 2021. Their 18-5 loss to TCU at Globe Life Field earlier this year drew an announced crowd of 20,295, which was the largest attendance for a college baseball game before the College World Series in June.
Arkansas will play Oklahoma State in Arlington for the second consecutive season. The Razorbacks won 18-1 in seven innings on Feb. 19.
Oregon State and Arkansas will play for the first time since the Beavers won 2 of 3 games in the national championship series in 2018. The Razorbacks will play Michigan for the first time.
Riley commits
Arkansas added a transfer commitment Tuesday from fifth-year senior outfielder Lincoln Riley of Eastern Illinois.
Riley announced the commitment in a post to his Twitter account.
He batted .307 with 20 multi-hit games this season, including a pair of hits in games against Arkansas and Vanderbilt. He slugged .424 and had an on-base percentage of .423 for an OPS of .847.
Riley recorded 11 doubles, 2 triples and 4 home runs, and had 38 RBI. He was successful on 18 of 20 stolen-base attempts.
The 5-10, 180-pound center fielder finished the season with an on-base streak of 24 consecutive games, including in both games at the NCAA Nashville Regional at Vanderbilt, where he was named to the all-region team. He did not commit an error defensively and had four assists.
During a three-game series at Arkansas in February, Riley had a hit in every game. He went 2 for 5 and scored 3 runs as the Panthers defeated the Razorbacks 12-3 on Feb. 26 at Baum-Walker Stadium.
A native of Marion, Iowa, Riley began his college career at Southeastern (Iowa) Community College. He transferred to EIU before the 2022 season.