John & Tye discuss the SEC Tourney, splash coaching hires, DVH’s drink plus Richard Davenport!
Van Horn, Cronin, Kenley on downing Ole Miss in SEC Tournament
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn, relief pitcher Matt Cronin and second baseman Jack Kenley recapping the 5-3 win over the Rebels to advance.
Kenley’s two-RBI single lifts Arkansas over Ole Miss at SEC
HOOVER, Ala. — A two-out, two-RBI single by Jack Kenley in the sixth inning helped Arkansas pull out a 5-3 victory over Ole Miss on Wednesday afternoon at the SEC Tournament.
The Razorbacks advanced to the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year.
Arkansas (41-15) only managed five hits in the game, including one extra-base hit, but managed to scratch across a couple of small ball runs in the first and third inning to allow starter Patrick Wicklander to settle in and throw four scoreless innings in his 13th start of the year.
The Razorbacks didn’t have to do much in the sixth before Kenley delivered the go-ahead hit as Ole Miss (34-24) starting pitcher Zack Phillips walked Casey Martin to start the inning followed by a one-out hit by pitch to Dominic Fletcher.
Kenley came through two batters later with his two-RBI knock on a single to left-center to make it 4-3. He later drove in the fifth run in the eighth thanks to some heads-up base running by Curtis Washington, Jr. Kenley finished the game with three RBIs.
With the victory, Arkansas moves on to face the three-seed Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday at the Hoover Met with a spot in the semifinal on the line.
This will be the first game between the two clubs this year and first meeting since both teams ended the 2018 regular season in 2018. First pitch is scheduled for approximately 4:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.
Nesbit gets third inning going
Arkansas already led 1-0 by the time the third inning rolled around and got a chance to double that lead after redshirt freshman Jacob Nesbit started the frame with a lead-off double.
It was Nesbit’s first hit since May 10 in game two against LSU and he was able to score on a Matt Goodheart fielder’s choice three batters later.
Nesbit now has eight doubles on the year and he was one of only two players combined to hit for extra bases in the game.
Wicklander sharp through four
Taking the mound just two games after his shortest start of the year at Texas A&M, freshman Patrick Wicklander had a nice bounce-back outing on Wednesday against Ole Miss.
The San Jose, California native worked 4.1 innings, giving up only two runs on two hits with four strikeouts and a walk. He began to struggle with command in the fifth after getting the first out, but coach Dave Van Horn gave him the early hook after he threw 76 pitches and went with Kevin Kopps with two men on.
Wicklander has thrown four or more innings eight times this year and given up two or less hits four times.
Cronin finishes off strong day for bullpen
After Wicklander was relieved in the fifth inning, the combo of Kevin Kopps, Cody Scroggins, Jacob Kostyshock and Matt Cronin kept Ole Miss at bay for the remaining four innings, allowing just three hits with one run and one walk.
No Razorback pitcher threw more than 1.2 innings with Kopps taking the brunt of that final half of the game, working out of the fifth and then throwing the sixth on 31 pitches.
Cronin shut the door in the eighth and ninth, facing four batters and striking out four for his 11th save of the year, which ranks in a tie for third in the league.
Back … back again
For the fourth time in its last five tournament appearances, Arkansas got its’ week started off with a victory and will be in the quarterfinals for the sixth time since 2013.
Arkansas beat South Carolina, 13-8, last year to get its tournament started a year ago and battled back from a second-round loss to Mississippi State in 2017 to reach the championship.
The five runs scored on Wednesday was Arkansas’ lowest amount of runs scored in a tournament win since defeating Tennessee, 2-1, in 2015.
Razorback quotables
“Well, obviously that was a really good win for us. I think both teams probably feel like they left too many runners out there. We were fortunate that Jack came up with the really big hit that gave us the lead back after we let it go. It wasn’t exactly a really clean game by either team, but I felt like our bullpen came in and did a really nice job kind of keeping where it was. Then Matt came in and really got us out of a jam there in the top of the eighth and the ninth was outstanding. So good win.” — Coach Dave Van Horn on the win over Ole Miss to advance to the quarterfinals
“He struck out everybody he faced, so it was one of his best outings ever and it was against a pretty good team. He went through 1, 2 and 3 in the order and they can all hit, so I’m just happy he didn’t have to throw a lot of pitches and he had a lot of success. I was really excited to see him drop that curveball in there on the left-handed hitter because after that happened, you could just see a different demeanor in the body language of the hitter. Like, ‘Wow, I thought I was just going to have to sit on fastballs,’ and now he doesn’t know what to see. I think Matt tried to drop another breaking ball in there and then he threw the fastball right by him.” — Van Horn on Matt Cronin’s save
“To me, this felt a lot like playing Florida last year. We went down to their place, got two taken away from us and then we evened up the series in the tournament. Ole Miss is a good team. They can make a good run and get to Omaha and it could be just like Florida where we end up having more wins against them in a season. To me, that feels like the kind of team we were playing.” — Matt Cronin on avenging a series loss to the Rebels earlier this year
“I don’t really think that we festered on it very much. We just want to focus on playing our own game. I think today we were getting close. Obviously, we want to keep getting better as the tournament goes on, but we kind of know we’re a good team and just executing the way we know how to execute and trust in our pen, like Matt said. We have a lot of confidence in each and every one of the guys in our lineup. We know we got it in us and nothing really to it.” — Jack Kenley on the team getting back in the win column
Up next
Arkansas advances to the tournament quarterfinals and will face three-seed Georgia on Thursday at the Hoover Met.
First pitch is scheduled for approximately 4:30 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network.
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.
Warren on Athlon’s first team as returner; Limpert on second team
FAYETTEVILLE — Seven Arkansas players were named to the Athlon Sports SEC Football 2019 all-conference teams on Wednesday.
Junior De’Vion Warren landed in the first team specialists group in the kick returner slot and was joined by senior kicker Connor Limpert on the second team.
The second team also featured a pair of senior defenders in lineman McTelvin Agim and linebacker De’Jon Harris, while sophomore safety Kamren Curl was picked for the third team to round out the defensive players selected.
On the offensive side of the ball, senior tight end Cheyenne O’Grady was picked for the third team while junior running back Rakeem Boyd closed out Arkansas’ honorees on the fourth team.
Last season, the Razorbacks had seven representatives across the four squads from Athlon, including 2019 selections Harris (First), Agim (Second) and Warren (Second).
Warren returned 14 kicks for 399 yards on 2018, averaging 28.5 yards per return. His longest kick return of the season came on Oct. 6 against Alabama, taking it back 78 yards in the fourth quarter to set up an Arkansas touchdown.
Limpert had a season to remember in 2018, connecting on 19-of-24 field goal attempts, good for 79.2 percent, ranking sixth in FG percentage in the school record books.
He put together an impressive streak of 10-straight field goals made from Sept. 22-Oct. 27, which was the third-longest in school history. Two of his 19 were longer than 50 yards, making him the first Razorback kicker to make multiple 50-yard FGs in a season since 2013.
Agim will anchor the defensive line in 2019 after starting all 12 games and posting 45 total tackles, 16 unassisted, a year ago. His 10.0 tackles for loss led Arkansas and made him the first Razorback to reach double-digit totals in a season since 2015.
Agim also racked up 4.5 sacks and forced three fumbles, both the best among Arkansas defenders.
Harris, another 12-game starter last year, paced the conference in total and solo tackles, posting 118 and 62, respectively.
It marked back-to-back years he has led the team in total stops and made him the seventh Razorback to hit 100 tackles in consecutive seasons, the first since 2010-11.
He finished the year with seven double-digit tackle performances, a conference-best, with five coming in SEC action.
Curl put together a 53-tackle campaign as a sophomore over his 11 starts, which included 27 solo stops. His tackle total ranked fourth on the team, as he also broke up five passes and forced a fumble against North Texas on Sept. 15.
O’Grady hauled in a team-high 30 receptions and six touchdowns over the course of the 2018 season, with all of his catches coming in the final eight games of the year.
His reception total brought to 400 yards through the air, averaging 13.3 per catch, with two multi-touchdown games against Alabama (Oct. 6) and LSU (Nov. 10), the only Razorback to do so in 2018.
Boyd made an impact in his first year donning a Razorback uniform, leading the team in rushing with 734 yards on 123 attempts with two touchdowns, averaging 6.0 yards per carry and 61.2 yards per game.
He rattled off three games of over 100 yards rushing, with all three of those games coming in SEC play. He finished the year 13th in the SEC in rushing yards and 10th in yards per carry.
Musselman gets transfer guard from Jacksonville to join Razorbacks
FAYETTEVILLE — JD Notae, a 6-2 guard who spent the past two seasons at Jacksonville University, is transferring to Arkansas for the 2019-20 season, Eric Musselman announced Wednesday.
Notae (pronounced No-Tay) earned second team All-ASUN honors this past season and was the 2018 ASUN Freshman of the Year.
The Stephenson, Georgia, native played in 60 games in two seasons as a Dolphin, totaling 929 points (15.5 avg.), 328 rebounds (5.5 avg.), 163 assists (2.7 avg.) and 101 steals (1.7 avg.).
JD Notae
6-2, 185, G
Covington, Ga. (Newton HS / Jacksonville Univ.)
2018-19 (So.): Voted second team All-ASUN after averaging 15.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists; all team highs … Scoring average ranked fifth in the ASUN while ranking fourth in assists, fourth in steals (1.6) and 10th in rebounding … Posted 24 games in double figures, including nine 20-point games, with nine games of five assists or more and three games with at least 10 rebounds … Had three double-doubles, including a triple double at Kennesaw State (15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists … First double-double was the game prior to triple double, posting 12 points with 13 rebounds versus Lipscomb … Other double-double came versus Stetson as he scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds … Scored a career-high 40 points, adding eight rebounds and five assists, versus Florida Memorial … Made 16-of-22 shots from the field and 5-of-6 from 3-point range … Had 29 points and five assists in the regular-season finale versus Florida Gulf Coast … Versus Indiana, posted 15 point and rebounds.
2017-18 (Fr.): Named ASUN Freshman of the Year after averaging 15.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals while shooting 41 percent from 3-point range … Started all 28 games he appeared in until injuring his foot and missing the final five games of the year … Scored 432 points, the second-most by a Dolphin freshman in a season … Scored a then career-high 30 points vs. Middle Georgia State … Scored 20 or more points seven times, four times in ASUN play … Knocked down a season-best five three-pointers twice (at UAB, at Michigan) … Hit two free throws with one second left to lead the Dolphins to a win at Stetson … Led ASUN freshman in scoring (15.4 ppg), minutes (31.4 mpg) and steals (49) … Was the ASUN Player of the Week once and Newcomer of the Week twice.
HIGH SCHOOL: Was a four-year starter at Newton High School … Averaged 22 points, 5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game … Led his team to the 2016-17 7A Elite 8 with a 26-2 record … 2016 GACA All-State member, Region Tourney Player of the Year and All-Region 2 AAAAAA team … In AAU ball, was named the Atlanta Lightning MVP in 2014, 2016, and 2017.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Wednesday
John & Tye discuss why Chad Morris is the right guy, where DVH ranks in the SEC, plus SEC Mike of Saturday Down South!
Morris, Yurachek can fix what Bielema, Long dragged down
It’s not hard to imagine Chad Morris and Hunter Yurachek looking at each other before Christmas in 2017 and asking exactly what they got themselves into.
In retrospect, though, it may not have taken them three weeks after being hired to ask the questions.
Oh, it’s doubtful either will ever admit it publicly. Neither appears to be the type to complain publicly about a situation neither created, but Morris had to be asking about Bret Bielema, “how did this guy get to three Rose Bowls?”
And Yurachek probably thought about Jeff Long, “how did this guy get a job with that complete lack of people skills?”
The truth is former chancellor John White, a very educated and intelligent person in the world of academics, was a complete idiot when he stuck his nose into athletics. His goal in athletics at Arkansas was apparently to try and put Frank Broyles in his place.
It took him a decade to complete that task.
And he left the UA with Long in charge of athletics and no adult supervision.
By the way. I’m not implying Jeffrey was a child. He was just totally in over his head trying to manage a program like Arkansas and had a disturbing knack of hiring people in the same position. It comes back to people above him that let him have so much rope he could hang an entire department.
As much as some want to give him credit for hiring Mike Anderson and Mike Neighbors, remember that he probably wouldn’t have made it as long as he did if he hired anybody else at that time in those positions.
Long hired Jimmy Dykes, a talking head in the world of men’s basketball, to be the women’s coach of all things right after hiring Bielema in football.
I was on an island by then in my critiques of Long that started with hiring Bobby Petrino. Yes, many fans will holler about back-to-back 10-win seasons. Fans basically traded short-term happiness for long-term misery, as I predicted when the hire was made.
Bringing in Bielema was the capping head-scratcher for me. On the surface to many, it looked like a quality hire, but if you ask anybody he basically inherited what Barry Alvarez built at Wisconsin and he didn’t completely step away.
Giving him a contract extension and a gigantic raise after a 6-6 season in 2014 rests squarely on Long and the UA Board of Trustees, who let him go without that adult supervision we were talking about.
According to some, the extension deal was basically put together celebrating the borderline erotic win over a 6-6 Texas team in Houston after the Texas Bowl. Some have said it was literally discussed at a postgame party in the hotel just a couple of hours after the game.
Then he basically wallowed around producing a couple of teams that finished one game above .500 for two straight years before nosediving. Bielema was thrown off the plane before it hit ground and Morris had to ride out the crash.
Now it’s up to Morris to get things headed in the right direction.
Yurachek has a bigger issue. He’s got to make an entire fan base of multiple sports feel more involved and actually appreciated.
We’ll see how Morris does. Another 2-10 season might not work out well for Morris, but the guess here is that won’t happen again.
No one thinks the Hogs will knock off Alabama this year, but with some addition by subtraction on the roster along with adding more talent the situation might not be as bleak as many will predict.
Yurachek’s issue may actually take a little longer.
Making hires like Bielema and Dykes that, at best, showed that Long didn’t do any in-depth research into what it takes to hire a coach at the SEC level. It’s part of the reason, we’ve been told, he got out of Pittsburgh before the firing squad rounded the corner.
Yurachek at least understands the goals in the biggest sports and appears to be almost as accessible as Broyles (you could just walk into his office unannounced at one time) and actually is relating to many of the fans he’s met. That’s what they tell me, anyway.
His handling of firing Anderson and bringing in Eric Musselman was how it’s done at the big-time level. Cries from some corners for transparency and explanations have been explained and, in hindsight, the way Yurachek handled it makes complete sense.
In a way, Yurachek and Morris’ jobs are tied to winning.
Morris’ is obvious. He’s got to win football games and I don’t care what fans say on social media or publicly, they don’t really care about the details … as long as the Hogs score more than the other team on Saturday.
Yurachek’s wins are more subtle.
Broyles lasted 50 years because he won with the fans for most of the time. Especially the ones that had a vote on his job.
My prediction back in December 2007 when Long hired Petrino was that was going to set back Razorback football for a decade has, sadly, come to pass.
Now we see if my prediction that the right to people are in place to build it back is correct.
But it may take a couple of years.
Razorbacks’ rally on back nine falls short, ending season in fifth place
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ record-setting season came to an end on a rain-soaked Tuesday with a 3-and-2 loss in the first round of match play at the 2019 NCAA Championship at Blessings Golf Club.
Arkansas finishes the season tied for fifth overall after reaching match play at the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history.
The Razorbacks mounted a comeback on the front nine after trailing early from their start on hole 10. Brooke Matthews was down big on the back nine, but she rallied to take a lead. Her opponent had an ace on the 17th hole of the round to tie it up.
Matthews, however, calmly hit her second shot on the final hole close to the pin to win. Matthews is a perfect 5-0 in match play this season.
“Well, it was just a great shot (by her opponent),” said Matthews. “I knew I had to hit a good shot and I did it. I knew I wasn’t going to match that (the hole in one) so I just had to move on and get the next one.”
NCAA Champion Maria Fassi was next with a win. She was even for much of the match before winning the 14th hole of her round, breaking the tie. She added a win on the next hole and hung on for the victory.
Kaylee Benton was down three at the turn against the 2018 NCAA Champion but chipped away at the lead moving within one at the 17th hole. Benton had a long putt to win 17 hole and stay in the match. She drained it and moved to the 18th hole.
Benton had a perfect shot to the pin but needed to birdie and had to hope that her opponent would shoot par or higher to force extra golf.
Senior Dylan Kim also played even with her opponent forcing a pressure-filled final two holes. Tied through 16, Kim lost No. 8 when her opponent counted a two on the par-3 hole.
The duo moved on to the 18th hole of the match and her opponent hit a perfect second shot close to the hole. Kim was in the rough but also spun her second shot near the flag. Both players made their shots as Wake Forest escaped with the win.
The four remaining teams return to the course at 7 a.m. for the semifinal matches. Those winners move on to the championship match following pairing selections. Duke faces Arizona while Wake Forest takes on Auburn.
Lineup
Brooke Matthews (Ark) def. Letizia Bagnoli (WF) 1-up
Maria Fassi (Ark) def. Vanessa Knecht (WF) 2&1
Siyun Liu (WF) def. Dylan Kim (Ark) 1-up
Emilia Migliaccio (WF) def. Ximena Gonzalez (Ark) 6&4
Jennifer Kupcho (WF) def. Kaylee Benton (Ark) 1-up
About the day
The day began with the completion of the third and final round at 6:45 a.m. Those players completed the round and the coaching staffs from the eight advancing teams met in the media center to make their selections for match play.
Arkansas hit the course in the second pairing starting at hole 10 at 8:50 a.m.
The Razorbacks got through a couple of holes when play was halted at 10:10 a.m. for weather. Teams made several attempts to restart only to retreat to the clubhouse.
Play finally resumed at 4:20 p.m. with Arkansas trailing early in four of the five matches. Only senior Dylan Kim had an advantage at the break.
Razorbacks start post-season play in SEC tourney against Ole Miss
HOOVER, Ala. — Arkansas Razorbacks opens if the 2019 SEC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon against Ole Miss.
First pitch is set for approximately 1 p.m. at Hoover’s Metropolitan Stadium and will be televised on the SEC Network.
You can also hear the game on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Arkansas (40-15, 20-10 SEC) is a top-four seed for the third-consecutive year, earning the first-round bye into the double-elimination rounds.
The Rebels (34-23, 16-14 SEC) defeated 10-seed Missouri, 2-1, to advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament. Arkansas will be the home team in Wednesday’s game.
The Hogs lost two-of-three against Ole Miss earlier this season at Baum Stadium, its’ only home series loss this year.
The second, third and quarterfinal rounds are double elimination, while the semifinals and the championship game are single elimination.
Arkansas rolls into tournament play as co-champions of the SEC Western Division for the second-consecutive year. It’s the sixth division title in school history and fifth under coach Dave Van Horn.
It’s also the first time under Van Horn that the Razorbacks have won 20 or more games in conference play and second time in school history the Hogs have won 20 or more games in SEC play.
The Razorbacks are in search of its first SEC Tournament championship in program history. It will be making its 10th appearance in the tournament in the last 11 years and 24th overall.
The Razorbacks have made four SEC Tournament championship game appearances in their history, finishing runner-up in 1998 to Auburn, in 1999 to Alabama, in 2007 to Vanderbilt, and most recently, in 2017 to LSU.
Last year, the Hogs reached the semifinals for the second-consecutive year, defeating South Carolina and Florida along the way.
In its previous five appearances in the tournament, Arkansas has won at least two games and won three or more twice.
Wednesday’s game will be the first time Arkansas and Ole Miss have faced off in the SEC Tournament since the two teams played twice in 2014, both were one-run victories in favor of Arkansas.
The most tournament wins for Arkansas came in 1999 when it won four games before falling to the Crimson Tide in the championship game. Van Horn is 21-25 in 14 SEC Tournament appearances.
FOLLOW lIVE
Games one through 16 of the SEC Tournament are available on the SEC Network and SEC Network+ via the WatchESPN app.
The championship game will be aired on ESPN2.
As always, the Razorbacks can be heard on the Razorback Sports Network on the radio with Phil Elson and former Razorback Bubba Carpenter on the call on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
RAZORBACK PRIME 9
• Arkansas makes its 24th appearance at the SEC Tournament this week in Hoover, Alabama and holds its third-straight top-four seed in the field.
• The Razorbacks won a share of the SEC Western Division title for the second-straight year, finishing with an 20-10 conference record. It’s Arkansas’ sixth division title in school history and fifth under Dave Van Horn.
• Nine different Razorbacks were named to the various All-SEC teams this week with six being named to the 12-man All-SEC Second Team. Overall, Arkansas had 11 selections among the All-SEC, All-Freshman and All-Defense Teams, a school record.
• Trevor Ezell, Casey Martin, Matt Cronin, Heston Kjerstad, Matt Goodheart and Dominic Fletcher were all named to the All-SEC Second Team. It’s the third-straight year with an All-SEC selection for Fletcher and second for Kjerstad and Martin.
• Isaiah Campbell was named a semifinalist for the 2019 Golden Spikes Award. He’s the first Razorback to be named a semifinalist since Andrew Benintendi in 2015.
• Campbell was left off the All-SEC lists, but had numbers that would rank among the best in the SEC and in Arkansas history. At 10-1, Campbell’s win total, innings pitched (90.0), ERA (2.50) and strikeouts (97) are all better than All-American Blaine Knight at this point a year ago.
• The Razorbacks weren’t expected to hit as many home runs as last year’s record-setting team (98), but have still set a good pace going into the last weekend of the year. As a team, Arkansas has hit 77 home runs, which ties for first in the SEC.
• Dominic Fletcher continues to be a doubles machine going into the SEC Tournament. Sitting at 22 two-baggers for the year, Fletcher is six off the school record and first in the SEC.
• Catcher Casey Opitz has been a baserunner’s worst nightmare in recent weeks as he caught eight would-be base stealers in the last three weeks, five against Kentucky and two against Texas A&M. Opitz has 21 caught stolen bases this year, which leads the SEC.
???? Tuesday Halftime Pod — Featuring Dominic Fletcher
Phil & Tye hit on the best recruiter on campus, interview OmaHog Dominic Fletcher, and more!
