Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn after Sunday’s 6-3 win over Texas A&M to finish off another sweep of an SEC team at Baum Stadium where Hogs were 29-3 this year.
Bonfield, Kenley, Campbell recapping Hogs’ win over A&M
Razorback players Luke Bonfield, Jack Kenley and Isaiah Campbell talked with the media after another sweep of an SEC team at Baum Stadium this year.
Brown, Brooks sprint into record books at SEC Championships
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 4 Arkansas put points on the board Saturday night, as well as qualifying six through to the finals and racking up 11-points in the women’s steeplechase to cap day two action at the SEC Outdoor Championships.
Razorbacks coach Lance Harter:
“Well we’re on the board. We’ve got people advancing to the finals. Obviously, Jada [Baylark] in the 200-meters, [Morgan] Burks-Magee in the 400-meters with a big PR, and in the 100-meters we have Kiara Parker who laid down a personal-best to make it in. Unfortunately, Jada missed the final by thousandths of a second (0.06), but that the nature of the sport. Both our hurdlers got through and Nikki [Hiltz] had a breakthrough in the 1,500-meters. [Nikki Hiltz] ran a regional qualifying time and won her section of the prelim, that pretty extraordinary, and Carina [Viljoen] advanced in the 1,500-meters as well. We’re obviously very short-handed, so we need to make the most of what it is we have, but so far we’ve done that.”
Janeek Brown and Taliyah Brooks got the day started for Arkansas with the prelims of the 100-meter hurdles.
The heat would prove to be an entertaining one as each Brown and Brooks recorded wind-legal personal-best marks. Brown crossed the line in 12.99Q while Brooks was close behind in 13.03Q.
The times stand as the No. 4 and No. 5 performances in the event in program history. Both advance to the final by virtue of an Auto-Q finish.
Nikki Hiltz and Carina Viljoen advanced through the prelims in the 1,500-meters and will compete in tomorrow’s final.
Hiltz finished strong over the last 50-meters passing Missouri’s Karissa Schweizer to finish first in the heat and second-overall with her time of 4:21.15Q.
Viljoen, also competing in the same section, finished fifth-overall in the prelim with her time of 4:24.88Q.
Morgan Burks-Magee lowered her personal-best time in the 400-meters running 52.94Q in the prelims to secure her spot in the final. Burks-Magee’s time is also the No. 10 time in program history.
Kiara Parker will represent the Razorbacks in the 100-meter final tomorrow after a lifetime-best performance in the event where the junior recorded a time of 11.22q seconds.
Jada Baylark, who finished 10th-overall, missed the final in the event by six one-hundredths of a second (0.06) running (11.230) behind Auburn’s Jonielle Smith (11.226) and Alabama’s Tamara Clark who grabbed the final spot with her time of 11.225.
Arkansas wrapped up day two of the SEC Championships scoring 11-points in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Led by Devin Clark (10:08.88), the Razorbacks finished fourth, fifth, and seventh, respectively, with Rachel Nichwitz (10:23.00) and Regan Hime (10:31.67) rounding out scoring for the Hogs.
Arkansas is currently in 10th-place with 11-points through seven of 21 events.
Arkansas will return to Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium championships Sunday with the first event for the Razorbacks slated for 1:30 p.m. in the women’s high jump.
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
SEC Outdoor Championships
Saturday Results
Women’s 100-meter hurdle prelims
3. Janeek Brown – 12.99Q
5. Taliyah Brooks – 13.03Q
Women’s 100-meter prelims
7. Kiara Parker – 11.22q
10. Jada Baylark – 11.23
15. Janeek Brown – 11.37
29. Tamara Kuykendall – 11.83
Women’s 400-meter prelims
5. Morgan Burks-Magee – 52.94Q
15. Sydney Davis – 54.32
19. Sydney Hammit – 54.82
Women’s 1,500-meter prelims
2. Nikki Hiltz – 4:21.15Q
5. Carina Viljoen – 4:24.88Q
Women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase
4. Devin Clark – 10:08.88
5. Rachel Nichwitz – 10:23.00
7. Regan Hime – 10:31.6
Hogs make move, scoring 26 points on second day at SEC
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Arkansas made a move to the top of the leaderboard on day two of the SEC Outdoor Championships, scoring 26-points to bring the two day total to 39-points through seven of 21 scored events.
Razorbacks coach Chris Bucknam
“I see a team that’s competing really hard. We’re fighting for everything. The way we ended tonight with the steeplechase… that was only the second-time Kyle [Hosting] has run the race. He’s an SEC champ, it was a great effort by Kyle Levermore picking up three points, that was a great way to end the night. We just have to come back and keep plugging at it tomorrow but we had some great performances today. Florida, Texas A&M, Alabama they’re all tough so we have to be really dialed in and stay dialed in till the end.”
Gabe Moore and Derek Jacobus picked up where they left off in the decathlon.
Moore posted personal-bests in the 110-meter hurdles and discus propelling him towards a runner-up finish in the event with a lifetime-best total of 7,901-points that is currently No. 6 in the NCAA. Jacobus strung together a solid finish in the decathlon to finish in fourth-place with a total of 7,555-points.
Larry Donald added his name to the list of qualifiers as he punched his ticket to the 110-meter hurdle final posting a time of 13.93q, while in the open 100-meters it was Kenzo Cotton who punched a ticket of his own to the finals after running 10.17q.
Obi Igbokwe had just enough juice to advance to the final of the 400-meters posting a time of 46 seconds flat.
The highlight of the night was also the final event of the day, the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Kyle Hosting, running his second-ever steeple race, captured the SEC title running a near personal-best time of 8:55.56 scoring 10-points.
Kyle Levermore was close behind in sixth-place with a time of 9:05.31 adding three points.
SEC Outdoor Championships
Saturday Results
Men’s Decathlon 110-meter hurdles
1. Gabe Moore – 14.69
6. Derek Jacobus – 15.76
Men’s Decathlon Discus
1. Gabe Moore – 48.28m (158′-4″)
6. Derek Jacobus – 37.44m (122′-10″)
Men’s Decathlon Pole Vault
2. Derek Jacobus – 4.60m (15′-1″)
3. Gabe Moore – 4.50m (14′-9″)
Men’s Long Jump
11. Harrison Schrage – 5.80m (19′-0.50″)
17. Laquan Narin – 7.48m (24′-6.50″)
22. Rubin Owens – 5.80m (19′-0.50″)
Men’s Shot Put
14. Jeff Rogers – 16.37m (53′-8.50″)
Men’s 110-meter hurdle prelims
8. Larry Donald – 13.93q
Men’s 1,500-meter prelims
1. Cameron Griffith – 3:47.03Q
15. Ethan Moehn – 3:53.67
30. Jack Bruce – 4:02.97q
Men’s 400-meter prelims
6. Obi Igbokwe – 46.00
16. Hunter Woodhall – 47.46
20. Jamarco Stephen – 47.74
Men’s 100-meter prelims
5. Kenzo Cotton – 10.17q
20. Roy Ejiakuekwu – 10.56
21. Kristoffer Hari – 10.59
Men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase
1. Kyle Hosting – 8:55.56
6. Kyle Levermore – 9:05.31
Murphy baffles Aggies for series-clinching win Saturday
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas got another strong outing from a starting pitcher Saturday as junior lefty Kacey Murphy hurled 7.1 scoreless innings on 108 pitches to help the Hogs to a 3-1 victory over No. 20 Texas A&M.
The win is Arkansas’ (35-15, 16-10 SEC) ninth in a row at home and 14th of the year by two runs or less.
Saturday’s win also clinches the series over the Aggies (34-16, 12-14 SEC) and guarantees that Arkansas will finish the 2018 regular-season undefeated in series played at Baum Stadium.
The Razorbacks are now 29-3 in home games this year, including one game played at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
Twenty-eight of those wins, however, have come at Baum Stadium and puts this year’s team just three away from tying the record for most wins at Baum Stadium in a single season.
The Hitting
Senior Carson Shaddy had another strong day at the plate, going 2-for-4 and accounting for driving in all three Razorback runs.
The big hit came in the seventh inning when Shaddy drove in two on a wind-aided double in right field. Today was Shaddy’s sixth game of the season with three or more RBI, and his 13th multi-hit game of the year.
Eric Cole and Heston Kjerstad also turned in multi-hit performances with two hits apiece. Both Cole and Kjerstad contributed a double in the game.
Kjerstad is tied for the team lead with 13 doubles, while Cole is right behind with 12 on the year.
The Pitching
For the second day in a row, the Arkansas starting pitcher handcuffed the Texas A&M offense as Murphy went a career-long 7.1 innings, scattering just four hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
It’s the sixth start in a row that Murphy has worked five or more innings and his fifth in his last six with five or more strikeouts.
He now has a 2.30 ERA on the year, which not only leads the team, but is second-lowest in the SEC behind only Florida’s Brady Singer (2.25).
Junior Barrett Loseke finished off the game’s final 1.2 innings to pick up his third save of the year. He wasn’t able to preserve the shutout as Texas A&M got a sacrifice fly in the ninth to cut the lead the two.
However, Loseke did strike out the final batter with two runners on, giving him 22 strikeouts in his last six outings.
The Defense
Arkansas’ defense wasn’t completely flawless on Saturday, but it did come up with some key plays that kept the game in its favor.
In the first inning, Texas A&M was already threatening as Murphy loaded the bases on a one-out single, a walk, and a hit by pitch.
Fortunately, the next batter, Chris Andritsos, grounded a ball to third base where Casey Martin picked it out of the dirt and got the force out at home. Grant Koch made a good scoop on the play as well to keep the run off the board and allow the Hogs to get out of the inning unscathed.
Up Next
Arkansas and Texas A&M will finish the three-game series on Sunday with first pitch at Noon at Baum Stadium.
The game will be televised on ESPN2 and it will be the final home game of the 2018 regular season.
Van Horn just glad to get win over Aggies on Saturday
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn liked the performance from Kacey Murphy on the mound and Casey Martin’s key defensive play to thwart the A&M rally.
Hogs players recapping series-clinching win over A&M
Arkansas players Grant Koch, Luke Bonfield and Carson Shaddy talk about the 3-1 win over the Aggies on Saturday that clinched the SEC series.
Knight’s big game, Shaddy, Cole lift Hogs to win
Arkansas (34-15, 15-10 SEC) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning capped by a three-run home run by Carson Shaddy, his 10th of the year.
Then, it added five more runs in the fifth to force Texas A&M starter Mitchell Kilkenny out of the game in what ended up being his shortest outing of the year.
In that frame, the Hogs scored runs on a bases-loaded walk and a bases-loaded hit by pitch.
Junior Eric Cole finally broke through in the next at-bat with a two-RBI single with two outs, breaking the game wide open.
It was Cole’s only hit but came at a crucial point where the Aggies couldn’t answer.
The win is the Razorbacks’ eighth straight at home and ups their total home record to 28-3, which includes a win at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
In just home games this year, the Hogs are averaging 8.6 runs per game and have scored five or more in their last six home contests.
Arkansas continues to hold strong to the lead in the SEC Western Division with the victory. Now at 15-10, the Razorbacks are a half-game up on the Ole Miss Rebels, who have already won two games against the Auburn Tigers this week after starting their series on Thursday.
The Hitting
Arkansas’ offensive production came from much of the top half of the lineup Friday night. Arkansas’ Nos. 2, 4, and 5 hitters came away with seven of the team’s 10 hits in the game.
Freshman Casey Martin quietly came away with a 3-for-4 night and one RBI, leading all hitters. It was his fourth game with three or more hits this year.
Luke Bonfield and Dominic Fletcher also turned in multi-hit performances with two hits apiece.
Bonfield’s first hit of the game was huge in the first inning as it came with two outs. Two batters later, Shaddy cleared the bases with his three-run bomb to put the Hogs up early.
Friday’s game was Arkansas’ 28th with 10 or more hits and it is now 23-6 in those games. In eight of their last 12 games, the Hogs have totaled 10 or more hits, six of those games have been victories.
The Pitching
Knight gave his strongest performance of the season, working a season-high seven innings with only three runs allowed, all off the home run.
He also tied his career-high with 11 strikeouts and moves up to eighth all-time in school history with 22 career strikeouts, passing Rob Quarnstrom (216), DJ Baxendale (217), and Charlie Isaacson (219).
Tonight’s outing was also Knight’s 10th of five innings or more. He has only gone short of five innings twice this year and has yet to give up more than three runs in each of his last four starts.
Knight came out before the start of the eighth inning and gave way to junior Jake Reindl, who struck out four over two innings with one hit allowed.
Reindl has been one of Arkansas’ best options out of the bullpen lately as he’s allowed just three runs in his last eight appearances and has now struck out two or more batters in six straight games.
Razorback Quotables
“I thought he really commanded his fastball, in and out. His cutter, they were having trouble hitting it. It was running from those right-handers. That breaking ball, the slower breaking ball, about 72 mph every time you look up there. Then he mixed in a few sliders. He had it all going.” — Coach Dave Van Horn on Blaine Knight’s dominant pitching.
“(Luke) Bonfield got a big hit in the first to keep some stuff going. He sees a lot of pitches, he had full counts, he just battles. I thought he had a tremendous approach. Obviously, Shaddy’s swing gave us a four-run lead at the time, gave us a chance to relax a little bit. Those are two of the older guys that we hope to lead us down the stretch.” — Van Horn on Senior players performances.
“(Mitchell) Kilkenny doesn’t throw the ball in the middle of the plate much. He can really throw to his glove side, which is away to the right-handed hitters. I think the pitch that Shaddy hit was just left over the plate a little bit and he got it. He’s a good pitcher, throws the ball with downhill tilt. I don’t think he had the command he normally has. I think our approach was to stay aggressive and that’s what he did” — Van Horn on hitting Mitchell Kilkenny so well.
“I don’t think A&M was really ready for the curveball as much as they were for the cutter. I think if you look back at my past games I only throw that curveball a handful of times. I threw it way more tonight and I think that caught them off guard a little bit. Everything was working good.” — Blaine Knight on his strong secondary pitches.
“First pitch I took was a ball outside, and I was telling myself cover the outside corner and look for a slider up. He made a good pitch it was just low and inside. My instincts took over and I didn’t really think about I just put my bat on the ball and good things happened.” — Carson Shaddy on his three-run home run in the first inning.
“I fed off (Jack) Kenley and Hunter (Wilson) in front of me. They both had good at-bats and both got down two strikes real quick and fought off pitches. I fed off that and knew it was my turn. Seeing what they did really helped me out and he had a good pitch on me and I just capped it, luckily it fell.” — Eric Cole on his bases loaded two-RBI single in the fifth inning.
Up Next
Arkansas and Texas A&M will be back on the field for game two of the series tomorrow starting at 1 p.m.
The game will be televised on ESPN2. Saturday will also be Senior Day for Luke Bonfield, Carson Shaddy, Jared Gates.
Those recognition ceremonies will start at roughly 12:30 p.m.
10k yields 10 points for Hogs on opening day at SEC meet
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On the opening day of the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, No. 8 Arkansas handled business, qualifying four athletes through to the finals as well as scoring 10-points in the men’s 10K and three in the javelin throw.
The Razorbacks are currently in fourth-place with 13-points.
“I saw a great team effort today,” said coach Chris Bucknam.
“I saw some great efforts by all of our kids, the only mishap on the day was Travius Chambers having a little trouble negotiating hurdle seven in the 400-hurdles, I thought he had a great shot at quaifying for the final. I thought our kids performed well and were dialed in today. Hats off to the 10K guys that stuck around and ran a grueling 10K race in the heat and humid conditions. Alex Springer finishing sixth in the javelin was a huge performance after entering the meet ranked No. 10 in the conference and going out there and battling for important points. Across the board we’re really pleased with how our kids came out and battled today, picked up some points, and got the ball rolling for us.”
Gabe Moore and Derek Jacobus accounted for the majority of the action for Arkansas on day one as the duo kicked off the meet with the first half of the decathlon.
Moore sprinted to a personal-best in the 100-meters crossing the line in 10.69 seconds, well under his previous best of 10.96 from last year’s NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Jacobus followed Moore across the line breaking the plane in 10.88 seconds.
The second event in the decathlon saw Jacobus and Moore finish second and third, respectively, with marks of 7.35m (24′-1.50″) and 7.20m (23′-7.50″) in the long jump.
Jacobus posted a personal-best in the shot put finishing with a best of 12.96m (42′-6.25″) in fifth-place, while Moore took third with his best of 14.23m (46′-8.25″).
Event four of the competition featured identical marks by the pair as each cleared a best of 1.91m (6′-3.25″) in the high jump.
Only 400-meters stood between Moore and Jacobus and the end of day one in the decathlon. Moore took second in the one-lap race stopping the clock at 49.33, while Jacobus was close behind with his time of 50.20.
Moore is currently in second-place trailing the leader by 96-points with his day one total of 4,104.
Jacobus is currently in fourth-place trailing the leader by 221 points sporting a total of 3,979-points after five events.
Though it was the last event of the day, the event that yielded the most points Friday was the men’s 10,000-meters where the Razorbacks racked up 10-points with a 5-6-7-8 finish.
Gilbert Boit (29:48.24), Austen Dalquist (29:53.31), Matt Young (30:05.09), and Ryan Murphy (30:10.68) rounded out the scoring in the event for Arkansas while Andrew Ronoh finished ninth in 30:30.96.
Alex Springer collected points for the Razorbacks in the men’s javelin with a best of 65.18m (213′-10″) that he posted on his final attempt in the event. The sixth-place finish added three points to the team total.
Kenzo Cotton and Obi Igbokwe punched tickets to the final in the men’s 200-meters, each recording a time of 20.52.
Cotton earned an Auto-Q spot in the final by winning his heat, while Igbokwe advanced to the final on time finishing with the second-best at-large time in prelims that was also a personal-best in the event.
Moving up to the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, Kemar Mowatt, the defending SEC champion in the event, secured his spot in the final taking the opening heat of prelims running the second-fastest time on the day at 51.03.
Mowatt glanced over his shoulder throughout the last 50-meters checking on teammate Larry Donald who finished runner-up in the prelim to Mowatt posting a time of 51.18 – the fourth-fastest time from prelims.
Arkansas will return to Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium for day two of the SEC Outdoor Championships with the first event for the Razorbacks slated for 11 a.m. in the decathlon 110-meter hurdles.
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
SEC Outdoor Championships
Friday Results
Men’s Decathlon 100-meters
3. Gabe Moore – 10.69
4. Derek Jacobus – 10.88
Men’s Decathlon Long Jump
2. Derek Jacobus – 7.35m (24′-1.50″)
3. Gabe Moore – 7.20m (23′-7.50″)
Men’s Decathlon Shot Put
3. Gabe Moore – 14.23m (46′-8.25″)
5. Derek Jacobus – 12.96m (42′-6.25″)
Men’s Decathlon High Jump
3. Derek Jacobus – 1.91m (6′-3.25″)
3. Gabe Moore – 1.91m (6′-3.25″)
Men’s Decathlon 400-meters
2. Gabe Moore – 49.33
4. Derek Jacobus – 50.20
Men’s Javelin
6. Alex Springer – 65.18m (213′-10″)
Men’s Hammer
16. Erich Sullins – 60.60m (198′-10″)
Men’s 800-meters
19. Kieran Taylor – 1:53.76
Men’s 200-meters
3. Kenzo Cotton – 20.52Q
7. Obi Igbokwe – 20.52q
13. Roy Ejiakuekwu – 20.87
18. Kevin Harris – 21.08
Men’s 400-meter hurdles
2.Kemar Mowatt – 51.03Q
5. Larry Donald – 51.18Q
Men’s 10,000-meters
5. Gilbert Boit – 29:48.24
6. Austen Dalquist – 29:53.31
7. Matt Young – 30:05.09
8. Ryan Murphy – 30:10.68
9. Andrew Ronoh – 30:30.96
Van Horn liked Knight’s performance against Aggies
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn was pleased with pitcher Blaine Knight’s “stuff” in the series opening 9-3 win over Texas A&M.
Players recap Friday night’s win over Texas A&M
Arkansas players Blaine Knight, Eric Cole and Carson Shaddy talk about the 9-3 win over the Aggies in the series-opener against Texas A&M.
