Tye & Hutch discuss Arkansas’ inability to close out games in recent years, plus the season win total from FanDuel.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Wednesday
John & Tommy discuss the defense possibly being better, worst football plays in Hog history, and more!
???? Tuesday Halftime Pod — featuring Nikki Chavanelle of Rivals
Tye & Andy hit on Arkansas having success without a lot of expectations, Nikki Chavanelle, and more!
UA board approves increase in cost for baseball, track centers

FAYETTEVILLE — A new baseball development center, track high performance center and renovations to the Randal Tyson Track Center will soon get underway.
The announcement came Tuesday from the university.
A resolution proposing a bond issue to assist in funding all three projects was approved by UA’s Board of Trustees during a conference call last week.
Stephens Inc., and Crews and Associates will be co-senior managers on the bond issue. All three facilities will be funded entirely by athletic revenues, gifts and bond proceeds from the bond issue.
No university funds, state funds or student fees will be required to complete these projects.

In addition, the Board approved a final project cost of $27 million for the baseball development center. The baseball development center was initially approved last November, based on an estimated cost of $20-$25 million.
Due to changes in the project’s design, primarily the addition of a tunnel from the facility to the game day dugout, estimates for the project were increased to $27 million.
Construction on the baseball development center and the track high performance center is tentatively scheduled to begin in late 2019 or early 2020 with a targeted completion set for spring of 2021.
An initial stage of renovations to the Randal Tyson Track Center is tentatively set to begin in the spring of 2020 and will be completed in advance of Arkansas hosting the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
“We are looking forward to beginning these facility projects that will benefit the experience of our student-athletes in baseball and track and field,” athletics director Hunter Yurachek said. “While Baum-Walker Stadium, the Randal Tyson Track Center and John McDonnell Field still rank among some of the best competition venues in the nation, many of the spaces used each day by our student-athletes are no longer sufficient to support the needs of these highly successful programs.
“The new and renovated facilities are important steps and will further enhance the support for our student-athletes as they compete for SEC and NCAA championships.”
The Baseball Development Center, an approximately 45,000 square foot baseball performance facility will provide student-athletes with an improved and expanded locker room, team room, weight room, training room, meeting rooms, nutrition space, player and pitching development spaces and in-venue batting cages.
The Baseball Development Center will be constructed in the right field corner of Baum-Walker Stadium, connecting it with the current west concourse and providing new premium viewing areas for games.
The addition of a Baseball Development Center will be the latest in a series of renovations and additions to Baum-Walker Stadium which first opened in 1996.
In April 2018, Baum-Walker Stadium was ranked as the best collegiate ballpark in the nation by Baseball America.
The track and field high performance center will be constructed just south of the track at John McDonnell Field.

While John McDonnell Field was renovated into one of the top outdoor track and field competition venues in the nation in 2006, the facility does not currently provide ample space to house daily training for the more than 100 student-athletes competing in the men’s and women’s programs.
A recent study identified the most immediate needs of the facility were improved and expanded team locker rooms, expanded training room, weight room, team room and an equipment storage space.
A new approximately 22,000 square foot Track Operations Center will combine many of the program’s day-to-day operations to create an efficient space to serve both the men’s and women’s track and field programs.
The total project cost of the facility is estimated to be $15 million.
The Randal Tyson Track Center, one of the top indoor track and field venues in the world, will receive aesthetic and event enhancing upgrades.
The phase one improvements to the facility will include replacement of the track surface, new graphics along with AV upgrades and additional building enhancements.
The targeted completion date for phase one of the renovation would be prior to the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held at the venue.
The total project cost of phase one is estimated at $5 million.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Tuesday
John & Tommy discuss the best thing you’ll see from the Razorback football team, Clay Henry, and more!
Is demand for early commitments hurting college athletics?
On a day when baseball was making news with Dave Van Horn’s first media appearance since the College World Series, a simple tweet raised a good point that points to a problem.
Arkansas football’s S.J. Tuohy, who does an admirable job keeping up with Chad Morris pretty much all time, had a couple of thoughts on The Twitter that makes one think:
I see some of y’all on https://t.co/SNOXTMsQTy mad at prospects for decommiting/committing & loyalty this & that. It ain’t their fault. If anything, be mad at schools pressuring/threatening guys to make choices before they’re ready. No way 17-year-old me gets it right on 1st try.
— Sean Tuohy Jr. (@SJTuohy) June 23, 2019
That hits the nail on the head and may be the biggest reason for the deluge of transfers in all sports these days.
In football, a lot of coaches push for commitments at least a year out, sometimes two or three years away. That goes beyond offers and interest, but there are coaches that outright bribe the kids for a verbal commitment.
Fans pick up on it and many of the Lunatic Fringe that every major college football team has goes over the top with it, usually to the point of saying things to these recruits I can guarantee you they wouldn’t want said to their own children.
Assuming, of course, some of these mouth-breathers and booger-eaters are actually allowed to produce offspring. You get the idea a lot of them live in their parents’ garage, eating Cheetos and pounding energy drinks all day.
It is a valid point that apparently has risen to the level S.J. feels is getting out of hand in some cases.
His next tweet got to what is likely the root cause of all these transfers, which has become a cottage industry of its own.
Guys that aren’t pressured and wait and choose and commit when THEY want usually stay committed. Build relationships not ultimatums! ????????♂️ #RantOver
— Sean Tuohy Jr. (@SJTuohy) June 23, 2019
Yes, there are coaches that deliver those ultimatums to kids as young as the 9th grade.
“If you’re not willing to commit now, we’re going to move on to another player,” is a line we’ve heard from several folks that has been used.
Granted, I don’t cover the daily ins and outs of the recruiting game. There are guys that do a great job of that elsewhere, but I’ve heard things for several years and, in a couple of instances, seen it directly.
In a way, coaches have created the very thing so many complain about.
There are media that cover the recruiting in-depth, literally on an hourly basis. They start the team rankings two years in advance, which leads to fans getting nervous about where their team ranks, which leads to social media pressure on kids who don’t even have a driver’s license yet being bombarded with pressures by these same fans.
No, that’s not a negative o those ranking sites. It’s news and it’s information.
This didn’t happen years ago. About 40 years ago, the recruiting started about summer, intensified after the regular season and continued through to the next summer. Yes, as late as the 1980’s, SEC teams were still picking up signees in July to start practice in August as a true freshman.
Not any more.
Now players commit to a school, feel pressured to sign, show up and find out, well, that’s not really what they expected and transfer out.
In the past few months, one player started at USC, transferred to Texas, now is back at USC. That’s an extreme case, but it is a real example and points to a problem that is very prevalent in college football and basketball.
Part of it is on the fans. A few go over-the-top and paint an entire school in a negative light by acting like fools on social media.
Another part is on the coaches. They deliver the take-it-or-leave-it line on some kids who then make an uninformed decision. Coaches don’t make the rules, but it does sorta throw out the mantra many claim about how much they care about their players away from what they can do on the field.
But the actual responsible party that has made all this possible is the NCAA, which has turned into a kangaroo court that more or less makes it up as they go along.
That is the body that has allowed this transfer process to get out of control. If you can figure out their reasoning on granting waivers, you’re better than me because it makes zero sense.
The NCAA has allowed all of the responsibility to be placed on the players, some of whom felt pressured by coaches and over-zealous fans to choose the place they landed.
There is no responsibility placed on the schools, some of which run players off to free up more available scholarships.
And a lot of that is caused because the entire process causes coaches to force high school kids to make a decision that will affect the rest of their lives. There are few consequences for schools that have a revolving door.
Hogs will host Kansas State as part of Big 12-SEC Challenge in women’s hoops
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas hosts Kansas State in the Big 12-SEC Challenge on Dec. 4, the league office announced Monday.
The Razorbacks will play in the Challenge for the sixth time, and currently sport a 2-3 all-time record.
The Hogs and the Wildcats will square off for just the sixth time, and the ‘Cats currently own a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series. However, Arkansas has never lost to K-State at home, going a perfect 2-0, including a 60-58 win in the teams’ most recent meeting (12/02/09).
Kansas State is coming off of a solid season, as they went 21-12 and 11-7 in the Big 12. The ‘Cats parlayed that success into a NCAA Tournament berth, returning to the Big Dance after advancing to the third round of the 2018 WNIT the season before.
The Wildcats will return their leading scorer from a season ago, as senior Peyton Williams, who averaged 15.8 points per game, is back for her senior season.
The first-team All-Big 12 selection powered Kansas State last season, and will present a challenge for the Hogs down on the block.
The first 10-game Big 12-SEC Challenge slate came back in 2016, and the Big 12 held a slight advantage, taking six of the games. The conferences split the games, 5-5, in both 2017 and in 2018.
The complete Challenge schedule is below:
2019 Big 12-SEC Women’s Basketball Challenge Schedule
Wednesday, December 4
Georgia at Baylor
Thursday, December 5
Iowa State at Alabama
Ole Miss at Texas Tech
Saturday, December 7
LSU at Oklahoma
Auburn at TCU
Kansas State at Arkansas
Oklahoma State at Texas A&M
Sunday, December 8
Texas at Tennessee
West Virginia at Mississippi State
Florida at Kansas
The remainder of the Razorbacks’ schedule will be released as soon as it becomes final.
???? Monday Halftime Pod — featuring Brad Crawford of 247 Sports
Tye hits on why fans should be celebrating Arkansas’ non conference schedule, Brad Crawford of 247 Sports, and more!
Van Horn recaps season, summer plans, next season for Hogs’ baseball
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn met with the media Monday morning and looked back over the 2019 season, his players’ schedules for the summer and ahead to next season.
Razorbacks set to play in Houston at ‘Shriners’ College Classic
HOUSTON, Texas — For the third time, Arkansas will be featured in one of the most prestigious college baseball weekends as one of the six teams in the 20th annual Shriner’s Hospital For Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park next season.
Minute Maid Park has been the major league home of the Houston Astros since 2000.
The entire tournament will feature matchups from the Big 12 and the SEC as Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas, LSU and Missouri will also make up the field.
The Razorbacks will take on the Sooners on Friday, Feb. 28, and the Longhorns on Saturday, Feb. 29. Arkansas will finish the weekend with a primetime matchup against Baylor on Sunday, March 1 at 7 p.m.
The matchup with Oklahoma will be Arkansas’ first since 2012 and 26th in the series history.
There have only been two midweek matchups between the Razorbacks and Sooners (2010, 12) since the NCAA Norman Regional in 2009.
Next season’s game in Houston will be just the second neutral site matchup ever between the two programs.
The Arkansas-Texas rivalry will be renewed when the Hogs take on the Longhorns under the lights at Minute Maid Park.
It’ll be the third-straight year the two teams have played at least once and just the fifth time since 2005. The teams split a two-game midweek series in Austin during the 2019 season and the 2020 matchup will be the second time both programs have played each other in the College Classic (2012).
Arkansas will finish its weekend with a second-straight primetime matchup when it takes on Baylor for the first time since the NCAA Waco Super Regional in 2012.
The Razorbacks won that super regional with a 1-0 game three win in extras to advance to their seventh College World Series appearance. Next year’s game will be just the fourth time the two teams have played since 1998.
Tickets for the classic will be available for purchase in November from the Astros website at Astros.com/CollegeClassic.
2020 Shriners Hospitals For Children College Classic Schedule*
Friday, Feb. 28
Missouri vs. Baylor, 11 a.m.
Arkansas vs. Oklahoma, 3 p.m.
Texas vs. LSU, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 29
Oklahoma vs. Missouri, 11 a.m.
LSU vs. Baylor, 3 p.m.
Arkansas vs. Texas, 7 p.m.
Sunday, March 1
Oklahoma vs. LSU, 11 a.m.
Missouri vs. Texas, 3 p.m.
Baylor vs. Arkansas, 7 p.m.
(home teams listed second)
* – times subject to change
Martin, Kjerstad, Opitz competing for Team USA spots
CARY, N.C. — A few days after finishing their 2019 seasons with Arkansas, infielder Casey Martin, outfielder Heston Kjerstad and catcher Casey Opitz will have a chance to continue playing this summer as they will suit up for the Team USA Collegiate National Team starting this week at their training camp in North Carolina.
All three Hogs will go through numerous workouts and intrasquad games this week in the hopes to earn one of the coveted spots on the roster.
In its history, Arkansas has had 16 players don the Red, White, and Blue. Last year, outfielder Dominic Fletcher and closer Matt Cronin joined the team after Arkansas’ run to the College World Series final.
Current coach Dave Van Horn also served time as the manager of the USA Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2014, making trips to the Netherlands and Cuba.
This year, Martin, Kjerstad and Opitz were all integral sophomores that helped Arkansas reach its 10th College World Series in school history and first ever in back-to-back years.
Combined, the trio hit .291 with Kjerstad hitting over .300 for the second-consecutive year (.327). Of the team’s 88 home runs, 35 came off the bat of Martin, Kjerstad or Opitz, making up 40 percent of Arkansas’ long balls.
Kjerstad has posted nearly identical numbers during his first two seasons in a Razorback uniform, hitting .332 as a freshman and .327 as a sophomore.
In 65 games this year, the right fielder had the second-most hits on the team (87), the fourth-most RBIs (51) and the most home runs (17), which tied for the 10th-most by a Razorback in a single season.
He was named to the All-SEC second team for the second-consecutive year.
Martin hit .286 this season in 66 games and had 15 home runs with 57 RBIs, which are both higher totals than in 2018.
The Lonoke native also notched 40 extra-base hits, including a team-leading four triples and three inside-the-park home runs. He showed off his speed on the basepaths, stealing 10 of 12 bases, the third-most on the squad.
Like Kjerstad, Martin also earned his second-straight All-SEC second team honor.
As for Opitz, the Colorado native had, arguably, the best defensive season for a catcher in the SEC, totaling 22 caught stolen bases, which led all league catchers.
That total is the most for a Razorback catcher since Tucker Pennell had 27 during the 2016 season. He caught 14 potential stolen bases in conference play and three in the NCAA Tournament.
Opitz hit .243 for the year in 58 games and had a .379 on-base percentage, walking 38 times, which was the third-most on the team.
This year, Team USA is led by Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell and will begin its schedule on June 27 with four intrasquad games.
Following a single game against the Coastal Plains League Select on July 1, the team will travel throughout North Carolina for a five-game series against Cuba in the 8th Annual USA vs. Cuba International Friendship Series.
Team USA will travel overseas to Taichung, Taiwan for a five-game series against Chinese Taipei (July 9-12) before finishing its summer schedule with a five-game set against Japan (July 16-21) with all five games played in a different location around Japan.
Through The Years: Razorbacks On Team USA
RHP Darrell Ackerfelds (1984)
INF Jeff King (1985)
RHP Doug Bennett (1990)
RHP Philip Stidham (1990)
RHP Nick Schmidt (2006)
INF Logan Forsythe (2007)
INF Andy Wilkins (2009)
RHP D.J. Baxendale (2011)
INF Dominic Ficociello (2011)
INF Matt Reynolds (2011)
RHP Ryne Stanek (2011, 2012)
RHP Trey Killian (2014)
RHP Zach Jackson (2015)
C Grant Koch (2017)
OF Dominic Fletcher (2018)
LHP Matt Cronin (2018)
Other Razorbacks Across The Summer Leagues
| Name | Position | League | Team | ||||
| Will Barker | RHP | Collegiate League of the Palm Beaches | Jupiter Wave | ||||
| Coby Boulware | INF | Cape Cod | Brewster Whitecaps | ||||
| Jacob Burton | RHP | California Collegiate | Santa Barbara Foresters | ||||
| Caleb Denny | INF | California Collegiate | Orange County Riptide | ||||
| Marshall Denton | RHP | California Collegiate | Conejo Oaks | ||||
| Christian Franklin | OF | California Collegiate | Santa Barbara Foresters | ||||
| Matt Goodheart | INF/OF | Cape Cod | Orleans Firebirds | ||||
| Zack Gregory | INF | Northwoods | Bismarck Larks | ||||
| Trey Harris | OF | Northwoods | La Crosse Loggers | ||||
| Liam Henry | LHP | Alaska Baseball League | Anchorage Bucs | ||||
| Heston Kjerstad | OF | Cape Cod | Bourne Braves/Team USA | ||||
| Casey Martin | INF | Cape Cod | Bourne Braves/Team USA | ||||
| Caden Monke | LHP | California Collegiate | Santa Barbara Foresters | ||||
| Casey Opitz | C | Cape Cod | Cotuit Kettleers/Team USA | ||||
| Kole Ramage | RHP | Cape Cod | Cotuit Kettleers | ||||
| Steven Sanchez | LHP | Prospect League | Cape Catfish | ||||
| Carter Sells | RHP | Prospect League | Cape Catfish | ||||
| Andrew Stanley | C | Kansas Collegiate | Dodge City A’s | ||||
| Collin Taylor | RHP | Prospect League | Cape Catfish | ||||
| Evan Taylor | LHP | Alaska Baseball League | Anchorage Bucs | ||||
| Elijah Trest | RHP | California Collegiate | Santa Barbara Foresters | ||||
| Zebulon Vermillion | RHP | Cape Cod | Orleans Firebirds | ||||
| Curtis Washington, Jr. | OF/INF | Prospect League | Cape Catfish |










