Matt Hobbs never introduced himself as the head coach this weekend.
He didn’t have to. Dave Van Horn was in Waco, Texas, watching his jersey go up at McLennan College, and somebody still had to run Arkansas baseball.
That somebody was Hobbs, the pitching coach who suddenly found himself handling lineups, managing arms, and answering questions like the man in charge.
The Razorbacks wrapped up their offseason with a three-game Cardinal vs. Black scrimmage, and even without the usual skipper, the weekend didn’t drift. It moved with purpose. Pitching dictated the tempo, mistakes mattered, and nothing felt rushed.
That wasn’t accidental.
Before the weekend began, the talk inside the Fowler Center was that pitching had taken over practices. Closed doors and bad weather kept it quiet, but the reputation stuck. Once fans got access, the message didn’t change.
Hobbs didn’t sell it. He didn’t oversell anything, really. He watched pitches, watched reactions, and let the arms speak first.
By the end of the weekend, they’d said plenty.
Friday Set Tone, Even When Ball Flew
Game One opened with noise.
Cole Gibler and Gabe Gaeckle matched up, and it didn’t take long for Arkansas to show power. Nolan Souza reached. Ryder Helfrick crushed a homer to center.
A few pitches later, Kuhio Aloy turned a fastball into a 479-foot reminder that Baum still has room for tape-measure shots.
The Razorbacks jumped ahead quickly, but Hobbs never treated it like a highlight reel. Black answered back. Tyler Holland homered. Carson Willis tripled. The lead tightened, and evaluation replaced excitement.
Joey Lorenzini entered and flashed the electric fastball Hobbs has been waiting to unleash. Even when runs crossed, the stuff stayed firm, and the delivery stayed aggressive.
Later, Steele Eaves gave up a pair of long balls. Errors finished the night. The scoreboard favored Cardinal, but Hobbs’ eyes stayed on the mound.
Final: Cardinal 7, Black 5.
Saturday Looked Like a Pitching Coach’s Daydream
Saturday slowed everything down.
Hunter Dietz and Tate McGuire turned the second scrimmage into a test of patience. Hits were scarce. Defense decided the scoring.
A right-field error helped Black strike first. Luke Cornelison delivered the RBI. Cardinal answered with a sacrifice fly from Helfrick. Another misplay brought home another unearned run.
That was it.
From there, Hobbs’ bullpen closed the door without drama. James DeCremer, Mark Brissey, and Ethan McElvain combined to pitch the final four half-innings, allowing just two hits and striking out eight.
There were no fist pumps. No long talks. Just clean work.
Final: Black 3, Cardinal 1.
Hobbs Flipped the Teams and Let Sunday Breathe
Sunday felt deliberate.
With Van Horn still away, Hobbs flipped the rosters. Black now wore the starter label. Cardinal became the chase group. The message wasn’t hidden. Roles were still flexible.
Colin Fisher and Peyton Lee matched zeros early. Lee struck out five of the first six batters he faced, leaning on a slider that didn’t stay in the same zip code twice.
Fisher worked quicker. He pitched to contact, trusted the gloves behind him, and didn’t waste pitches.
The starters broke through in the fourth. Reese Robinett doubled home two after a hit batter and a fielding error. The lead grew to 3-0, and Fisher kept cruising.
Jordan Martin followed with clean innings. The arms stayed sharp. The pace stayed steady.
Scrimmages Don’t End Early for a Reason
Cardinal didn’t fold.
Carson Willis homered again, cutting the lead to one. Steele Eaves allowed traffic. Errors extended innings. The pressure shifted back.
In the seventh, Christian Turner singled and was picked off. Carter Rutenbar reached after an error. Brendan Kleiman doubled to tie it. Zack Stewart ended it on a misplayed ball to right, ruled an error on Aloy.
Final: Red 4, Black 3.
Right Field Was Loudest Issue
Nothing drew more attention than right field.
Kuhio Aloy committed three errors across three games. Two were routine fly balls. One ended the weekend. Every ball hit his way looked uncomfortable.
Hobbs didn’t dodge the topic.
When asked, he pointed to the lack of outfield work during recent weeks because of weather. He didn’t exaggerate. He didn’t excuse it away.
Aloy will likely remain in right to keep the lineup intact, but Hobbs made it clear improvement comes from reps, not patience alone.
Freshman Arms Gave Hobbs Plenty to Talk About
This is where Hobbs leaned in.
Peyton Lee didn’t just survive. He dominated early Sunday, striking out eight in 3.2 innings. His slider missed bats, and his fastball lived on the edges.
Joey Lorenzini flashed mid-90s velocity from the left side and touched 97. Hobbs didn’t hype it, but outings like that don’t stay quiet.
Jordan Martin and Mark Brissey combined for 10 outs without allowing a hit. Luke Cornelison handled two-way duties, pitching Friday and Sunday without unraveling.
For a pitching coach, that’s depth you trust.
The Rotation Hint Came With a Smile
Hobbs never announced a rotation.
He didn’t need to.
When asked about Colin Fisher starting, Hobbs smiled and said the media members were “pretty smart” for figuring that one out.
That was the answer.
Arkansas will likely open with Gabe Gaeckle on Friday night against Oklahoma State, followed by Hunter Dietz and Fisher against TCU and Texas Tech in some order.
Hobbs let the silence finish the thought.
Clean Exit, Real Tests Waiting
The Hogs left the weekend healthy. Christian Turner stayed in after a scary ankle roll. Helfrick returned after getting hit in the wrist.
Nolan Souza led off nearly every lineup he appeared in, a quiet hint about what Friday night could look like.
Next comes Globe Life Field. Big 12 opponents. Real lineups and real consequences.
Dave Van Horn will be back.
But for one weekend, Matt Hobbs ran the dugout, guided the pitching, and didn’t need to call it coaching.
Arkansas heard him anyway.
