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Kopps’ beet-juiced bionic arm, Welch’s hitting keeps Hogs playing

Kevin Kopps’ physical, mental maturity plus Charlie Welch’s pinch-hitting has the Hogs two wins away from having shot at the goal all along.

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Kevin Kopps carried Arkansas on his right arm Monday into a Super Regional later this week along with another pinch-hit homer by Charlie Welch.

The final score was 6-2. Jaxon Wiggins started for the Razorbacks and got two batters out in the third before Kopps came in and Nebraska pushed across a run on baserunners he inherited for a 2-0 lead.

He finished the game, throwing 90 pitches. It was his third appearance in the regional and he threw 185 pitches by my count over four days.

“What an incredible, incredible college pitcher,” Dave Van Horn said later about Kopps.

Kopps’ drinking beet juice lately is what he jokingly refers to as the secret. Actually it’s a 24-year-old arm that is mature and a smart pitcher that is the age of a lot of pitchers in pro ball.

He’s the biggest part of this year for Van Horn and he knows it. He’s also not speculating on where the Hogs would be right now without him.

“I don’t even want to think about it,” he said.

Bringing in Kopps so early, Van Horn’s plan became get to the seventh or eighth inning and bring in Patrick Wicklander, who was chomping at the bit to get into the game.

“He wouldn’t let us take him out,” Van Horn said.

After the Hogs put up four in the eighth inning to seal the deal on what was a game that was looking like extra innings for sure (mainly on Welch’s three-run pinch-hit homer), Kopps simply told Van Horn he was going back out for the ninth.

“I’ve never seen anything like it as long as I’ve been involved in college baseball, to have a guy that’s able to go out there and compete at such a high level in such an environment on this stage and to do it over and over and over,” Nebraska coach Will Bolt said later. “There’s a reason he’s a national pitcher of the year.”

Well, he might end up being the player of the year as that vote is coming in the next few days.

For now, though, he’s carried the Hogs into a Super Regional matchup later this week against North Carolina State, who is hitting the ball a lot winning the Ruston Regional.

And there will be more standing-room-only crowds. They exploded on Welch’s homer in the eighth, which was a massive shot that was one of those no-doubters when he connected on a fastball he was waiting on.

“It was surreal,” Welch said later. “You could feel it on your body. It’s so loud you’re shaking. Your helmet is trembling. I’ve never experienced that.”

Van Horn noticed, too.

“That’s the loudest I’ve ever heard this stadium and I’ve been in some crazy games here,” he said. “That was incredibly loud.”

Now they’ll be needed again against the Wolfpack, who is on a roll. The Hogs are just two wins away from going back to Omaha to play for a national title.

Which has been the goal for Van Horn and this team all year long.

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2024 Razorbacks Football

Thu, Aug 29vs UAPB (Little Rock)W, 70-0
Sat, Sep 7@ Oklahoma StateL, 31-39 2OT
Sat, Sep 14vs UABW, 37-27
Sat, Sep 21@ AuburnW, 24-14
Sat, Sep 28vs Texas A&M (Arl)L, 21-17
Sat, Oct 5vs TennesseeW, 19-14
Sat, Oct 19vs LSUL, 34-10
Sat, Oct 26@ Mississippi StateW, 58-25
Sat, Nov 2vs Ole MissL, 63-31
Sat, Nov 16vs TexasL, 20-10
Sat, Nov 23vs Louisiana Tech3:00 PM
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Sat, Nov 30@ Missouri2:30 PM
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2024 High School Rankings

Following is the Arkansas Sports Media High School Football Poll including the Overall Top 10, the top five in Classes 7A, 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A, plus the top three in the 8-man division, as voted by a panel of sports media from around the state for the week ending August 24. Ranking is given with first-place votes received, records, total points and ranking from last week's poll:
OVERALLRecordPtsPrv
1.Bryant (25)10-02681
2.Greenwood (2)10-02343
30Conway9-12022
4.Little Rock Parkview9-11714
5.Bentonville7-31625
6.Benton9-11486
7.Fayetteville8-21117
8.Pulaski Academy8-2898
9.Rogers7-3439
10.Joe T. Robinson9-122
Others receiving votes: Valley View 8, Mountain Home 7, Cabot 6, Little Rock Catholic 6, Shiloh Christian 6, Elkins 1, Farmington 1.
CLASS 7A
1.Bryant (27)10-01351
2.Conway9-11022
3.Bentonville7-3813
4.Fayetteville8-2454
5.Pulaski Academy8-2395
Others receiving votes: Rogers 3.
CLASS 6A
1.Greenwood (27)10-01351
2.Benton9-11082
3.Mountain Home8-2623
4.Shiloh Christian7-3494
5.Little Rock Catholic9-1345
Others receiving votes: Marion 6.
CLASS 5A
1.Little Rock Parkview (27)9-11351
2.Joe T. Robinson9-11062
3.Valley View10-0793
4.Farmington9-1484
5.Hot Springs Lakeside8-2205
Others receiving votes: Camden Fairview 7, Harding Academy 7, Morrilton 3.
CLASS 4A
1.Elkins (20)10-01261
3.Arkadelphia (5)8-2913
2.Little Rock Mills (1)10-0682
4.Warren8-2554
5.Dardanell (1)9-123
Southside Batesville10-023
Others receiving votes: Malvern 12, Gravette 5, Highland 2.
CLASS 3A
1.Bismarck (12)10-01051t
2.Fordyce (10)10-0961t
3.Prescott (1)9-1704
4.Osceola (2)8-1543
5.Booneville (1)9-1395
Others receiving votes: Mansfield (1) 23, Rivercrest 10, Rison 4, Salem 4.
CLASS 2A
1.Carlisle (20)10-01271
2.Conway Christian (7)10-01152
3.Des Arc8-2595
4.East Poinsett Co.7-352
5.Bigelow6-4183
Murfreesboro7-3184
Others receiving votes: Mount Ida 6, Junction City 4, Cross County 3, Poyen 3.
8-MAN SANCTIONED
1.Strong-Huttig (27)5-0811
2.Midland9-0532
3.Cedar Ridge8-1253
Others receiving votes: Woodlawn 3.

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ESPN ARKANSAS 99.5 IN FAYETTEVILLE, 95.3 IN THE RIVER VALLEY, 96.3 IN HOT SPRINGS, 104.3 IN HARRISON-MOUNTAIN HOME.