Phil & Tye hit on the LSU dub, interview Kyle Peterson, plus FOMO Friday!
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Friday
John & Tommy recap Game 1, officer Breeden stops by, Scott Tabor shares his baseball wisdom and more!
Homer barrage lets Hogs open series with 14-4 win over LSU
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas hit five home runs Thursday night to jump out to a big lead against LSU and ended up taking the series opener over the Tigers, 14-4, at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Arkansas (38-12, 18-7 SEC) didn’t’ seem to struggle at all with LSU (30-20, 14-11 SEC) starter Ma’Khail Hilliard, scoring six runs in the first three innings before putting up a six spot in the fourth after the Tigers had to go into their bullpen.
The 14 runs scored is the most for an Arkansas team against LSU since scoring 14 in 2008 in a 14-13 victory in 10 innings.
Casey Martin, Dominic Fletcher, Casey Opitz, Trevor Ezell and Jack Kenley all went deep in the game as it was the second time this season that the Hogs have hit five home runs in a single game (vs. Northwestern State, April 23) and fourth time with four or more.
Martin turned in a 4-for-5 game with three runs scored, but he just had one RBI coming off his solo home run in the bottom of the first. It was Martin’s 12th home run of the year, just one shy of his total from his freshman season.
Fletcher also went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. He’s got seven hits in his last five games and his home run off the scoreboard in the second inning was his second in three games.
Isaiah Campbell had to battle early in the game, but settled in after giving up two runs in the first two innings to go six innings strong.
Campbell worked the final four innings scoreless and retired 11 of his final 12 batters while scattering just four hits, one walk and striking out four.
It was Campbell’s ninth win of the year and 10th quality start as he’s pitched six or more innings in 10 of his last 11 starts.
Slammin’
By the middle of the bottom of the fourth inning, Arkansas already had a 7-1 lead and were knocking on the door to pad the lead even more when Jack Kenley got into the box with the bases loaded and one out.
Kenley laced a 1-0 pitch down the right field line for a grand slam to make it 11-2 Razorbacks before the fifth inning. It was Kenley’s 10th home run of the year, making him one of four Razorbacks with 10 or more home runs this season.
The grand slam was the fifth by a Hog batter in 2019 (C. Franklin, H. Kjerstad, C. Martin, D. Fletcher). For Kenley, his four RBIs marked his second game this year with four or more.
Home run pace picks up
Through 50 games this season, Arkansas has hit 69 home runs as a team, just six back of the pace of last year’s team that hit a school-record 98 home runs.
Over the last 10 games, Arkansas has hit 25 home runs and four have come from Casey Martin, Heston Kjerstad and Dominic Fletcher. Fletcher hit his 10th home run of the year Thursday night, making 2019 his third-straight season with 10 or more home runs.
The 69 home runs this year is now good for the most in the SEC.
Razorback quotables
“I would say the guys that are hitting home runs, not necessarily. We thought (Jack) Kenley would hit some home runs this year. I didn’t know he’d get to double digits. We thought he’d get close. He does a nice job of fouling off pitches and taking pitches and getting some good pitches to hit. We’ve hit a few here and there and you know a lot of times the second half of the season, when your team usually hits them, it warms up a little bit and your guys are in a little bit more of a groove offensively, seeing the ball better. I don’t even know how many we have. Every now and then it’s nice to hit some and put up some quick runs and that’s what we did tonight.” — Coach Dave Van Horn on his team’s home runs showing an uptick
“I’ve said this many a time this year that (Isaiah) Campbell, a lot of times in the past, he might have given up more runs, but he’s learned how to get out of those jams. He just gave up one. They, obviously, hit a home run in the next inning. You just tip your cap to (Daniel) Cabrera. He’s a really good hitter, probably one of the top hitters in our league. Solo home runs don’t beat you a lot of times.” — Van Horn on Isaiah Campbell’s ability to limit damage
“Obviously, you’re playing a team like LSU and you’re playing a team in the league, and it’s the first game of the series, then they punch in a run in on your game one pitcher, it will make you start thinking a little bit. Maybe that’s what the crowd was doing. I don’t think there was any panic in our dugout whatsoever. We haven’t even hit yet. When (Casey) Martin hit that ball, it lit the crowd up a little bit. We’re confident and we’ve been playing pretty good. This team, I’ve said it a lot, they feel like they’re never out of a game and they’ll fight you.” — Van Horn on answering back in the first inning after LSU took the 1-0 lead
“Taking that first one is huge. Especially against a really talented team like that. But Marty (Casey Martin) said it already and will tell you that baseball is just a crazy sport. We can have 14-4 win today and a nail-biter the next day, the exact opposite. So just getting that first win under our belt and getting the wrinkles out of opening the series is big.” — Trevor Ezell on being a team like LSU by 10 runs in the series opener
To be honest, it’s a simple thing going back to when you’re a little kid. Coach would say, ‘You shouldn’t try to hit a home run. You try to hit a line drive and if you hit a line drive, it’ll find its way out.’ That’s pretty much what I want to do, is get a good pitch and put a good swing on it..” — Jack Kenley on if he expected his home run numbers to go up and if he’s trying to hit home runs
Up next
Arkansas and LSU will meet back on the field tomorrow for game two of their series with first pitch slated for a 6:30 p.m. start.
You can hear the game on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home. Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter will have the call with pregame starting at 6 p.m.
The game will be televised online only via SEC Network+.
Martin, Ezell, Kenley on big hitting night in win over LSU
Razorbacks Casey Martin, Trevor Ezell and Jack Kenley recapped opening the series with the Tigers by banging 15 hits, including five homers in the 14-4 win.
Van Horn liked play in big win over LSU to start final home series
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.
