What you need to know as Hogs set to face Florida
OMAHA, Neb. — Arkansas needs to win just one more game to reach their second College World Series final in school history, but will have to beat defending national champion Florida to do it.
First pitch Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m. at TD Ameritrade Park and will be televised on ESPN.
With Arkansas (46-19) having defeated Texas and Texas Tech en route to the semifinals, it will only have to defeat Florida (49-20) once to reach the College World Series final.
Florida, having lost its first-round game to Texas Tech, will need to beat Arkansas twice in two days to reach the final.
Oregon State and Mississippi State will battle on the other side of the bracket.
Matchup: No. 5 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Florida
TV: ESPN • WatchESPNApp
Talent: Karl Ravech (PXP), Kyle Peterson (Analyst), Eduardo Perez (Analyst), Laura Rutledge (Reporter)
Radio: Razorback Sports Network from IMG
Probable Starters for Game Two: (ARK) RHP Isaiah Campbell (4-6) vs. (UF) RHP Brady Singer (12-2)
It’s been the offense that has carried the Razorbacks into their third College World Series semifinals appearance since 2009.
Against Texas and Texas Tech, the Razorbacks scored at least one run in the first inning and built up leads of 11-2 and 5-2 before the seventh inning, adding five more runs of insurance in the final third.
On Wednesday against the Red Raiders, Arkansas endured a three-and-a-half-hour rain delay before the game’s first pitch, but the bats didn’t show rust as Jared Gates and Dominic Fletcher both hit their sixth and ninth home runs of the year, respectively, as part of a seven-run outburst.
Fletcher ended up going 4-for-4 with four RBIs, becoming the first player to accomplish that feat in a CWS game at TD Ameritrade Park and the first Razorback to do it in a world series game since Jeff King in 1985.
The 46 wins for the year is the most by a Razorback team since 2012 and ties for the most wins in a season under Dave Van Horn.
Friday’s Probable Starter – RHP Isaiah Campbell
Redshirt sophomore Isaiah Campbell earns the start for Arkansas’ third game of the 2018 College World Series against the Gators, coming off a strong outing in the Super Regional clincher against South Carolina.
Against the Gamecocks, Campbell gave up two runs over four innings and struck out five. However, he only gave up one hit through the first three innings and had allowed only two base runners.
Since March 17, Campbell has worked longer than five innings once but has tallied five or more strikeouts in four of 11 outings.
Hot At The Right Time
In just the NCAA Tournament alone, Arkansas has outscored teams 70-31 and are hitting .331 as a team in eight tournament games.
Even in its lone loss to South Carolina in the Super Regional, the Razorbacks scored five runs and totaled 10 hits.
Arkansas has notched 10 or more hits in five-straight games dating back to the start of the Super Regional and is hitting .360 as a team in the CWS, a higher average than any other team in the field.
Mr. June Continues Postseason Heroics
Senior first baseman Jared Gates is starting to make his great postseason play a normal occurrence after he hit his sixth home run of the year on Wednesday against Texas Tech.
It was Gates’ only hit of the game, but fourth of the College World Series. In his 11 career NCAA Tournament games, Gates has hit four home runs, while hitting just eight home runs in his 68 other career games.
This postseason, Gates is hitting .345, the fifth-highest average on the team.
Beat The Best To Be The Best
Arkansas’ matchup with top-seeded Florida on Friday will be the program’s first against the top-seed in the College World Series since facing Texas in the opening round of the 2004 College World Series.
The Razorbacks and Gators have faced off four times this year, including a three-game series in Gainesville and one game in the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama.
Florida won the regular-season series by taking the final two games, 17-2 and 5-4.
However, in Hoover, Arkansas won a trip to the conference semifinals, defeating pitcher Jackson Kowar after scoring four runs over the first six innings and then capping it with a grand slam in the ninth inning from Hunter Wilson, his first home run as a Razorback.
Cotton, Igbokwe auto-qualify to semifinals at USA Championships
DES MOINES, Iowa — In rainy and overcast conditions at Drake Field, Arkansas, both current and Pro Hogs, competed on the opening day of the USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships on the campus of Drake University.
Leading the day for Arkansas were All-Americans Obi Igbokwe and Kenzo Cotton, both advancing to their respective finals.
Igbokwe advanced to the semifinals of the 400-meters posting a time of 45.95, the 11th-fastest on the day, from lane five to grab an auto-Q spot to the next round. Joining Igbokwe in the preliminary heat of the 400-meters was Arkansas alum Marqueze Washington. Washington finished 23rd at 47.60. Igbokwe will run in the semifinals of the 400-meters at 6:20 p.m. tomorrow night.
In the prelims of the 100-meters, Kenzo Cotton chose the easy route to the next round. Cotton grabbed his spot in the semifinal by way of the auto-Q running 10.13Q to finish third in his heat and 11th-overall. Cotton will return for semifinal action at 5:50 p.m. tomorrow.
Derek Jacobus wrapped up day one of the decathlon with a total of 3,874 and is currently in sixth-place through five events.
Jacobus posted marks of 11.02 in the 100-meters, 7.13m (23′-4.75″) in the long jump, 12.60m (41′-4.25″) in the shot put, 1.90m (6′-2.75″) in the high jump, and 49.96 in the 400-meters to close out day one action. Day two of the decathlon for Jacobus will begin at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow with the 110-meter hurdles.
Larry Donald posted a time of 51.93 in the first-round of the 400-meter hurdles finishing sixth in his heat, 22nd overall. Donald will return to the track for first-round action in the 110-meter hurdles Saturday at 2:35 p.m. CT.
At the Jamaican National Championships, Arkansas alum Clive Pullen and senior Kemar Mowatt competed in the triple jump and 400-meter hurdle prelims, respectively.
Pullen, competing for Puma, finished fourth in the triple jump with a best of 15.96m (52′-4.50″).
Mowatt, who finished second at last year’s Jamaican National Championships, qualified for the finals in the event with a time of 48.96Q that was second in his heat and the third-fastest time in the prelims. Mowatt will run in the finals of the 400-meter hurdles tomorrow night at 7:52 p.m.
Morris signs contract; no surprises in final version
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Chad Morris’ contract is finally official.
Morris, who was hired last December, reportedly signed the contract last week.
The principal terms of the 34-page contract are not changed from an offer letter Morris signed in December. His annual salary will be $3.5 million, $500,000 from the university and $3 million from the Razorback Foundation. The contract runs through Dec. 31, 2023.
Morris will be eligible for up to $1 million in competition-based bonuses and $200,000 in academic-based bonuses each year, and is eligible for three retention payments of $500,000 apiece, contingent that no “significant” NCAA violations have occurred and the program is not on NCAA probation at the time the payments are due in February of 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Dates of the signatures were not listed on the contract, but there are reports the contract was executed within the past 48 hours.
If Morris is fired for convenience on or before Dec. 31, 2022, he will be eligible to receive 70 percent of his $3.5 million annual salary for the duration of his contract. If he is fired on or after Jan. 1, 2023, he will be eligible to receive 100 percent of his annual salary.
The buyout terms in Morris’ contract are stated plainly and are not the legalese maze of Bielema’s.
Morris’ contract is also considerably less than Bret Bielema’s 70-page contract that was signed in August 2013.
Arkansas also paid Morris’ $2 million buyout at SMU, according to the contract.
Morris, who graduated from Texas A&M University, does not have a no-compete clause in his contract that would prohibit from accepting another job within the SEC.
Morris’ buyout if he took another job would be $3 million before the end of 2019, $2.5 million in 2020, $2 million in 2021 and $1.5 million in 2022. There is no buyout in the final year of the deal.
Ortiz earns PING All-American honor from golf coaches
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas men’s golf senior Alvaro Ortiz was selected to the PING All-American team the Golf Coaches Association announced on Thursday.
The honor is the first for Ortiz who also earned back-to-back PING Central Region honors as a junior and senior.
Ortiz paced the Razorbacks with a 71.24 stroke average in 14 tournaments. The senior from Zapopan, Mexico, posted five top-10 finishes this season including playing to a T-1st at the Southern Intercollegiate in the spring. He counted 21 rounds under par and lead the team with 150 birdies in his final year.
Ortiz was a big part of Arkansas’ success in 2017-18. He battled back from a tough start at the Southeastern Conference Championship firing a final round 68 to propel the Razorbacks into match play at Sea Island Golf Club.
He was solid through the first two rounds of NCAA Regional play but again dropped low with a 69 in round three helping Arkansas move up the leaderboard to qualify for the NCAA Championship.
Arkansas wrapped up the season ranked No. 18 in the Golfstat.com rankings with Ortiz checking in at No. 48 in the nation. Arkansas was No. 17 in the final Golfweek.com standings and Ortiz finished No. 47 overall.
Current, former Hogs will play in NWA Championship
ROGERS — Two current and two former Arkansas women’s golfers will tee it up at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G at Pinnacle Country Club on Friday.
Armatures Maria Fassi and Dylan Kim join the field of LPGA Tour professionals including former Razorbacks Stacy Lewis and Gabriela Lopez for a weekend of golf and Calling the Hogs.
Fassi is taking part on a sponsor’s exemption for the second time in three years. Kim fought her way in via the Monday qualifier. Kim carded the second-best Razorback score on the course with a 6-under 65 to tie for the win and move on.
Lewis was the event’s first sponsor’s exemption in 2007. The Razorback All-American was the unofficial winner after shooting a 65 in the first round before play was rained out. Lewis won the event in 2014 with a three-round 201.
Lopez was a three-time sponsor’s exemption for Arkansas playing in the tournament in 2013, 2014 and 2015 as an amateur. She has made two other appearances after turning pro posting her best finish with a T-10th place last season.
Tee Times
| TIME | RAZORBACK | PLAYING WITH … | STARTING HOLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:47 a.m. | Stacy Lewis | Moriya Jutanugarn, Shanshan Feng | 1 |
| 2:09 p.m. | Maria Fassi | Jaye Marie Green, Madelene Sagstrom | 1 |
| 2:20 p.m. | Gabriela Lopez | Christina Kim, Morgan Pressel | 1 |
| 2:31 p.m. | Dylan Kim | Mariajo Uribe, Cheyenne Woods | 1 |
New in 2018, Razorback fans of all ages are invited to attend Razorback Fan Day at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G on Saturday, June 23 at Pinnacle Country Club. The event, hosted in celebration of the Razorback men’s and women’s golf teams’ successful seasons, will be held in Hub479 on the 17th Hole from 1:00 – 4:00pm. Fans will have the opportunity to meet the Razorback mascots and Spirit Squad, and are encouraged to wear Cardinal to the tournament in support of the Hogs.
Cotton named to Google Academic All-American team
AUSTIN, Texas — Arkansas senior Kenzo Cotton was named to the 2017-18 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Division I Cross Country/Track & Field Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), for their outstanding accomplishments in academics and athletics.
Cotton, a senior Kinesiology – Exercise Science major, has posted season-bests of 10.12 in the 100-meters, 20.38 in the 200-meters and contributed as the anchor leg on the 4-x-100-meter relay. Cotton graduated from Arkansas with his degree in early May and will close out his athletic career at Arkansas at the USATF Championships this week in Des Moines, Iowa where he will compete in the 100-meters and 200-meters.
Cotton earned three First-Team All-American honors at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. in the 200-meters, 4-x-100-meter relay, and the 4-x-400-meter relay bringing his career total to 19 All-American over his four years in Fayetteville.
Among the 46 student-athletes on the Division I Academic All-America® Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field teams, 23 men carry a GPA of 4.0 or better. The 17 student-athletes on the men’s first team carry an average G.P.A. of 3.975.
| FIRST TEAM | ||||
| Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| Will Anderson | Bradley University | Jr. | 4 | Electrical Engineering |
| Brian Barraza (2) | University of Houston | Sr. | 4 | Kinesiology Exercise Science |
| Charles Braddock | The Citadel | Sr. | 4 | Electrical Engineering |
| Kenneth Brinson | United States Military Academy | So. | 4.03 | Chemical Engineering |
| Kenzo Cotton | University of Arkansas | Sr. | 3.63 | Kinesiology Exercise Science |
| Trey Culver | Texas Tech University | Gr. | 4 | Sports Management |
| Noah Gade | Oklahoma State University | Gr. | 4.00/4.00 | Quantitative Financial Economics (G) |
| Cole Gorski | Ohio State University | Sr. | 3.95 | Computer Science |
| Jonathan Horvath | UC Davis | Gr. | 4.00/4.00 | Neurobiology / Physiology & Behavior |
| Torben Laidig | Virginia Tech | Sr. | 3.94 | Biochemistry / Biological Sciences |
| Daniel Lam | University of New Mexico | Sr. | 4.16 | Business Administration |
| Stefano Pineda | U.S. Naval Academy | Jr. | 4 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Jacob Poyner | Lipscomb University | Sr. | 4 | Exercise Science |
| Sam Prakel (#) | University of Oregon | Sr. | 3.89 | Biochemistry |
| Patrick Reilly | Lehigh University | Sr. | 4 | Political Science / Physics |
| Ben Saarel (*) (@) | University of Colorado | Sr. | 3.98 | Engineering Physics |
| Elliott Stone | North Dakota State University | Sr. | 4 | Mechanical Engineering |
| SECOND TEAM | ||||
| Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| Hussain Al Hizam (3) | University of Kansas | Jr. | 3.5 | Finance |
| Vincent Ciattei | Virginia Tech | Sr. | 3.77 | Engineering Science & Mechanics |
| Tai Dinger | Stanford University | Sr. | 3.99 | Molecular & Cell Biology |
| Anders Eriksson | University of Florida | Jr. | 3.79 | Aerospace Engineering |
| Josh Hanna | U.S. Naval Academy | Sr. | 3.91 | Nuclear Engineering |
| Gustavs Kehris | University of Arizona | Jr. | 4 | Physics |
| J.D. LaFayette (%) | Illinois State University | Sr. | 4 | Computer Science |
| Kyler Little | Washington State University | Jr. | 4 | Mathematics |
| Matt Ludwig | University of Akron | Jr. | 3.83 | Biomedical Engineering |
| Jerrell Mock (1) | Colorado State University | Sr. | 3.85 | Biological Sciences |
| Jacob Thomson | University of Kentucky | Sr. | 3.68 | Accounting & Finance |
| Rafael Vallery | University of Memphis | Sr. | 3.99 | Finance |
| Adrian Valles (1) (*) | University of Cincinnati | Gr. | 3.97/4.00 | Business Administration / Business Analytics |
| Derek Wiebke (3) | University of Minnesota | Sr. | 3.81 | German / Scandinavian / Dutch |
| THIRD TEAM | ||||
| Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| Jason Attuso | Louisiana State University | So. | 4.01 | Kinesiology Human Movement |
| Kyle Decker (3) | DePaul University | Jr. | 3.99 | Biological Sciences |
| Joe Delgado | University of Louisville | Gr. | 3.71/3.71 | Masters of Urban Planning |
| Daniel Glick | Troy University | Jr. | 4 | Communication Arts / Speech |
| Christopher Henry | University of Wyoming | So. | 4 | Molecular Biology / Physiology |
| Alex Jackson | University of Northern Iowa | Jr. | 4 | Biology |
| James Mackay | Mississippi State University | Jr. | 4 | Finance |
| Chartt Miller | Iona College | Sr. | 3.94 | Information Systems |
| Olushola Olojo (3) | University of Memphis | Sr. | 3.96 | Business Economics |
| Ben Petrella | United States Military Academy | So. | 3.98 | Physics |
| Nicolas Quijera | Mississippi State University | Sr. | 3.92 | Economics |
| Josh Short | University of Alabama | Sr. | 4 | Political Science |
| Nahom Solomon | Georgia Tech | Sr. | 3.75 | Computer Engineering |
| Chandler Teigen | Washington State University | Jr. | 3.96 | Biological Engineering |
| Austin Woodard | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | So. | 4 | Chemistry |
(1) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team selection in 2016-17
(2) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® second team selection in 2016-17
(3) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® third team selection in 2016-17
(#) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team selection in 2015-16
(*) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® second team selection in 2015-16
(%) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® third team selection in 2015-16
(@) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® third team selection in 2014-15
Hoggard, Jacobus named Google Academic All-Americans
AUSTIN, Texas — Arkansas juniors Tori Hoggard, and Lexi Jacobus were named to the 2017-18 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Division I Cross Country/Track & Field Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), for their outstanding accomplishments in academics and athletics.
Since joining the Razorbacks in Fall 2015 the Weeks sisters have maintained a remarkable 4.00-grade point average while majoring in chemistry. The pair not only mirror each other in looks and academics but also match almost identically in athletic prowess.
At the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Lexi finished as the NCAA Runner-up, while sister Tori finished 12th at the meet. The runner-up finish came on the heels of Jacobus’ third-career national championship at the NCAA indoor championships this past March, while Hoggard finished as the national runner-up at the same meet. With 10 athletic All-America honors between them, Academic All-American honors gives them accolades from the classroom to add to their ever-growing collection of awards.
There are 28 members of the 47 honored on this year’s Division I Academic All-America® Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field teams with a GPA of 4.0 or better. The 17 members of the women’s first team carry an average GPA of 3.978.
| FIRST TEAM | ||||
| Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| Lara Boman | University of South Dakota | Sr. | 4 | Physics |
| Amy Cashin (2) | West Virginia University | Gr. | 3.91/4.00 | Sports & Exercise Psychology (UG) / Counseling (G) |
| Elise Cranny (2) (%) | Stanford University | Sr. | 3.87 | Human Biology |
| Stephanie Ferrante (3) | Oklahoma State University | Sr. | 4 | Biochemistry / Micro/Cell & Molecular Biology |
| Erin Finn (1) (#) | University of Michigan | Gr. | 3.98/4.18 | Epidemiology (UG) / Public Health (G) |
| Jessica Harris (3) | University of Notre Dame | Sr. | 3.81 | Theology |
| Emily Hart | Oklahoma State University | Sr. | 4 | Pre-Veterinary Animal Science |
| Victoria Hoggard | University of Arkansas | Jr. | 4 | Chemistry |
| Alexis Jacobus | University of Arkansas | Jr. | 4 | Chemistry |
| Halie Mechels | South Dakota State University | Sr. | 4 | Human Biology |
| Lynne Mooradian | United States Military Academy | So. | 4.23 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Keturah Orji (1) (#) | University of Georgia | Sr. | 3.97 | Financial Planning |
| Allie Ostrander | Boise State University | Jr. | 4 | Kinesiology |
| Elsa Racasan | Rice University | Sr. | 4.11 | Kinesiology |
| Karissa Schweizer | University of Missouri | Sr. | 3.42 | Health Sciences |
| Allie Sweatt | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Sr. | 4 | Social Work |
| Alice Wright (1) (#) | University of New Mexico | Gr. | 4.03/4.04 | Business Administration |
| SECOND TEAM | ||||
| Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| Ariane Ballner | Oklahoma State University | So. | 4 | Management & Marketing |
| Lauren Bartels | Tulane University | Sr. | 3.99 | Chemical Engineering |
| Anna Cockrell | University of Southern California | So. | 4 | Communications |
| Emily Fedders | Appalachian State | Jr. | 4 | Quantitative Geoscience |
| Kayla Finnegan | Grand Canyon University | Sr. | 4 | Accounting |
| Cassandra Gill (3) | Iona College | Gr. | 4.00/4.00 | Information Systems |
| Ellison Grove | San Diego State University | Sr. | 4 | International Security & Conflict Resolution |
| Angela Mercurio | University of Nebraska | Sr. | 3.99 | Biochemistry / Women’s and Gender Studies |
| Allie Mueller | University of South Carolina | Jr. | 4 | Pharmacy |
| Amy-Eloise Neale | University of Washington | Gr. | 3.83/3.82 | Public Health (UG) / Public Administration (G) |
| Janina Pollatz | Eastern Michigan University | Sr. | 4 | Electronic Media |
| Madeline Strandemo | University of Minnesota | Sr. | 3.81 | Marketing / Mandarin Chinese |
| Sam Tollerud | Kent State University | Sr. | 4 | Exercise Science |
| THIRD TEAM | ||||
| Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| Christine Bendzinski | Bucknell University | Sr. | 3.84 | Cell Biology / Biochemistry |
| Kaitlyn Benner | University of Colorado | Sr. | 3.93 | Chemical & Biological Engineering / Sociology |
| Briar Brumley | Cornell University | Jr. | 4.02 | Hotel Administration & Management |
| Katie Burnham | U.S. Air Force Academy | Sr. | 3.95 | Mathematics |
| Macy Carrier | East Tennessee State University | Sr. | 4 | Human Services |
| Haley Crouser | University of Texas | Sr. | 3.35 | Corporate Communication |
| Kassidy Manning | University of Louisville | Jr. | 4 | Business / Accounting |
| Jordann McDermitt (2) | Eastern Michigan University | Sr. | 3.97 | Exercise Science |
| Lotte Meyberg | Georgia State University | So. | 4.22 | Nutrition |
| Eden Meyer (2) | University of North Florida | Sr. | 3.99 | Biology |
| Emily Moore | Lafayette College | Jr. | 4 | Engineering |
| Temi Ogunrinde | University of Minnesota | Sr. | 3.64 | Entrepreneurial Management |
| Ashley Pryke | University of Memphis | Jr. | 3.88 | Exercise, Sport & Movement Sciences |
| Kiley Sabin | University of Minnesota | Sr. | 3.6 | Physiology |
| Gillian Schriever | University of Pittsburgh | Jr. | 3.93 | Chemical Engineering |
| Paige Stoner | Syracuse University | Sr. | 3.76 | Psychology |
| Morgan Woods | McNeese State University | Jr. | 4 | Elementary Education |
(1) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team selection in 2016-17
(2) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® second team selection in 2016-17
(3) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® third team selection in 2016-17
(#) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team selection in 2015-16
(%) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® third team selection in 2015-16
PHOTOS: Best images from Hogs’ win over Red Raiders
Tadlock, players following Wednesday loss to Hogs
© Video from NCAA
Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock and players met with the media following Arkansas’ explosive 7-4 win over the Red Raiders on Wednesday afternoon.
