Razorbacks scatter across country for three weekend mets

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will scatter between three meets this weekend as the distance squads head west to the Mt. SAC Invitational-Bryan Clay Invitational, and the sprints heading south to the LSU Alumni Gold meet in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Action for Arkansas at the Bryan Clay Invitational gets underway on Thursday, where the Razorback women will compete in the 5,000-meters.

Friday will see Arkansas compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 1,500-meters at the Mt. SAC Invitational just an hour down the road.

The weekend will conclude following action at the LSU Alumni Gold meet in Baton Rouge, where the Razorback sprints and relays will showcase their talent in one of the premier sprints meets in the nation this weekend.

Arkansas currently has 10 top-20 marks on the TFRRS descending list led by Tori Hoggard who is No. 3 in the NCAA this season with a clearance of 4.50m (14-9) in the pole vault.

Thursday, April 18

Bryan Clay Invitational Entries
5000-meters
Lauren Gregory
Maddy Reed
Devin Clark
Sydney Brown

Friday, April 19

Mt. SAC Invitational
1500-meters
Carina Viljoen
Taylor Werner
Meghan Underwood
Rachel Nichwitz

3000-meter steeplechase
Rachel Nichwitz
Quinn Owen

Saturday, April 20

LSU Gold Alumni
100-Meters
Janeek Brown
Tamara Kuykendall
Kiara Parker

200-meters
Janeek Brown
Payton Chadwick
Tamara Kuykendall
Shafiqua Maloney

400-meters
Morgan Burks-Magee
Kethlin Campbell
Sydney Davis
Sydney Hammit
Shafiqua Maloney
Paris Peoples
Tiana Wilson

800-meters
Alex Byrnes

100-meter hurdles
Payton Chadwick

400-meter hurdles
J’Alyiea Smith

Pole Vault
Desiree Freier
Tori Hoggard
Lexi Jacobus
Rylee Robinson

Long Jump
G’Auna Edwards

High Jump
J’Alyiea Smith

4×100-meter relay
Parker, Chadwick, Brown, Campbell, Wilson

4×400-meter relay
Burks Magee, Campbell, Chadwick, Parker, Hammit, Wilson, Maloney, Peoples

Arkansas advances to second round of SEC Tournament in Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Arkansas defeated Auburn in the first round of the SEC Men’s Tennis Tournament, 4-1, Wednesday afternoon in Gainesville, Florida.

The Hogs advance to play 17th-ranked Georgia tomorrow at 5 p.m.

Arkansas jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a pair of 6-3 wins in doubles action on courts two and three.

Enrique Paya and Maxim Verboven defeated Filippo Mora and Matteo Devincentis on court two, that was shortly followed by Alex Reco and Jose Dominguez Alonso’s win over Anders Fry and Diego Chavarria.

The Razorbacks would gain a 2-0 advantage on court three as Alex Reco would defeat Filippo Mora in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.

Likewise on court one, No. 66 Oscar Mesquida would win 6-1, 6-4 over Matteo Devincentis to put the Hogs within one court of victory.

Auburn pulled within 3-1, as Tad Maclean would take court two over Adam Sanjurjo 6-1, 6-0, but Enrique Paya clinched the match on court four 6-3, 6-4 over Tim Dollman to send the Razorbacks to the second round of the SEC Tournament.

First serve against Georgia is scheduled for 5 p.m. tomorrow.

Doubles Results – Order of Finish (2,3)
1. Oscar Mesquida/Adam Sanjurjo (AR) vs. #48 Tad Maclean/Brandon Laubser (AUBURN) 4-5, unfinished
2. Maxim Verboven/Enrique Paya (AR) def. Filippo Mora/Matteo DeVincentis (AUBURN) 6-3
3. Alex Reco/Jose Alonso (AR) def. Anders Fry/Diego Chavarria (AUBURN) 6-3

Singles Results – Order of Finish (3,1,2,4)
1. No. 66 Oscar Mesquida (AR) def. Matteo DeVincentis (AUBURN) 6-1, 6-4
2. Tad Maclean (AUBURN) def. Adam Sanjurjo (AR) 6-4, 6-0
3. Alex Reco (AR) def. Filippo Mora (AUBURN) 6-1, 6-4
4. Enrique Paya (AR) def. Tim Dollman (AUBURN) 6-3, 6-4
5. Jose Alonso (AR) vs. Brandon Laubser (AUBURN) 6-7, 2-1, unfinished
6. Maxim Verboven (AR) vs. Diego Chavarria (AUBURN) 6-7 (3-7), 1-4, unfinished

???? Wednesday Halftime Pod — featuring Andrew Hutchinson of Rivals

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Phil Elson & Tye Richardson hit on if Arkansas is a nationally relevant program across the FB/BKB/BSB, interview Hutch, plus the best Easter candy!

Arkansas downs Missouri to advance on first day at SEC Tournament

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Arkansas defeated Missouri on Wednesday afternoon to open the SEC Tournament, advancing to the second round to face Kentucky on Thursday morning.

The Hogs continued their strong doubles play, once again clinching the point in straight sets. Lauren Alter and Tatum Rice gave Arkansas a one-set advantage with a 6-1 victory before Miruna Tudor and Jackie Carr clinched the point at the No. 3 position.

The Razorbacks quickly went up 3-0, as Tudor earned a 6-2, 6-1 win and Alter defeated Lisa Fukutoku at the No. 3 position.

The Tigers earned their lone point of the match as Laura Rijkers fell 7-6, 6-0, before No. 85 Martina Zerulo clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Mackenzy Middlebrooks.

Arkansas will face No.27 Kentucky in the second round of tournament play, with first serve against the Wildcats set for 10 a.m. at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.

No. 44 Arkansas 4, Missouri 1

Doubles Results – Order of Finish (1,3)
1. Lauren Alter/Tatum Rice (ARK) def. Ellie Wright/Lisa Fukutoku (MIZ) 6-1
2. Martina Zerulo/Thea Rice (ARK) vs. Marta Oliveira/Macken Middlebrooks (MIZ) 4-3, unfinished
3. Miruna Tudor/Jackie Carr (ARK) def. Gabrielle Goldin/Taylor Gruber (MIZ) 6-2

Doubles Results – Order of Finish (4,3,5,1)
1. No. 85 Martina Zerulo (ARK) def. No. 114 Mackenzy Middlebrooks (MIZ) 6-0, 6-2
2. No. 76 Tatum Rice (ARK) vs. Serena Nash (MIZ) 6-1, 4-6, 0-0, unfinished
3. Lauren Alter (ARK) def. Lisa Fukutoku (MIZ) 6-1, 6-2
4. Miruna Tudor (ARK) def. Taylor Gruber (MIZ) 6-2, 6-1
5. Marta Oliveira (MIZ) def. Laura Rijkers (ARK) 7-6 (7-3), 6-0
6. Jackie Carr (ARK) vs. Vivien Abraham (MIZ) 6-1, 3-5, unfinished

Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Wednesday

John & Tommy discuss the mindset for Chad Morris in Year 2, Eric Musselman’s impact, and more!

Razorbacks keep hot streak going at plate in 16-4 win over UAPB

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas got off to a quick start Tuesday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and never slowed down, cruising to a 16-4 run-rule victory in seven innings, for its second win in a row.

Arkansas (27-10, 9-6 SEC) scored its first 12 runs in the first three innings and was in control from, seemingly, the first pitch as Trevor Ezell led off the game with a triple and was brought in to score on a Casey Martin single.

Seven of Arkansas’ nine starters recorded at least one hit in the game, with six getting two hits or more.

With 16 hits in the game against the Golden Lions (6-28), Arkansas’ offense has 38 hits in its last two games with 22 coming in Sunday’s 14-12 win at No. 6 Vanderbilt.

It’s the 19th game with 10 or more hits this season and sixth with 15 or more.

For the fifth time this year, the Razorbacks hit three home runs in the game as Dominic Fletcher, Jack Kenley and Martin all went deep. Martin and Kenley both are now tied for second on the team with seven home runs, while Fletcher now has five on the year and 27 for his career.

Ezell and Martin led all Razorback hitters with three hits each. Ezell’s other two hits in the game were both singles, coming in the second and fifth innings.

Martin singled again in the fourth before hitting his seventh home run of the year in the fifth inning, driving in three more runs for a season-high four RBIs.

Martin now has at least one hit in 12 of his last 14 games and has recorded two or more hits in four of his last five games.

Ezell has had a similar run as of late as he finished Tuesday’s game 3-for-4 with a season-high four runs scored and one walk.

He’s tallied 14 hits in his last nine games with seven extra-base hits in that span. His first-inning triple was his second of the year.

Fletcher and sophomore Matt Goodheart also turned in perfect nights at the plate as Goodheart was 2-for-2 with three walks. The three walks was a career-high and he is 19 for his last 40 at-bats (.475) and extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

Fletcher was 3-for-3 with a season-high four RBIs, three coming from his home run in the third inning. It was his fifth game with three hits or more this year.

Freshman Connor Noland picked up his first win of the season, giving up only two hits over two scoreless innings in his 10th start of the year.

Noland, who was on a pitch count, faced seven batters over the first two innings and struck out two while throwing 23 pitches.

Razorback quotables

“It was contagious. I think it was contagious on Sunday (at Vanderbilt). They guys didn’t want to let each other down. They kept fighting and I mean we had 22 hits on Sunday and another 15 of 16 today. That’s hard to do and I think the offense is clicking a little bit now and it’s going to need to with the team that’s rolling in here on Thursday.” — Coach Dave Van Horn on the offensive surge over the last two games

“He’s just continued to get better really the last month when he realized he needed to see a little better. The more at-bats he gets, he’s been patient, he’s fouled off a lot of pitches and works to get one he can handle a little bit. He’s just doing a good job. Going the other way, up the middle, if he gets a pitch in, he’s pulled them. He’s a mature hitter doing a great job.” — Van Horn on Matt Goodheart

Up next

Arkansas remains home for an important SEC series against Mississippi State starting on Thursday at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The series opener is set for 8 p.m. on ESPNU, while game two will follow on Friday at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+. The series finale will be played on Saturday at 2 p.m., also on SEC Network+.

Van Horn on solid hitting, Goodheart’s streak, previewing MSU series

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn talked about the 16-4 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday night, Matt Goodheart’s continued solid hitting and the series with Mississippi State.

Martin, Goodheart on after win over UAPB; Campbell looks ahead

Razorbacks Casey Martin and Matt Goodheart talked about the win over the Golden Lions and the “contagious” hitting while Isaiah Campbell looked ahead to Bulldogs’ opener Thursday.

Razorbacks take first-ever in-state matchup with UAPB on Tuesday evening

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas took advantage of five extra-base hits in the second and third innings on Tuesday, scoring nine runs off two home runs and three doubles to take a mid-week contest from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 10-0, in five-innings.

Hannah McEwen and Haydi Bugarin were the two Hogs to go long in Arkansas’ ninth run-rule victory of the season.

McEwen reached base safely in all three trips to the plate. As a 46-game starter in the leadoff position, McEwen has extended her on-base streak to eight games, finding a way to the bag in 42 of 46 games this season.

She put up the first run for the Hogs in the first inning after reaching on a Lady Lions error and scored on a single up the middle by Katie Warrick.

It was the first of 10 hits for the Hogs.

Arkansas scored four more runs in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead. Sydney Parr and Keely Edward both contributed hits in the home-half of the inning, scoring with help from Bugarin’s home run and a double by McEwen.

The Razorbacks held steady at the plate in the third, as Kayla Green drew a leadoff walk, then reached second on a single by Parr. Carley Haizlip came on as a pinch-runner, then scored on on a double to left field by Bugarin.

Nicole Duncan connected on the 0-2 count and singled to left to score Parr. Bugarin scored on a sacrifice fly by Edwards and the Razorbacks took an eight-run lead in the third inning.

The final two runs of the night came from McEwen’s home run in right center, only her second of the season, but good for her 54th hit of the year, a team best.

Arkansas looked to Autumn Storms and Lauren Graves for support in the circle, as the duo combined for the shutout, recording six strikeouts. Storms recorded her 17th win of the season, starting in her 84th game as a Razorback.

Up next

The Razorbacks close out on their homestand with a three-game conference series against No.9 LSU starting on Thursday at 6 p.m.

The Hogs and Tigers play Friday at 6 p.m. and on Saturday for the series finale at 1 p.m.

Arkansas has only three conference series remaining, with a road series to follow next weekend at Texas A&M and the final home series of the season against Auburn.

Razorbacks’ Matthews’s three wins last week earns SEC weekly award

FAYETTEVILLE — Brooke Matthews earned co-medalist honors and won three matches last week earning Southeastern Conference Golfer of the Week honors Tuesday.

Matthews and the No. 6 Razorbacks are in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2019 SEC Championship Wednesday-Sunday at the Legends Course at Greystone Country Club.

About the SEC Championship

Dates: Wednesday-Sunday, April 17-21
Course: The Legends Course at Greystone Country Club
Live Scoring: SECSports.com and Golfstat.com
Broadcast: The championship match on Sunday, April 21 will be televised live on SEC Network at 7:30 a.m.

The Razorbacks enter the week as the defending SEC Champions winning the program’s first conference title last year when the format changed to include match play.

Maria Fassi was the co-medalist last year and she, along with seniors Dylan Kim and Kaylee Benton, return to lead Arkansas in their defense of the title this week. Matthews and freshman Ximena Gonzalez round out the lineup for Arkansas.

Matthews earned co-medalist honors shooting a collegiate career-best 4-under 68 in the single round of stroke play at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic last week.

It is her first medalist honor as a Razorback. The Rogers native, turned 1-under and finished strong with three consecutive birdies on her final holes.

Matthews went on to win all three of her matches defeating players from Louisville, Augusta and the host Georgia. She was the only Razorback to win all three matches at the Liz.

NCAA Championships

The University of Arkansas and Blessings Golf Club are the proud hosts of the 2019 NCAA Women’s and Men’s National Championships.

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.

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Phil & Tye discuss the pros/cons of playing in-state school, Get Off My Lawn, and more!