Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn after the 14-4 blowout over the Tigers on pitcher Isaiah Campbell’s rocky start, then settling down, strong hitting.
Moore in second place as Razorbacks advance on first day of SEC meet
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas got going on the opening day of the 2019 SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with the decathlon and preliminary action in select running events Thursday afternoon at John McDonnell Field.
In one of the two scoring opportunities for Arkansas Thursday night, the Razorbacks collected 22-points in the 10,000-meter final with Gilbert Boit (29:31.17) taking runner-up honors followed by Matt Young (29:32.90) in third, Austen Dalquist in fourth and Preston Cates in sixth (29:57.09).
Gabe Moore got Arkansas off to a strong start as the senior in the decathlon opening with a run of 10.71 in the 100-meters, a season-best performance.
In the long jump, Moore leaped out to a mark of 7.16m (23-6) and followed that event with a throw of 14.10m (46-3.25) in the shot put. The high jump saw Moore clear 1.91m (6-3.25) to bring him to the final event of the day, the 400-meters.
The one lap sprint took Moore 50.10 seconds, leaving him with a day one total of 4,045 points. Moore is currently in second-place through five events.
Freshman Daniel Spejcher is currently in seventh-place of the decathlon after recording marks of 11.10 in the 100-meters PR, 6.47m (21-2.75) in the long jump PR, 12.81m (42-0.50) in the shot put, 1.76m (5-9.25) in the high jump, and a run of 59.48 in the 400-meters for a day one total of 3,209-pts.
Spejcher’s marks in the 100-meters and long jump were personal-bests.
Erich Sullins advanced to the final of the hammer throw before turning in a ninth-place finish in the event. Sullins, a senior from Arlington, Texas, made the SEC final with a throw of 65.43 (214-8) on his third attempt.
In the final, Sullins improved his mark to 66.07m (216-9) that would prove to be his best at the meet.
Kieran Taylor ran 1:49.89q in the prelims of the 800-meters to punch his ticket to the final with the seventh-fastest time on the day. Chase Pareti finished 13th with a time of 1:52.41.
True-Freshman Rashad Boyd narrowly missed the final of the 200-meter prelims despite running a collegiate PR of 20.93. Boyd finished 10th-overall missing the final by four one-hundredths of a second (.04).
Arkansas’ season-leader in the 400-meter hurdles, Travean Caldwell wrapped up the preliminary round in the event with a time of 51.02q that was the sixth-fastest on the night. Nick Hilson was the first one out, finishing 10th in the prelims running 51.45.
The Razorbacks are currently in second place with 22-points through three events.
| PLACE | MEN [3 out of 21 scored] | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Miss State | 24 |
| 2 |  |
Arkansas | 22 |
| 3 |  |
Florida | 20 |
| 4 |  |
Alabama | 15 |
| 5 |  |
Texas A&M | 10 |
| 6 |  |
Georgia | 8 |
| 7 |  |
LSU | 5 |
| 8 |  |
Kentucky | 4 |
| 8 |  |
Ole Miss | 4 |
| 10 |  |
Tennessee | 3 |
| 11 |  |
Auburn | 2 |
| – |  |
Missouri | 0 |
| – |  |
South Carolina | 0 |
Brown, Chadwick advance to SEC finals in 200 meters for Razorbacks
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas backed up its NCAA-leading rank with a strong showing on the opening day of the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at John McDonnell Field on Thursday night.
Janeek Brown and Payton Chadwick provided the highlights for Arkansas in the prelims of the 200-meters as the dynamic duo punched their tickets to the final running 22.96 and 23.11, respectively.
Brown, who has recorded the SEC’s fastest-time this season at 22.67, flat out ran away from the competition in heat three to win by over half a second (0.57).
Chadwick finished third in her heat crossing the line a mere nineteen one-hundredths (.19) of a second off the heat leader Kianna Gray of Kentucky (22.92Q).
In the prelims of the 800 meters, Alex Byrnes battled to a 16th-place finish running 2:12.81 in the two-lap race.
J’Alyiea Smith was the first one out in the prelims of the 400-meter hurdles, taking 10th in the event with a time of 1:00.74, missing out on advancing by a little over half a second (0.55).
Arkansas returns to action tomorrow with competition getting underway starting at 4:30 p.m. with the women’s long jump.
Team scores through two scored events
| PLACE | WOMEN [2 out of 21 scored] | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
Auburn | 16 |
| 2 | |
Florida | 11 |
| 2 | |
Missouri | 11 |
| 4 | |
Ole Miss | 10 |
| 4 | |
Texas A&M | 10 |
| 6 | |
Georgia | 6 |
| 7 | |
Miss State | 5 |
| 7 | |
South Carolina | 5 |
| 9 | |
Alabama | 4 |
| – | |
Kentucky | 0 |
| – | |
LSU | 0 |
| – | |
Tennessee | 0 |
| – |  |
Vanderbilt | 0 |
???? Thursday Halftime Pod — featuring Halftime Homework
Phil & Tye hit on Arkansas biggest rival in the three major sports, plus Halftime Homework!
No tickets left for Saturday’s final game of series with Tigers
FAYETTEVILLE — As the three-game series between fourth-ranked Arkansas and 15th-ranked LSU gets set to begin tonight, fans should be aware that advance tickets for Saturday’s series finale are officially sold out.
Available general admission tickets still remain for games Thursday and Friday. Fans are encouraged to contact the Razorback Ticket Office to purchase tickets for those games.
However, tickets can no longer be purchased in advance of Saturday’s game.
An additional allotment of general admission tickets for Saturday’s game may be made available Saturday morning, but fans will not be able to purchase those tickets until the day of the final game of the series, if available.
Arkansas and LSU will begin their three-game series on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and it will be televised on ESPNU.
Game two will also be at 6:30 p.m. and televised on SEC Network+. Game three has first pitch set for 1 p.m. and broadcasted on ESPN2.
Arkansas falls in first round of SEC Tournament to Georgia, 4-1
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Arkansas fell in round one of the SEC Tournament on Thursday morning, dropping a 4-1 decision to eighth-seeded Georgia.
Senior Ashley Diaz took the game into her own hands in the third inning after Georgia pulled ahead, 1-0 with an RBI single for Georgia’s Savanna Sikes, sending her 10th home run over the center-field wall to tie the ball game at one-run each.
Arkansas (38-18, 12-12) couldn’t hold on to the tie as the Bulldogs scored two in the bottom of the inning with another RBI single and a sacrifice fly.
Georgia extended its lead for the final time in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore catcher Kayla Green was able to catch the runner from first trying to take second, but a Bulldog on third took advantage of the rundown and scored on the play.
Sophomore Mary Haff entered in relief for the Hogs in the third inning, striking out three and giving up only two hits during her time in the circle.
Junior Autumn Storms recorded the start and the loss for Arkansas, pitching the first two and a thirds innings and giving up two earned runs on five hits.
The Razorbacks return to Fayetteville and turn their attention to Selection Sunday.
The 2019 NCAA Division I Softball Championship bracket will be announced at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. Sixteen teams will be seeded as the top team in the field and will be placed at the 16 regional sites.
Hogs start fast on front nine, qualify for NCAA Championships at Blessings
CLE ELUM, Wash. — A fast start on the front nine holes helped Arkansas women’s golf team advance to the NCAA Championship at Blessings Golf Club next week.
Arkansas opened the day in fourth place but nine birdies in the opening holes gave the Razorbacks a cushion heading into the final stretch at Tumble Creek Club.
They battled through some tough holes after the turn to remain in fourth place and move on.
The finish moves Arkansas out of the 2019 NCAA Washington Regional sending the Razorbacks home where they host the NCAA Championship next week.
Individually, senior Maria Fassi paced the team with a tied for fifth finish that included rounds of 69-72-69—210 (-6). Senior Kaylee Benton finished tied for 17th, shooting 70-75-73—218 followed by freshman Brooke Matthews who was tied for 22nd, shooting 75-74-70—219.
Freshman Ximena Gonzalez was steady throughout the event and finished tied for 40th with 73-75-74—222 followed by senior Dylan Kim who was tied for 82nd, shooting 80-82-75—237.
The Razorbacks finished the day shooting 286 for a 5-over 287-296-286—869.
The Lineup
| T5 | Maria Fassi (1) | 69-72-69=210 |
| T17 | Kaylee Benton (2) | 70-75-73=218 |
| T22 | Brooke Matthews (4) | 75-74-70=219 |
| T40 | Ximena Gonzalez (5) | 73-75-74=222 |
| T82 | Dylan Kim (3) | 80-82-75=237 |
Arkansas At The NCAA Championship
Number of Team Appearances: 9 (2018, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011,2008, 2006, 2005)
Individual at NCAA Championship: 2
2007 Stacy Lewis
2017 Cara Gorlei
NCAA Championships: 1 (Stacy Lewis, 2007)
Best Team Finish: T5 2011
Best Individual Finish: 1st Stacy Lewis, 2007
2nd Kelli Shean, 2011
T2nd Gabriela Lopez, 2015
The six teams from the 2019 Washington NCAA Regional who are moving on include: No. 1 Southern California, No. 19 Washington, No. 16 Northwestern, No. 8 Arkansas, No. 29 San Jose State and No. 49 UCF.
NCAA Golf Championships
Arkansas and Blessings Golf Club are the proud hosts of the 2019 NCAA Women’s and Men’s National Championships.
Admission and parking for the entire two weeks has been underwritten courtesy of Tyson Foods and the Tyson Family Foundation.
The women’s event begins May 17 and is immediately followed by the men’s championship beginning May 24.
For more information or to volunteer for the event, log on to www.NCAAGolf19.com.
A Good Front 9
Arkansas had a total of six birdies on the front nine in the first two rounds of competition. On Wednesday, the Razorbacks turned with nine birdies giving themselves a cushion before heading to the very scoreable back nine.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Thursday
John & Tommy discuss Dickson Street escapades, DVH vs LSU, Richard Davenport, and more!
Hogs being two games up in West with six to go only interests fans
Dave Van Horn knows what the standings at this point in the season are … whether he wants to admit or not.
But he’s not sharing that with any players.
“We’re not even looking at that,” he said Wednesday in advance of the final home series against LSU. “We just want to play well Thursday and then go from there.”
First pitch Thursday is at 6:30 p.m. and you can listen on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
The last time the Razorbacks took a series from the Tigers was 2011. Since then, the record is 22-6 and that’s counting seven meetings in the SEC Tournament.
Fans get worked up over it. Just mention LSU to some of them and watch their face change color, often to Razorback Red.
Van Horn publicly just shrugs it off.
“Those are really things I can’t control,” he said. “It’s more for the fans, to be honest with you.”
Arkansas is sitting one game behind Vanderbilt for the overall regular-season league crown and two games up on both Mississippi schools with LSU in fourth, three games back.
“I haven’t talked to our team about it one time this year, not one time,” Van Horn said.
It’s amazing how many of the great coaches never mention the standings, even at the major league level. Oh, they know and they figure their players know.
They just try to keep the focus narrow and more on what each player is doing rather than sitting back looking at the big picture.
“The only thing I’ve ever talked about is ‘we’ve got a couple of weeks left of the season and we’ll be at the tournament.’” he said. “Other than that, not what we’ve got to do, who we’ve got to beat, who’s gotta do what. We’re not even looking at that.”
LSU has done some big things this year with two outs and that’s something Van Horn is very aware of.
“The game’s not over ’till that last out,” he said. “If any team should know it’s us.”
Razorback fans don’t need the painful details of THAT detailed for them. It’s a painful memory.
What this team has accomplished is surprising to some, mainly because of the players who left for pro ball or flat ran out of eligibility.
“They’ve really come a long way,” Van Horn said about this team. “They wanted to write their own legacy, so to speak. They wanted to show that last year’s team was good, but they can do it as well.
“It’s been a really fun team to be around.”
Now they just have to close things out, starting with LSU this weekend and it’s a big series for the fans, at least.
“I don’t feel like we look at this series much different than any other,” Van Horn said and he’s probably not stretching anything there.
He’ll let the fans worry about hosting a Super Regional, which is the hot topic lately. That’s making a lot of assumptions with six regular-season games left (they go on the road to Texas A&M next week) and all the tournament stuff.
Van Horn knows how big this weekend is.
“They’ve had our number,” he said about the Tigers.
He’s also pretty sure his players know it, too. If they didn’t there were several questions from the media Wednesday pointing it out.
“We’re just focused on LSU,” Thursday starter Isaiah Campbell said. “We’re focused on getting a win tomorrow then on Friday and the next day.”
Which is kinda the way Van Horn wants them all thinking.
Follow live
You can hear all of the games with Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes prior to first pitch.
This weekend’s series will be televised in front of a national audience on Thursday and Saturday. Game one will be featured on ESPNU, while game three will be on ESPN2.
Tom Hart, Kyle Peterson and Eduardo Perez will call the series opener, while Hart and Peterson will return for the finale.
The middle game will be online only via SEC Network+ with Brett Dolan and Troy Eklund calling the game.
Razorback notes
• Arkansas is coming off its third-straight SEC series victory after taking two of three games at Kentucky last week. It’s loss to the Wildcats on Sunday snapped a nine-game conference winning streak, its longest since 2010.
• The Razorbacks currently sit at the top of the SEC Western Division with a two-game lead over Ole Miss and Mississippi State. At 17-7, the Hogs need two more wins to tie for the most conference wins under Dave Van Horn and five to tie the school record (1999).
• Redshirt junior Isaiah Campbell will take the mound on Thursday night for his 13th start of the year. At 8-1, Campbell is the SEC leader in innings pitched (78.0) and has worked six or more innings nine of his last 10 starts with nine quality outings.
• Lead-off batter Trevor Ezell hit .533 over four games last week, with five of his eight hits going for extra-bases. Ezell has seen his average rise 29 points since taking over the lead-off spot (April 2) and is hitting .381 since then.
• Coach Dave Van Horn earned his 1,000th Division I win last week after defeating Kentucky, 9-1, in the first game of their doubleheader. Van Horn is the ninth active head coach in the country with 1,000 or more wins at the DI level.
• Casey Martin and Dominic Fletcher lead the SEC in doubles heading into Thursday’s game with LSU. The duo each have one double in the last four games and have combined for 12 in SEC play.
• Casey Martin hit his third inside-the-park home run of the year last week in the series opener against Kentucky and second of the week. Martin is hitting .302 for the year with 11 home runs, which is the second-most home runs on the team.
• Catcher Casey Opitz was a baserunners worst nightmare last week as he caught five would-be base stealers, all against Kentucky. Opitz has 18 caught stolen bases this year, which leads the SEC.
Notes from Razorback Sports Communications
Top-ranked Hogs set to host SEC outdoor championships starting Thursday
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas hosts the 2019 SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at John McDonnell Field, starting today. The meet will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.
In the most recent USTFCCCA NCAA National Rankings, eight SEC programs were among the top-25 best teams in the country led by No. 1 Arkansas.
Following the Razorbacks are No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Alabama, No. 10 Florida, No. 19 Georgia, and No. 25 South Carolina.
The Razorbacks enters the meet as the reigning SEC indoor champion while Florida enters as the reigning SEC outdoor champion. Arkansas is the reigning indoor champion while Georgia is the national runner-up from last year’s NCAA outdoor meet.
The women’s track & field team is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and boast 15 performances in the Top 20 of the NCAA with seven of those falling inside the Top 10 including Janeek Brown’s NCAA-leading 12.57 in the 100-meter hurdles that is currently No. 1 in the world.
The final day of the championships will be televised live on the SEC network beginning at 5:05 p.m. on Saturday.
Fans will be able to live stream Thursday and Friday’s action on the SEC Network plus. The broadcast talent includes Dwight Stones, Larra Overton, Jill Montgomery, and John Anderson.
Arkansas has captured seven SEC Outdoor Team Championships in program history with the most recent being from the 2017 season.
Arkansas has captured 14 of the last 15 SEC Championships between cross country/indoor track/outdoor track dating back to 2014.
SEC men’s outdoor championship gets underway today as Hogs part of strong field
FAYETTEVILLE — The best of the best in collegiate track and field are coming to Fayetteville, starting today, as Arkansas hosts the 2019 SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at John McDonnell Field.
The meet will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.
In the most recent USTFCCCA NCAA National Rankings, eight SEC programs were among the top-25 best teams in the country led by No. 2 LSU.
Following the Tigers are No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 10 Alabama, No. 13 Mississippi State, No. 15 Georgia, No. 17 South Carolina, and No. 20 Arkansas.
Florida enters the meet as the reigning SEC indoor champion and the reigning SEC outdoor champion as well as the reigning NCAA indoor champion while Georgia is the reigning NCAA outdoor champion.
The men’s track & field team is currently ranked No. 20 in the nation, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and boast seven performances in the Top-20 of the NCAA with three of those falling inside the Top-10.
The final day of the championships will be televised live on the SEC network beginning at 5:05 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 11.
Fans will be able to live stream Thursday and Friday’s action on the SEC Network plus. The broadcast talent includes Dwight Stones, Larra Overton, Jill Montgomery and John Anderson.
Arkansas has captured 19 SEC Outdoor Team Championships in program history with the most recent being from the 2016 season.
