John & Tommy discuss baseball players choosing college over the minors, Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball and more!
Former Razorback Hastings selected to Kansas Sports Hall of Fame
FAYETTEVILLE — The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame announced former Razorback Scott Hastings as part of the Class of 2019 who will be inducted on October 6 at the Kansas Star Casino.
The KSHOF Class of 2019 consists of 13 members, including Tammy Thomas Ammons, Gene Bissell, Bob Chipman, Nick Collison, Lauren Goehring Cost, Hastings, Warren Jabali, Tom Meier, Mike Pelfrey, Nate Robertson, Fred Slaughter, Roy Turner and Kamerion Wimbley.
Hastings was an All-State basketball selection while leading Independence High School to a state championship in 1978.
He was additionally tabbed the Topeka Capital-Journal High School Player of the Year in 1978.
He was a four-year letterman at the University of Arkansas, playing for KSHOF member Eddie Sutton.
Hastings finished his Arkansas career second in school history in scoring with 1,779 points (currently fourth) and third in rebounds with 680 (currently eighth). He was an All-American selection in 1981 and 1982 as well as a three-time All-Southwest Conference selection.
Hastings was selected by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 1982 NBA Draft and he played 11 NBA seasons. He was a member of the Detroit Pistons’ 1990 NBA Championship team.
Hastings is a member of the University of Arkansas Hall of Honor in 2005 and the state of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
Red-hot Campbell can set tone for Hogs against Rebels on Saturday
Ole Miss has beaten Arkansas three out of five times this season, including two games at Baum-Walker Stadium.
However, the Rebels are 0-1 against Hogs ace Isaiah Campbell.
How Ole Miss handles one of the nation’s hottest pitchers in the opening game of the super regional Saturday morning will have a big impact on which SEC team advances to Omaha.
Campbell is fresh off an eight-inning outing where he held TCU to four hits with just one walk and 8 strikeouts in a 3-1 win over the Horned Frogs in the regional semifinal. Campbell, a redshirt junior, is 11-1 with a 2.77 ERA.
While he showed flashes of brilliance last season, he was inconsistent. An offseason filled with hard work has transformed Campbell into an All-American. He also wildly improved his MLB Draft stock as the Seattle Mariners picked him late in the second round Monday night.
It goes without saying that whoever wins the opening game has a leg up. It’s an even bigger advantage for Arkansas since it is the host.
If Arkansas has a 1-0 lead going into Sunday’s game, the environment will be even more hostile.
Arkansas has a better starting rotation than Ole Miss, but if the Rebels get a win against Campbell, they get to face freshman Connor Noland, who has never pitched in a super regional. All of a sudden, there’d be a ton of pressure on the pitcher/quarterback.
has to feel much better running Campbell on the home hill than the Rebels starting Will Ethridge. A dominant pitcher(s) most always make a difference in a post season series, especially in the opener.
The last time Ole Miss saw Campbell was in a 5-3 loss March 29. Campbell gave up just four hits in seven innings of work.
On that night, reliever Jacob Kostyshock came on to pitch in the eighth but recorded just one out and star closer Matt Cronin got the final two outs of that inning and closed out the ninth.
Van Horn would take a similar performance Saturday. Last week the Horned Frogs went from seeing Campbell for eight innings to Cronin for one – downright filthy.
Ole Miss knows it has to get Campbell out of the game early.
While they didn’t do a good job of that in the first encounter, they are swinging hot bats. Ole Miss combined for 41 runs in three wins against Jacksonville State and Clemson in the Oxford Regional last weekend.
Arkansas had a tougher road last weekend, and its bats came back to life after a short reprieve at College Station and Hoover.
The Hogs need to jump on Ole Miss’s modest starting pitching and get the crowd in the game and increase the confidence for Campbell and the other hurlers.
The Razorbacks have scored 20 runs in five games against Ole Miss. They know they need to do better this weekend and not let Ole Miss’s bullpen take over with the lead.
If Ole Miss can beat Campbell, it will have a good chance of winning the series.
If not, they could be returning to Oxford Sunday night. This will be one of the more interesting super regionals in the country with one of the more intriguing openers.
SEC announces postseason bowl lineup through 2025 season
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The SEC has added agreements with the Las Vegas Bowl and the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, starting with the 2020 postseason, according to an announcement Tuesday.
The new agreements are for six seasons, through the 2025 year.
The 10 bowls are in addition to bowl games in the College Football Playoff system for which SEC teams are eligible to qualify. Also, the SEC participates in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in years it is not a CFP semifinal game and the Capital One Orange Bowl in selected years.
The SEC has extended its current agreements through 2025 with the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, the Outback Bowl in Tampa, the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl in Nashville, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl in Houston, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis and the Birmingham Bowl.
In addition, the SEC will continue its relationship with the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, participating in that bowl game in 2021, 2023 and 2025.
For the remaining three years of the six-year cycle, SEC teams will participate in the Las Vegas Bowl against a Pac-12 opponent in 2020, 2022 and 2024. The SEC has also added a new bowl partnership with the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa through 2025.
The SEC will maintain its current bowl selection process in which the Citrus Bowl has the first selection of available SEC teams after any conference schools have qualified for the College Football Playoff, the Allstate Sugar Bowl or the Capital One Orange Bowl, after which the SEC assigns teams to a Pool of Six bowls.
The SEC Pool of Six consists of the Outback Bowl, Gator Bowl, Music City Bowl, Texas Bowl and Liberty Bowl, as well as the Las Vegas Bowl in 2020, 2022 and 2024, and the Belk Bowl in 2021, 2023 and 2025.
In consultation with SEC member institutions, as well as these six bowls, the conference will make assignments for the bowl games in the pool system.
After the Pool of Six selection process is complete, the Birmingham Bowl and Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl will collaborate on the selection of remaining eligible teams each year.
The current SEC bowl selection process coincided with the beginning of the new College Football Playoff that followed the 2014 college football season.
Other opponents in SEC bowl games will be announced separately.
SEC BOWLS AND SELECTION PROCESS (2020-2025)
Citrus Bowl (Orlando) — first selection after CFP selection process
SEC POOL OF SIX BOWLS:
After the Citrus Bowl selects a team, the Conference, in consultation with the institutions and the bowls, will make assignments for bowl games in the SEC Pool of Six from all eligible SEC teams.
• Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (Houston)
• AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Memphis)
• Belk Bowl (Charlotte) (2021, 2023, 2025)
• Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl (Nashville)
• Las Vegas (Las Vegas) vs. Pac-12 (2020, 2022, 2024)
• TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Jacksonville)
• Outback Bowl (Tampa)
BOWLS SELECTIONS FOLLOWING THE POOL OF SIX:
The Birmingham Bowl and Gasparilla Bowl will collaborate on the selection of teams for these games.
• Birmingham Bowl (Birmingham)
• Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa)
???? Tuesday Halftime Pod — Featuring Carson Shaddy
Phil & Tye hit on fans being ticked about the game times, interview Carson Shaddy, and more!
No. 1 Hogs heading to Austin for NCAA Championships this weekend
FAYETTEVILLE — No. 1 Arkansas embarks on its final challenge of the season, matching their talents against the best programs and individuals in the country at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships on the campus of the University of Texas.
The ESPN family of networks will again broadcast all parts of the competition and ceremonies for all four days of competition. All field events will have online broadcasts via ESPN3.
The full schedule and direct links to the event are available here.
Arkansas enters the meet as the reigning indoor champions having captured the third NCAA Championship in program history as well as Lexi Jacobus earning her fourth-career individual title in the pole vault.
Triple-Crown Champions of the Southeastern Conference, the Razorbacks qualified an NCAA-leading 17 entries to the meet fielding at least one athlete in 12 of the 21 events that are slated to be scored.
Arkansas Qualifiers
4×100-meters – Parker, Chadwick, Brown, Campbell
1,500-meters – Carina Viljoen
3k-steeple – Devin Clark
100-meter hurdles – Janeek Brown, Payton Chadwick
100-meters – Kiara Parker
400-meters – Kethlin Campbell
200-meters – Janeek Brown, Payton Chadwick
5,000-meters – Devin Clark, Taylor Werner
10,000-meters – Taylor Werner
4×400-meters – Peoples, Parker, Burks-Magee, Campbell
Pole Vault – Lexi Jacobus, Tori Hoggard, Desiree Freier
Long Jump – G’Auna Edwards
Throughout the 2019 outdoor season, 18 all-time top-10 marks have been set with two of those performances coming in as new school records (100mH, 4×100-meter relay).
Arkansas enters the NCAA meet with 10 top-10 athletes across eight events with Janeek Brown’s 100-meter hurdle time leading the way as the top time in the country this season in a blistering 12.55 seconds.
2019 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS [All times Central]
Wednesday, June 5
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:32 p.m. | 4×100-Meter Relay | Semifinal | Men |
| 6:46 p.m. | 1,500 Meters | Semifinal | Men |
| 7:02 p.m. | 3,000-Meter Steeplechase | Semifinal | Men |
| 7:32 p.m. | 110-Meter Hurdles | Semifinal | Men |
| 7:46 p.m. | 100 Meters | Semifinal | Men |
| 8 p.m. | 400 Meters | Semifinal | Men |
| 8:14 p.m. | 800 Meters | Semifinal | Men |
| 8:30 p.m. | 400-Meter Hurdles | Semifinal | Men |
| 8:44 p.m. | 200 Meters | Semifinal | Men |
| 8:56 p.m. | 400 Meters | Decathlon | Men |
| 9:08 p.m. | 10,000 Meters | Final | Men |
| 9:48 p.m. | 4×400-Meter Relay | Semifinal | Men |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 p.m. | Hammer Throw | Final | Men |
| 6:30 p.m. | Pole Vault | Final | Men |
| 6:45 p.m. | Javelin Throw | Final | Men |
| 8 p.m. | Long Jump | Final | Men |
| 8:40 p.m. | Shot Put | Final | Men |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:30 p.m. | 100 Meters | Decathlon | Men |
| 3:10 p.m. | Long Jump | Decathlon | Men |
| 4:25 p.m. | Shot Put | Decathlon | Men |
| 5:40 p.m. | High Jump | Decathlon | Men |
| 8:56 p.m. | 400 Meters | Decathlon | Men |
Thursday, June 6
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:02 p.m. | 4×100-Meter Relay | Semifinal | Women |
| 7:16 p.m. | 1,500 Meters | Semifinal | Women |
| 7:32 p.m. | 3,000-Meter Steeplechase | Semifinal | Women |
| 8:02 p.m. | 100-Meter Hurdles | Semifinal | Women |
| 8:16 p.m. | 100 Meters | Semifinal | Women |
| 8:30 p.m. | 400 Meters | Semifinal | Women |
| 8:44 p.m. | 800 Meters | Semifinal | Women |
| 9 p.m. | 400-Meter Hurdles | Semifinal | Women |
| 9:14 p.m. | 200 Meters | Semifinal | Women |
| 9:26 p.m. | 1,500 Meters | Decathlon | Men |
| 9:38 p.m. | 10,000 Meters | Final | Women |
| 10:18 p.m. | 4×400-Meter Relay | Semifinal | Women |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:30 p.m. | Hammer Throw | Final | Women |
| 7:30 p.m. | Pole Vault | Final | Women |
| 8:15 p.m. | Javelin Throw | Final | Women |
| 8:30 p.m. | Long Jump | Final | Women |
| 9:10 p.m. | Shot Put | Final | Women |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 p.m. | 110-Meter Hurdles | Decathlon | Men |
| 1:50 p.m. | Discus Throw | Decathlon | Men |
| 3 p.m. | Pole Vault | Decathlon | Men |
| 5:30 p.m. | Javelin Throw | Decathlon | Men |
| 9:26 p.m. | 1,500 Meters | Decathlon | Men |
Friday, June 7
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:32 p.m. | 4×100-Meter Relay | Final | Men |
| 7:41 p.m. | 1,500 Meters | Final | Men |
| 7:54 p.m. | 3,000-Meter Steeplechase | Final | Men |
| 8:12 p.m. | 100-Meter Hurdles | Final | Men |
| 8:22 p.m. | 100 Meters | Final | Men |
| 8:32 p.m. | 400 Meters | Final | Men |
| 8:44 p.m. | 800 Meters | Final | Men |
| 8:57 p.m. | 400-Meter Hurdles | Final | Men |
| 9:07 p.m. | 200 Meters | Final | Men |
| 9:13 p.m. | 200 Meters | Heptathlon | Women |
| 9:25 p.m. | 5,000 Meters | Final | Men |
| 9:51 p.m. | 4×400-Meter Relay | Final | Men |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | High Jump | Final | Men |
| 7:05 p.m. | Discus Throw | Final | Men |
| 7:40 p.m. | Triple Jump | Final | Men |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:30 p.m. | 100-Meter Hurdles | Heptathlon | Women |
| 3:30 p.m. | High Jump | Heptathlon | Women |
| 5:30 p.m. | Shot Put | Heptathlon | Women |
| 9:13 p.m. | 200 Meters | Heptathlon | Women |
Saturday, June 8
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:32 p.m. | 4×100-Meter Relay | Final | Women |
| 5:41 p.m. | 1,500 Meters | Final | Women |
| 5:54 p.m. | 3,000-Meter Steeplechase | Final | Women |
| 6:12 p.m. | 100-Meter Hurdles | Final | Women |
| 6:22 p.m. | 100 Meters | Final | Women |
| 6:32 p.m. | 400 Meters | Final | Women |
| 6:44 p.m. | 800 Meters | Final | Women |
| 6:57 p.m. | 400-Meter Hurdles | Final | Women |
| 7:07 p.m. | 200 Meters | Final | Women |
| 7:13 p.m. | 800 Meters | Heptathlon | Women |
| 7:25 p.m. | 5,000 Meters | Final | Women |
| 7:51 p.m. | 4×400-Meter Relay | Final | Women |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 p.m. | High Jump | Final | Women |
| 5:05 p.m. | Discus Throw | Final | Women |
| 5:40 p.m. | Triple Jump | Final | Women |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:30 p.m. | Long Jump | Heptathlon | Women |
| 2:45 p.m. | Javelin Throw | Heptathlon | Women |
| 7:13 p.m. | 800 Meters | Heptathlon | Women |
Razorbacks head to Austin for NCAA Championships this weekend
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas embarks on the final challenge of the season, matching their talents against the best programs and individuals in the country at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships on the campus of the University of Texas.
The ESPN family of networks will again broadcast all parts of the competition and ceremonies for all four days of competition. All field events will have online broadcasts via ESPN3.
The full schedule and direct links to the event are available here.
The Razorbacks qualified 11 entries to the meet fielding at least one athlete in nine of the 21 events that are slated to be scored.
Arkansas Qualifiers
4×100-meters – Oglesby, Boyd, Hari, Ejiakuekwu
1,500-meters – Cameron Griffith
100-meters – Kris Hair, Roy Ejiakuekwu
400-meter hurdles – Travean Caldwell, Nick Hilson
200-meters – Rashad Boyd
10,000-meters – Gilbert Boit
4×400-meters – Winn, Woodhall, Caldwell, Schwartz
Hammer Throw – Erich Sullins
Decathlon – Gabe Moore
Throughout the 2019 outdoor season, seven all-time top-10 marks have been set with one of those performances coming in as a new school record (hammer throw). Arkansas enters the NCAA meet with four top-10 athletes across four events with Gilbert Boit’s season-best of 28:25.15 leading the way as the No. 8 performance this season.
2019 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS [All times Central]
Wednesday, June 5
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:32 p.m. | 4×100-Meter Relay | Semifinal | Men |
| 6:46 p.m. | 1,500 Meters | Semifinal | Men |
| 7:02 p.m. | 3,000-Meter Steeplechase | Semifinal | Men |
| 7:32 p.m. | 110-Meter Hurdles | Semifinal | Men |
| 7:46 p.m. | 100 Meters | Semifinal | Men |
| 8 p.m. | 400 Meters | Semifinal | Men |
| 8:14 p.m. | 800 Meters | Semifinal | Men |
| 8:30 p.m. | 400-Meter Hurdles | Semifinal | Men |
| 8:44 p.m. | 200 Meters | Semifinal | Men |
| 8:56 p.m. | 400 Meters | Decathlon | Men |
| 9:08 p.m. | 10,000 Meters | Final | Men |
| 9:48 p.m. | 4×400-Meter Relay | Semifinal | Men |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 p.m. | Hammer Throw | Final | Men |
| 6:30 p.m. | Pole Vault | Final | Men |
| 6:45 p.m. | Javelin Throw | Final | Men |
| 8 p.m. | Long Jump | Final | Men |
| 8:40 p.m. | Shot Put | Final | Men |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:30 p.m. | 100 Meters | Decathlon | Men |
| 3:10 p.m. | Long Jump | Decathlon | Men |
| 4:25 p.m. | Shot Put | Decathlon | Men |
| 5:40 p.m. | High Jump | Decathlon | Men |
| 8:56 p.m. | 400 Meters | Decathlon | Men |
Thursday, June 6
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:02 p.m. | 4×100-Meter Relay | Semifinal | Women |
| 7:16 p.m. | 1,500 Meters | Semifinal | Women |
| 7:32 p.m. | 3,000-Meter Steeplechase | Semifinal | Women |
| 8:02 p.m. | 100-Meter Hurdles | Semifinal | Women |
| 8:16 p.m. | 100 Meters | Semifinal | Women |
| 8:30 p.m. | 400 Meters | Semifinal | Women |
| 8:44 p.m. | 800 Meters | Semifinal | Women |
| 9 p.m. | 400-Meter Hurdles | Semifinal | Women |
| 9:14 p.m. | 200 Meters | Semifinal | Women |
| 9:26 p.m. | 1,500 Meters | Decathlon | Men |
| 9:38 p.m. | 10,000 Meters | Final | Women |
| 10:18 p.m. | 4×400-Meter Relay | Semifinal | Women |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:30 p.m. | Hammer Throw | Final | Women |
| 7:30 p.m. | Pole Vault | Final | Women |
| 8:15 p.m. | Javelin Throw | Final | Women |
| 8:30 p.m. | Long Jump | Final | Women |
| 9:10 p.m. | Shot Put | Final | Women |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 p.m. | 110-Meter Hurdles | Decathlon | Men |
| 1:50 p.m. | Discus Throw | Decathlon | Men |
| 3 p.m. | Pole Vault | Decathlon | Men |
| 5:30 p.m. | Javelin Throw | Decathlon | Men |
| 9:26 p.m. | 1,500 Meters | Decathlon | Men |
Friday, June 7
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:32 p.m. | 4×100-Meter Relay | Final | Men |
| 7:41 p.m. | 1,500 Meters | Final | Men |
| 7:54 p.m. | 3,000-Meter Steeplechase | Final | Men |
| 8:12 p.m. | 100-Meter Hurdles | Final | Men |
| 8:22 p.m. | 100 Meters | Final | Men |
| 8:32 p.m. | 400 Meters | Final | Men |
| 8:44 p.m. | 800 Meters | Final | Men |
| 8:57 p.m. | 400-Meter Hurdles | Final | Men |
| 9:07 p.m. | 200 Meters | Final | Men |
| 9:13 p.m. | 200 Meters | Heptathlon | Women |
| 9:25 p.m. | 5,000 Meters | Final | Men |
| 9:51 p.m. | 4×400-Meter Relay | Final | Men |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | High Jump | Final | Men |
| 7:05 p.m. | Discus Throw | Final | Men |
| 7:40 p.m. | Triple Jump | Final | Men |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:30 p.m. | 100-Meter Hurdles | Heptathlon | Women |
| 3:30 p.m. | High Jump | Heptathlon | Women |
| 5:30 p.m. | Shot Put | Heptathlon | Women |
| 9:13 p.m. | 200 Meters | Heptathlon | Women |
Saturday, June 8
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:32 p.m. | 4×100-Meter Relay | Final | Women |
| 5:41 p.m. | 1,500 Meters | Final | Women |
| 5:54 p.m. | 3,000-Meter Steeplechase | Final | Women |
| 6:12 p.m. | 100-Meter Hurdles | Final | Women |
| 6:22 p.m. | 100 Meters | Final | Women |
| 6:32 p.m. | 400 Meters | Final | Women |
| 6:44 p.m. | 800 Meters | Final | Women |
| 6:57 p.m. | 400-Meter Hurdles | Final | Women |
| 7:07 p.m. | 200 Meters | Final | Women |
| 7:13 p.m. | 800 Meters | Heptathlon | Women |
| 7:25 p.m. | 5,000 Meters | Final | Women |
| 7:51 p.m. | 4×400-Meter Relay | Final | Women |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 p.m. | High Jump | Final | Women |
| 5:05 p.m. | Discus Throw | Final | Women |
| 5:40 p.m. | Triple Jump | Final | Women |
| Time | Event | Round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:30 p.m. | Long Jump | Heptathlon | Women |
| 2:45 p.m. | Javelin Throw | Heptathlon | Women |
| 7:13 p.m. | 800 Meters | Heptathlon | Women |
Hogs-Rebels Super Regional at Baum-Walker starts Saturday morning
FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas-Ole Miss Super Regional will start Saturday morning at 11 a.m., according to the announced schedule from the NCAA on Tuesday morning.
The Razorbacks swept through the Fayetteville Regional last weekend with a win over Central Connecticut State and a pair of wins over TCU.
2019 NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional Schedule
Saturday — Arkansas vs. Ole Miss, 11 a.m. (ESPN)
Sunday — Arkansas vs. Ole Miss, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
Monday — Arkansas vs. Ole Miss (if necessary), 3 p.m. (ESPN2)
Arkansas is making its eighth Super Regional appearance in school history.
With two wins, the Razorbacks will advance to the College World Series for the 10th time in school history.
Tickets are SOLD OUT
All tickets for this weekend’s super regional are sold out.
University of Arkansas students
A small allotment of general admission tickets in the Hog Pen have been reserved exclusively for UA students and may be purchased for $20 on a first come, first serve basis starting on Wednesday.
Students are limited to one ticket per person and they will be available online as well as at the Razorback Ticket Office.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Tuesday
John & Tommy discuss the Arkansas/Memphis series, Omahogs drafted, game times announcement, plus Matt Hobbs joins the program!
Fletcher, Campbell go on MLB Draft’s first day among top 100 picks
FAYETTEVILLE — Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Isaiah Campbell and junior outfielder Dominic Fletcher were the first Razorbacks taken in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft Monday night.
The duo was taken in back-to-back picks in Competitive Balance Round B as Fletcher was taken by Arizona at No. 75 overall while Campbell was taken by Seattle at No. 76 overall.
Fletcher and Campbell are the 15th and 16th Razorbacks to be taken in the draft’s first three rounds since 2010.
Campbell is the sixth pitcher since 2013, while Fletcher is the first position player taken that high since Andrew Benintendi went in the first round to Boston in 2015.
Arkansas’ previous top picks in the last two drafts were right-hander Trevor Stephan, who went in the third round to the New York Yankees in 2017 as the 92nd overall pick and Blaine Knight, who went in 2018 to the Baltimore Orioles in the third round as the 84th pick.
With Monday’s selections, Arkansas has had at least one player picked in each of the past 45 MLB Drafts dating back to 1975. Also, there have now been 90 players drafted at least once under Dave Van Horn since he became head coach in 2003.
Over the last three seasons, Fletcher has shown why he’s one of the best players in the nation both offensively and defensively.
In 2019 alone, Fletcher is having his best year at the plate, hitting .312 with 77 hits, 23 doubles and 10 home runs, while slugging .526. All of those numbers are career-bests as he’s hit 10 or more homers each year of his career and is the current SEC leader in doubles through 61 games.
Fletcher is a .297 career hitter for the Razorbacks and has 218 hits, 32 home runs and 142 RBIs in 189 games at Arkansas. He needs 11 hits, one home run and 17 RBIs to crack into the Arkansas all-time career charts in each of those categories.
Only four Razorbacks are in the top-10 in all three offensive categories (Ryan Lundquist, Danny Hamblin, Greg D’Alexander, Jeff King).
Defensively, there may not be a better centerfielder than Fletcher as he’s only made nine errors in three years (.981) and has seven outfield assists to his name. This year, he has a career-low two errors in 162 chances.
Campbell was selected in last year’s draft as a redshirt sophomore by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (24th, No. 721), but elected to come back to Fayetteville for his fourth year and has had one of the biggest jumps of any pitcher in the nation.
The Olathe, Kansas, native has racked up an 11-1 record this year and has helped the Hogs into their second-straight NCAA Super Regionals, their eighth appearance in supers in school history.
He recently was named an All-American by Collegiate Baseball Magazine and showed his All-American stuff in the NCAA Regional last week with a career-high eight-inning, one-run performance against TCU to put the Hogs into the regional final.
Campbell has racked up a team-best 2.27 ERA among Hog pitchers that have thrown 40 or more innings and has struck out 108 batters over 103 innings, which are all career-bests.
Campbell topped the 100-strikeout mark during his start in the SEC Tournament and is now sitting ninth all-time on the Arkansas single-season charts with 108 strikeouts.
Throughout his career, Campbell has made 48 appearances on the mound since 2016, 39 being starts. He has a 3.29 ERA in 205 innings and has held opponents to a .232 batting average.
Last week, in his start against TCU in the regional, Campbell reached 200 strikeouts in his career, becoming the sixth Razorback under Van Horn with 200 or more strikeouts in a career.
Day two of the draft will commence on Tuesday on MLB.com. Rounds 3-10 will be conducted, followed by rounds 11-40 on Wednesday, which will be the final day of the draft. All selections can be followed on MLB.com.
Hogs sell out Super Regional against Ole Miss quickly
FAYETTEVILLE — Less than 10 hours after they went on sale, all reserved and Hog Pen general admission tickets for this weekend’s NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional at Baum-Walker Stadium between Arkansas and Ole Miss are SOLD OUT.
Arkansas (44-17) clinched its spot in its eighth NCAA Super Regional in school history last night with a 6-0 shutout of TCU and will now face SEC foe Ole Miss (40-25) in a best-of-three series this weekend for a spot in the College World Series.
Game dates and start times, as well as television networks will be determined Tuesday morning after all regionals have completed.
A small allotment of general admission tickets in the Hog Pen have been reserved exclusively for UA students and may be purchased for $20 on a first come, first serve basis starting on Wednesday.
Students are limited to one ticket per person and they will be available online as well as at the Razorback Ticket Office.
