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Barkley announces intentions to leave Hogs’ football team

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — Running back Maleek Barkley has become the latest Arkansas football player to leave the program.

The Austin, Texas, native from Lake Travis High School sat out last season as a freshman redshirt receiver.

After moving to running back in the spring, he was running behind Devwah Whaley, T.J. Hammonds, Chase Hayden, Maleek Williams and Kendrick Jackson. With junior college signee Rakeem Boyd in the picture, Barkley made the decision to go somewhere else.

Barkley was part of a 2017 Razorback recruiting class that ranked 27th nationally and 10th in the SEC by 247Sports. The former wide receiver was the 10th highest-rated signee Arkansas received that offseason.

Despite being only one year removed from that signing day, the Razorbacks have already lost three of 24 signees from that class.

Linebacker Josh Paul was dismissed from the program following last season, defensive back Korey Hernandez decided to transfer not long after spring practice concluded and Barkley announced his intentions to move elsewhere today.

Cornerback Chevin Calloway, tight end Jeremy Patton, running back Chase Hayden, safety Kam Curl and wide receiver Jonathan Nance from that class are all expecting to see major roles in 2018.

Including Barkley’s departure, the Razorback football program has now had 10 players leave for one reason or another since the end of the 2017 season — Barkley, Jake Hall, Korey Hernandez, Will Gragg, Reid Miller, Zach Rogers, Jake Heinrich, Jack Kraus, Cole Hedlund and Josh Paul.

The move will put Arkansas at 84 scholarship players, one below the allowed NCAA maximum. Even further attrition is expected to happen on Arkansas’ roster between now and the start of next season.

Van Horn as Hogs head to College World Series

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn visited with the media before getting on the bus headed to XNA for the team’s flight to Omaha to play for a national championship.

Shaddy on getting back to College World Series

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Razorbacks second baseman Carson Shaddy talked about getting back to Omaha and how he’s trying to keep everything on an even keel focused on national title.

Cole on how playing Texas no big deal for him

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas right fielder Eric Cole talked Thursday before leaving for Omaha about how playing the Longhorns isn’t a big deal because not many Texas fans at Southlake where he’s from.

Thompson on how team’s hitting has improved

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas batting coach Nate Thompson talked Thursday as the Razorbacks were preparing to leave for Omaha about players and what they’ve done to improve hitting.

Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Thursday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Thursday

Hog freshmen Martin, Kjerstad named All-American

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — Infielder Casey Martin and outfielder Heston Kjerstad picked up more postseason hardware earlier this week, earning First Team Freshman All-America honors by the National College Baseball Writers’ Association (NCBWA).

Martin and Kjerstad have been, arguably, the best freshman hitting duo in the nation as they have both notched more than 55 starts each and are hitting .340 or higher.

Martin’s .344 average is tops on the team, while Kjerstad is hitting .340 with a team-leading 14 home runs and 54 RBIs.

Both averages are the highest among all freshmen in the SEC and top 20 in the country.

With their new distinction, Martin and Kjerstad become the 20th and 21st Freshman All-Americans in program history, following teammate Dominic Fletcher, who was the lone Freshman All-American on last year’s squad.

It’s also the first time since 2011 that Arkansas has had two or more players named Freshman All-Americans in the same season.

Kjerstad, who has been at or near the top of all offensive categories this year, was tabbed as the SEC’s Freshman of the Year in May after hitting .322 in conference play with five home runs, 21 RBIs and seven walks.

Overall, his .340 average is good for 10th in the league and he has top 10 totals in runs scored (61), hits (81), slugging (.576), RBIs (54), home runs (14) and total bases (137).

Last week in the NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional, Kjerstad hit his 13th and 14th home run of the year, setting a new Arkansas freshman record for home runs set by Zack Cox in 2009.

He’s also set new freshman records in hits, total bases, and hit by pitches (18).

As for Martin, the Lonoke, Arkansas native has burst onto the scene with similar numbers to Kjerstad.

Entering the College World Series, Martin has played in 61 games and has registered 77 hits, 12 doubles, 13 home runs and 46 RBIs. In seven of his last 12 games dating back to May 19, Martin has notched a multi-hit game and is hitting .373 during that span, leading all Razorbacks.

Martin was named to the All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team at the end of the regular season as his .333 average in conference play was best among all league freshmen.

Kjerstad, Martin and the Razorbacks head to Omaha, Nebraska this week to play in the College World Series with their first game set for Sunday against Texas at 1 p.m.

Arkansas will be playing in its ninth College World Series in program history and fifth under coach Dave Van Horn.

Knight named first team All-American by writers

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — Blaine Knight was named to the All-America first team by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers, it was announced Wednesday.

Knight, a junior right-hander, is one of seven starting pitchers on the NCBWA first team. Other starters are Auburn’s Casey Mize, Florida’s Brady Singer, Oregon State’s Luke Heimlich, Southern Miss’ Nick Sandlin, Stetson’s Logan Gilbert and UC Irvine’s Andre Pallante.

Voters were asked to select eight starting pitchers during the voting process, which ended last week. Other Arkansas players on the NCBWA ballot were second baseman Carson Shaddy, third baseman Casey Martin and outfielder Heston Kjerstad. Martin and Kjerstad were voted to the NCBWA Freshman All-America team.

Knight is 12-0 this season with a 2.84 ERA in 16 starts. He is one win shy of tying the school record for wins in a single season and is expected to start the Razorbacks’ game against Texas on Sunday at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

The Bryant native previously was named second-team All-America by Baseball America and Perfect Game, and to the third team by Collegiate Baseball.

Arkansas has had 23 individuals named All-America 28 times. Prior to Knight, Andrew Benintendi, the 2015 winner of the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award as national player of the year, was the Razorbacks’ most recent All-American.

Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast – Wednesday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast – Wednesday

Hogs add graduate transfer receiver from Kansas

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas is adding some immediate help at wide receiver with redshirt sophomore Chase Harrell announcing he’s coming to the Hogs.

Harrell, 6-4, 230,

caught 25 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns last season, announced Tuesday that he will play his final two season as a Razorback and will be immediately eligible.

He took an official visit to Fayetteville on June 3-5.

Harrell, a former Huffman, Texas, three-star prospect who caught five passes for 81 yards as a redshirt freshman after choosing Kansas over Houston, has had a rough few months.

Harrell was at party in December in Houston where his older brother, Cole, was shot and killed. He was arrested on suspension of driving under the influence in month.

He announced on April 13 that he had decided to use his remaining two years of eligibility elsewhere.

“So blessed to say I will be the first person to GRADUATE from college this summer,” Harrell tweeted. “With that being said, with everything I have been through this past 6 months, I’m looking for a FRESH start and have decided to transfer from KU and play my FINAL TWO years at another D1 University.

“To Jayhawk nation, my KU teammates, and coaching staff I want to say thank you for everything and I love y’all. This has nothing to do with the KU program, this is just something I need to do for myself to truly start FRESH and REFOCUS.

“I just want to honor my brother Cole on the football field every time I step on it and I feel the best way to do that is with a FRESH start and a New Beginning.”

Kansas coach David Beaty noted he was fond of Harrell at the time of his transfer announcement.

“He’s done a terrific job of doing everything that we’ve asked him to do and things that we’ve encouraged him to do,” Beaty told the Kansas City Star. “He’s a kid that we all love. He’s adored in our program. The No. 1 goal for us is to help Chase.”

Baum Stadium leads nation in attendance for NCAA’s

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — Baum Stadium hosted nine games during the NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals over the past two weeks, welcoming more fans than any other ballpark in the nation with 89,852 packing the stadium during the two rounds that saw Arkansas advance to the program’s ninth College World Series.

Baum Stadium was one of only five ballparks to host both Regionals and Super Regionals and the only one to surpass 80,000 in total attendance.

In the games featuring the Razorbacks, the average attendance was 10,594 — including 11,473 during Super Regionals.

All three Super Regional crowds exceeded 11,000 and are three of the largest postseason attendances in stadium history.

Including the postseason, attendance at Baum Stadium this season climbed to 311,828.

Arkansas wrapped up the 2018 season with the most home wins in program history, going 34-4 at Baum Stadium.

The Razorbacks open play in Omaha, Nebraska at the College World Series against Texas on Sunday at 1 p.m. at TD Ameritrade Park on ESPN.

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