Hogs pick up another road win, downing UNLV on Friday afternoon
LAS VEGAS — Arkansas picked up a third victory on the road with a 5-2 win over UNLV Friday afternoon at the Frank and Vicki Fertitta Tennis Complex.
Doubles
The Razorbacks came out focused and claimed victories on courts two and three to secure the doubles point.
Jackie Carr and Martina Zerulo cruised to a 6-2 win over Connie Li and Sam Smith, notching their second road win this dual match season.
The No. 22 pair of Lauren Alter and Tatum Rice dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 13 Izumi Asano and En-Pei Huan on court one.
The attention shifted to court three, where Thea Rice and Laura Rijkers took on Samantha Li and Olivia Elliot.
Thea Rice and Rijkers surged out to a 5-3 lead but saw the UNLV tandem counter to make it a 5-5 match. With their backs against the wall, the Arkansas sophomore combo rallied back and won in a tiebreak 7-6 (7-1), to provide the Hogs with the early momentum.
Singles
The Razorbacks corralled the momentum gained in doubles and took it over to singles play, claiming four of the first six sets.
114th-ranked Carr picked up her second win of the weekend as she battled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Connie Li. Carr’s victory from the No. 3 position gave Arkansas a 2-1 edge.
Alter registered her second straight win against Sam Smith, 6-3, 6-3, with freshman Kelly Keller following not too far behind clinching the singles point for the Hogs defeating Elliot 6-3, 6-3.
The two teams played all six singles matches to completion. In the No. 2 slot, Tatum Rice pulled out a gritty 7-6, 6-3 verdict over Huang.
Rijkers on court five was the last match of the day. The sophomore was defeated in a tiebreak battle of 6-7, 7-5, 1-0 (11-9).
Up next
The Hogs take the court again Saturday at noon facing Virginia Tech. This will be the second time in series history the two schools have met.
Singles competition
1. Izumi Asano (UNLV) def. Martina Zerulo (ARK) 2-1, retired
2. Tatum Rice (ARK) def. En-Pei Huang (UNLV) 7-6, 6-2
3. 114 Jackie Carr (ARK) def. Connie Li (UNLV) 6-1, 6-1
4. Lauren Alter (ARK) def. Sam Smith (UNLV) 6-3, 6-3
5. Kelly Keller (ARK) def. Olivia Elliott (UNLV) 6-3, 6-3
6. Samantha Li (UNLV) def. Laura Rijkers (ARK) 6-7, 7-5, 1-0 (11-9)
Doubles competition
1. 13 Izumi Asano/En-Pei Huang (UNLV) def. 22 Tatum Rice/Lauren Alter (ARK) 6-1
2. Martina Zerulo/Jackie Carr (ARK) def. Connie Li/Sam Smith (UNLV) 6-2
3. Laura Rijkers/Thea Rice (ARK) def. Samantha Li/Olivia Elliott (UNLV) 7-6 (7-1)
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Razorbacks’ game with Notre Dame set for Week 2 kickoff at 1:30 on NBC
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas and Notre Dame will kick off at 1:30 p.m. on NBC on September 12 in the first-ever match-up between the two schools.
The Razorbacks and Fighting Irish will play the first game of a home-and-home series inside Notre Dame Stadium this fall before Razorback Stadium hosts the second game of the series on October 4, 2025.
Information on tickets for all Arkansas road games will be available later this spring. Season ticket holders receive the opportunity to purchase tickets to away games.
Season ticket holders will be able to submit purchase requests for tickets and orders will be filled based upon priority in Razorback Foundation membership status while supplies last.
Renewal for 2020 season tickets is ongoing along with new ticket sales.
The Razorbacks will host seven games in Fayetteville for the first time ever this fall. The Sam Pittman era begins with Nevada (Sept. 5) before beginning Southeastern Conference games starting with Alabama (Oct. 10).
Defending national champion LSU visits Fayetteville on Oct. 17 followed by Tennessee (Oct. 31) and Ole Miss (Nov. 14). The Hogs will also host non-conference tilts against Charleston Southern (Oct. 3) and UL-Monroe (Nov. 21).
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Neighbors on Hogs never able to catch talented top-ranked South Carolina
Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors said the Gamecocks were just as good as expected as they simply overwhelmed the Hogs, 86-65, on Thursday night.
Staley on Boston getting healthy, win over Hogs, facing UConn this weekend
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley talked with the media Thursday after an 86-65 win over Arkansas about Aliyah Boston (18 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocked shots) and marquee matchup with Huskies.
Dungee, Ramirez on some of problems in loss to South Carolina
Arkansas players Chelsea Dungee (16 points, 7 rebounds) and Amber Ramirez (8 points, 4 assists) on problems posed by No. 1-ranked Gamecocks in 86-65 loss Thursday night.
SEC coaches pick Razorbacks atop SEC West; four players named to first team
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas was picked to finish first in the SEC Western Division by the league’s coaches in the first preseason poll and all-SEC squads released by the league.
In addition to the division projection and one overall SEC Champion vote, four Razorbacks were recognized on the coaches preseason all-SEC first team, the most of any program in the conference.
Catcher Casey Opitz, shortstop Casey Martin, outfielder Heston Kjerstad and designated hitter Matt Goodheart were all honored by the SEC coaches.
No other program had more than two first team honorees.
Opitz, from Centennial, Colorado, recorded 43 hits, three doubles and three homers, to go with 33 RBIs and 31 runs scored over 50 starts as he moved into the starting catching role last season.
He had a memorable Super Regional in Fayetteville, tallying four hits in nine at-bats, with one homer, five RBIs and two runs scored as the Razorbacks advanced to the College World Series for the 10th time in program history.
He put together a strong year behind the plate, throwing out 22-of-24 runners attempting to steal a base, while committing only four errors in 531 chances. The Hogs were 36-14 in 2019 when Opitz was part of the starting battery.
Martin, a junior from Lonoke, Arkansas, finished his sophomore season with a .286/.548/.364 line at the plate, starting all 66 games.
He tallied 81 hits, 40 for extra bases with 21 doubles, four triples and 15 homers. Martin also recorded 57 RBIs and scored 67 runs, both figures ranking second on the squad last season.
He earned All-SEC Second Team honors as a sophomore after hitting .295 in conference play with 38 hits, 28 runs and a team-high nine homers and 22 RBIs.
Martin tied for the team lead in multi-hit performances with 26 and was second in multi-RBI games with 16. Overall, his 155 total bases were good enough for 15th in the NCAA last season.
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.
Goodheart, from Magnolia, Arkansas, led the team at the plate last season with a .345 average over 58 games as the designated hitter.
He recorded 70 hits, 16 doubles, two triple and five homers, with 47 RBIs and 35 runs scored.
In conference play, Goodheart hit .369 with 14 extra-base hits, leading to an All-SEC Second Team designation. He also earned SEC All-Tournament Team honors, leading the Hogs with a .273 clip.
Overall in NCAA postseason play, he went 11-for-33 with homers against TCU and Ole Miss in the Regional and Super Regional rounds, respectively.
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.
Western Division
1. Arkansas (5) – 82
2. Mississippi State (4) – 73
3. Auburn (2) – 67
4. LSU (3) – 67
5. Texas A&M – 44
6. Ole Miss – 38
7. Alabama – 21
() – First place votes
SEC Champion: Vanderbilt (8), Florida (2), Arkansas (1), Auburn (1), Georgia (1), Mississippi State (1)
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Briles on getting down to offense after recruiting, view on quarterbacks he’ll have
New Hogs’ offensive coordinator Kendal Briles talked Thursday afternoon about finally getting into office after spending a lot of time in cars and on plans recruiting players.
Smith on making jump from high school to SEC in just a couple of years
New Razorbacks coach Jimmy Smith was coaching high school football a couple of years ago and talked Thursday about making the leap to now coaching in the SEC.
