Arkansas’ game with the Bulldogs at Bud Walton Arena on Thursday will offer a very different style of play and how the Hogs can set the tempo is key in game.
???? Halftime Pod — Franks to Fayetteville, Nikki on recent recruits, rebounding against MSU and more!
Phil & Tye on Feleipe Franks picking Fayetteville, Nikki Chavanelle joins the program, Hagans on the Bud Walton atmosphere and more!
Kjerstad picks up another All-American honor, this time from ‘D1 Baseball’
FAYETTEVILLE — Heston Kjerstad has been named a preseason first team All-America honoree by D1 Baseball, according to an announcement Tuesday.
It is the second time this winter he’s been recognized on a first team ballot, getting the same recognition from Collegiate Baseball, and third overall, as Perfect Game placed Kjerstad on the outlet’s second team list.
A junior from Amarillo, Texas, Kjerstad put together a .327 batting average last year over 65 starts, leading the team in hits (87) and home runs (17).
It was the second consecutive season he’s tallied 87 knocks, as he drove in 51 RBIs and scored 53 runs in 2019.
With his 58 RBIs in 2018, the feat made him the first Razorback to have 50 or more in his first two seasons since Rodney Nye in 1988 and 1999.
He finished the year with 24 multi-hit performances, good for third on the team, with half of his multi-hit games consisting of three or more. Kjerstad finished the 2019 season as a Second Team All-SEC honoree.
The 2020 slate kicks off with Eastern Illinois for the second-straight season, beginning on Friday, Feb. 14, at 3 p.m. at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Laird puts up another 9.9 on bars as Razorbacks fall to Oklahoma on Monday
NORMAN, Okla. — Junior Sydney Laird followed her top performance on bars last week with another top scoring routine, but it wasn’t enough for Arkansas against reigning NCAA champion Oklahoma.
The Gymbacks fell to No.1 Oklahoma in the Lloyd Noble Center, 198.175–196.550. Arkansas’ 196.550 is the highest score for the Razorbacks in Norman since 2009.
Just three days from her first 9.9 of the season, Laird followed her top performance on bars with another top scoring routine, complete with beautiful ray and double layout dismount.
Rotation One | Bars
Senior Jessica Yamzon would lead things off with a solid 9.800 performance, sticking her full twisting double layout dismount in the first rotation of the day.
Arkansas had five of six routines score a 9.800 or higher for a combined 49.250 on Bars.
Rotation Two | Vault
Redshirt-junior Sarah Shaffer and junior Kennedy Hambrick with back-to-back 9.850s with a Yurchenko layout half and Yurchenko full respectively. The duo’s stuck vaults helped the Razorbacks improve their team vault score for the second straight week.
Arkansas would finish vault with a 49.025 team score for a total of 98.275 through two rotations.
Rotation Three | Floor
Senior Sophia Carter continued to be a strong anchor for the Razorbacks on the floor, wrapping up the third rotation with her double-back roundoff and double-pike last pass.
Carter scored a team-high 9.900 on the floor to give Arkansas a team score of 49.250.
Rotation Four | Beam
The Gymbacks held steady on the beam, as Yazmon scored a lead-off 9.825 with her back handspring, layout step out series.
Redshirt-freshman Bailey Lovett hit the first 9.900 of the season for Arkansas on beam, showing off her beautiful front aerial, back layout series.
The Razorbacks finished with a 49.025 on the beam.
Up next
The Razorbacks return to Barnhill Arena to host SEC foe and No.12 ranked Kentucky for Crowns and Capes night on Friday evening at 6 p.m.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Franks will add numbers, experience to Hogs’ quarterback group
In a position room short on numbers and experience, Feleipe Franks’ announcement Monday afternoon via Instagram that he’s coming to Arkansas was interesting in a couple of areas.
Of course, nobody knows how it will play out, but you would think the Razorbacks are due to have one of these graduate transfer quarterbacks come in and actually grab the job and do something with it.
Last year there were a couple of those that appeared to have as little interest in winning games as they did being here.
Now it will be Franks’ turn after his visit to Fayetteville last weekend where “how genuine everybody is” made the difference.
That is a positive for new coach Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles. A lot of people had him as a lock to join the Les Miles’ experience at Kansas but the new Hogs’ coaches apparently made a pitch and were able to close the deal.
Franks completed 367 of 622 passes for 4,593 yards, 38 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in his Florida career. Franks rushed 189 times for 438 yards and eight touchdowns.
He was injured against Kentucky this past fall. An ankle injury that required surgery ended his 2019 season. Before being injured against the Wildcats, Franks completed 12 of 17 passes for 174 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Franks will be the biggest player in the room right off the bat at 6-foot-6 and 238 pounds. More importantly, he’s the most experienced, particularly in the SEC.
Competing with him will be redshirt sophomore John Stephen Joes, redshirt freshman K.J. Jefferson and redshirt senior Jack Lindsey along with North Texas walk-on transfer Cade Pearson.
‘D1 Softball’ has Razorbacks ranked at No. 21 ahead of start of year
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will start the 2020 season with a No. 21 ranking from D1Softball.com, according to an announcement Monday.
The SEC leads all conferences with ten teams in the Top 25. The Pac-12 is next with five teams, followed by the Big Ten and Big 12 with four. The ACC and Sun Belt each have one team in the rankings.
The D1Softball Top 25 rankings are compiled by polling 10 sportswriters, broadcasters, analysts and coaches from across the nation, headlined by lead writers Rhiannon Potkey and Tara Henry.
Coach Courtney Deifel and the Razorbacks were picked earlier this month to finish seventh in the Southeastern Conference after a vote of the 13 head coaches in the annual preseason poll.
Arkansas is scheduled to begin play for the 2020 season Friday Feb. 7 in Las Cruces, N.M. against UTEP and Bradley.
The Razorbacks will return to Bogle Park on Feb. 20 for the Razorback Invitational that includes Boston University, South Dakota State, Marist and Montana.
The 2020 schedule features two home tournaments, four SEC weekend series and eight additional non-conference games for a total of 32 home games.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Musselman on rebounding problems, not having Vanover eligible hurt
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman thought 7-3 Connor Vanover had a great case to be immediately eligible this year and his absence has caused a big problem getting rebounds at times.
‘Baseball America’ ranks Razorbacks at No. 11 in preseason poll
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas has been slotted at No. 11 in Baseball America’s preseason rankings, making it four top-15 marks so far heading into the 2020 campaign.
It marks the second time in three years the Razorbacks have received a top-15 ranking from the outlet, beginning the 2018 season in fourth.
Last year, Baseball America put Arkansas at 18th in its first poll.
The Razorbacks are coming off a 46-20 season that produced an SEC West division title and the program’s 10th trip to the College World Series in 2019.
Coach Dave Van Horn, entering his 18th season at the helm of the baseball team, has more appearances in the CWS than any active coach in the nation with eight.
Arkansas returns a number of veterans with experience on the mound, including two-thirds of last year’s rotation in sophomores Connor Noland and Patrick Wicklander.
Noland and Wicklander were among the top freshmen arms in the conference in 2019, as the duo combined for a 4.16 ERA, nine wins, 145 strikeouts and only 51 walks. Noland was named a Perfect Game Freshman All-American while both garnered SEC All-Freshman honors.
Offensively, the Razorbacks return plenty of firepower, including last year’s top hitter in Matt Goodheart, who finished with a .345 batting average as the team’s designated hitter.
Along with Goodheart, the Hogs bring back two of the top bats in the nation in juniors and preseason All-Americans Heston Kjerstad and Casey Martin.
Kjerstad hit .325 or higher in each of his first two seasons, matching his hit total (87) from 2018, while driving in another 51 RBIs to go with 17 home runs.
Martin hit more home runs (15) and had more RBIs (57) than his freshman season, finishing with 81 hits overall last season.
Arkansas is set to host 32 games at Baum-Walker Stadium this spring, including home SEC series against Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M, Auburn and Georgia.
During the 2019 postseason run, Arkansas saw 93,868 fans pack Baum-Walker Stadium, the most of any ballpark in the country.
The Razorbacks wrapped up the 2019 season with a 33-7 home record, the second straight year Arkansas has totaled 30 or more wins at home.
The 2020 slate kicks off with Eastern Illinois for the second-straight season, beginning on Friday, Feb. 14, at 3 p.m. at Baum-Walker Stadium.
2020 Preseason Rankings
Perfect Game – No. 4
D1 Baseball – No. 7
Collegiate Baseball – No. 9
Baseball America – No. 11
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
???? Halftime Pod — recaping the Kentucky loss, the impact for the future, plus Kevin McPherson
Tye and Tommy on the Kentucky game, other great Bud Walton moments, Kevin McPherson joins the program and more!
