PHOTOS: Best pictures from Hogs’ win over Florida
Hogs reach CWS Finals with 5-2 win over Florida
OMAHA, Neb. — For the second time in program history and first time since 1979, Arkansas is headed to the College World Series finals with Friday’s 5-2 victory over top-ranked Florida.
On his way to the win, redshirt sophomore Isaiah Campbel tied a career high with eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings while freshman Casey Martin posted four hits, three runs and an RBI.
With the win, Arkansas improves to 47-19 this season and advances to the championship series which begins Monday at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
The Razorbacks await the winner of the Oregon State-Mississippi State matchup which will be settled Saturday at TD Ameritrade Park.
The Big Inning
Holding on two-run lead through four innings, the Razorbacks scored a pair of runs in the top of the fifth to push its advantage to 4-0.
Once again, Martin started the rally with a double to lead off the inning and after a groundout by Heston Kjerstad, he came around to score on an RBI groundout by senior Luke Bonfield.
With two down, sophomore Dominic Fletcher added a solo shot for his 10th home run and Arkansas’ 98th big fly of the year.
The Hitting
Arkansas had 11 hits Friday, good for the team’s eighth double-digit performance in nine NCAA Tournament games. Along with Martin, the Razorbacks got multi-hit efforts from Bonfield, Fletcher and Jax Biggers.
With his four-hit showing, Martin has at least two in six-straight games and eight of the past nine. The freshman infielder is hitting .571 (8-for-14) during the College World Series.
The Pitching
Making his 16th start of the season, Campbell held Florida without a hit through the first four innings before the No. 1 national seed got on the board with a pair of two-out runs.
Campbell got out of the jam with his eighth strikeout, establishing a new program high for strikeouts in a College World Series game. The previous mark of seven was held by Drew Smyly against Virginia in 2009.
Sophomore Matt Cronin recorded the final six outs of the game for his 13th save of the year which ties the single-season mark set by Colby Suggs in 2013.
Early Advantage
With the help of a RBI single by Bonfield, the Razorbacks scored in the first inning for a fourth-consecutive game.
The Skillman, N.J., native drove in Martin with a base knock to center on the 10th pitch of his at-bat against Florida starter Brady Singer.
Arkansas is now 24-3 this season when scoring in the first inning and 32-8 overall when scoring first.
Game Note
Friday’s game was the fifth meeting of the season between Arkansas and Florida and first between the two programs in the College World Series.
Friday’s win evens the all-time series at 32 wins apiece.
College World Series – Bracket 2 | CWS Bracket
Sunday, June 17
Game 3: No. 5 Arkansas 11, No. 13 Texas 5
Game 4: No. 9 Texas Tech 6, No. 1 Florida 3
Tuesday, June 19
Game 7: No. 1 Florida 6, No. 13 Texas 1
Wednesday, June 20
Game 8: No. 5 Arkansas 7, No. 9 Texas Tech 4
Thursday, June 21
Game 10: No. 1 Florida 9, No. 9 Texas Tech 6
Friday, June 22
Game 12: No. 5 Arkansas 5, No. 1 Florida 2
Quick reaction on social media after Hogs’ win
It didn’t take long after the final out Friday night against Florida for the Razorback Nation and even the SEC to weigh in with congratulations.
Chad Morris on Twitter
Yes Sir!!! @RazorbackBSB keep the HammerDown!! https://t.co/rT2FtxMHV5
Coach Mike Anderson on Twitter
@RazorbackBSB championship game bound! Great win #GoHogsGo
maria fassi on Twitter
Let’s goooooooooooo!!! So proud of our baseball team, the Hogs will be playing for the National title on Monday!!! @RazorbackBSB @ArkRazorbacks #ProudHog #WooooPigSooie #OmaHogs ????❤️
SEC Network on Twitter
THE @ArkRazorbacks ARE IN THE CWS FINALS!!!
Joshua Liddell on Twitter
Let’s goooo!!! #OmaHogs
Hunter Yurachek on Twitter
Let’s go win a National Championship. Congrats @RazorbackBSB # WPS
Coach Justin Stepp on Twitter
We’re going to the ship! Congrats @RazorbackBSB you guys are fun to watch. All of @RazorbackFB & #RazorbackNation are behind you guys! Go win it all! #WPS
Greg Sankey on Twitter
Congratulations @RazorbackBSB on moving in to the @NCAACWS Championship Series! Great season from @GatorsBB…let’s get an @SEC win on Saturday as well!
Arkansas Razorbacks on Twitter
MOOD: https://t.co/5JcXr4D1Yq
Hunter Henry on Twitter
I got chills watching that last out. Omahogs heading to the Natty. Let’s get it! #WooPig
Hjalte Froholdt on Twitter
Unreal! #OMAHOGS #WPS
Frank Ragnow on Twitter
Omahogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ????????????????
Brooks Ellis on Twitter
All gas, no brakes!!! #hawgs
Igbokwe grabs spot in 400 fina at USATF Championships
DES MOINES, Iowa — Day two of the USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships featured a stellar performance by Obi Igbokwe who advanced to the 400-meter final, and Derek Jacobus wrapping up the decathlon.
Derek Jacobus capped his competition at the USATF meet with a seventh-place finish in the decathlon.
Jacobus, who entered the day with a score of 3,874 through five events, pieced together marks of 15.99 in the 110-meter hurdles (734-points), 37.06m (121′-7″) (605-points) in the discus throw, 4.25m (13′-11.25″) (688-points) in the pole vault, 51.55m (169′-1″) (612-points) in the javelin, and a time of 3:36.33 in the 1,500-meters.
In the semifinals of the 400-meters, Obi Igbokwe advanced on through to the USATF final finishing third in his heat, and fifth overall in the semifinals with his time of 45.21.
Kenzo Cotton wrapped up competition in the 100-meters as a USATF Outdoors semifinalist, posting a time of 10.14 finishing fifth in his semifinal heat and ninth overall. Noah Lyles went on to win the USATF title running a world-leading time of 9.88 seconds.
Over at the Jamaican National Championships, senior Kemar Mowatt, who wrapped up last season with a fourth-place finish at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships, turned in a bronze medal performance in the 400-meter hurdles running 49.16 seconds trailing only Shawn Rowe of Pumpa (49.04) and Annsert Whyte running unattached at 48.80.
Arkansas will return to action tomorrow at 1:10 p.m. with the prelims of the 200-meters where current Razorback Kenzo Cotton, and alums Jarrion Lawson and Marqueze Washington will take to the track.
Lopez goes low, leads field first day at NWA Championship
ROGERS — Arkansas women’s golfers played the day 12-under paced by an 8-under 63 by Gabriela Lopez who leads the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G at Pinnacle Country Club on Friday.
Lopez, a 2016 graduate of the Razorback women’s golf program, came out of the gates on fire with six birdies in her first eight holes. She finished the round without a bogey getting birdies on holes 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 14.
Lopez has a one-shot lead with seven players tied for second place at 7-under.
#ProHog Stacy Lewis was also near the top of the leaderboard finishing the day T-15th with a 5-under 66. The mom-to-be had birdies on holes 5, 10, 11, 14, 16, and 17 with one bogey on No. 15 after she over ran her put on the par-3 island green.
Razorback senior-to-be Dylan Kim rallied late finishing 1-under with a 70. Kim, who gained entry via the Monday qualifier, turned 1-over but birdied Nos. 13 and 18 to finish T-79 after first round action.
Rising senior Maria Fassi, playing on a sponsor’s exemption, was solid through the first 13 holes and was even with five holes remaining. Fassi ran into trouble with bogeys on 14, 15 and 17 but finished strong with a birdie on the par-5 18th hole.
Play continues on Saturday with Fassi out of the gates at 9:09 a.m. Lopez is next at 9:20 a.m. followed by Kim at 9:31 a.m. Lewis has an afternoon tie time at 1:47 p.m. with all four players starting from No. 10.
Parker takes eighth at USATF Championships in Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa — Three athletes with Razorback ties took to the track for a short day two of the USATF Championships at Drake Field on the campus of Drake University, highlighted by Kiara Parkers run to the final in the 100-meters.
Taliyah Brooks took to the track for the prelims in the 100-meter hurdles. The senior, who holds the No. 3 time in program history (12.84) advanced to the semifinals following a run of 13.01 seconds finishing fourth in her heat and 11th overall in the prelims. Brooks will return to the track for the semifinals Saturday at 2:20 p.m.
Kiara Parker stepped to the track for semifinal action in the 100-meters looking to advance to the final.
After not advancing to the NCAA final in the 100-meters, Parker advanced to the semifinal yesterday by way of the auto-Q clocking the ninth-fastest time in the prelims at 11.16.
An SEC finalist and an NCAA qualifier in the event, Parker secured her spot in the final with a run of 11.17 in the semifinal round. In the final, Parker finished eighth with a time of 11.22.
“This weekend was the best,” said Parker. “I was never expected to make the semifinal, or the final after not making NCAA’s in the 100-meters or the 200-meters. It was an eye-opener to come here and make finals, my mind was blown, it was the best thing in the world!”
The 800-meter Semifinal saw ProHog Chrishuna Williams take 11th with her time of 2:02.50, finishing fifth in her heat, missing an auto-Q spot by .15 seconds.
Arkansas will return for day three of the USATF Outdoor Championships starting tomorrow at 2:15 p.m. with Taliyah Brooks in the long jump.
Macon, Barford headed to NBA Summer League
Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon are headed to the NBA Summer League this summer.
Barford is set to join the Minnesota Timberwolves and Macon will suit up with the Miami Heat.
Barford led the Razorbacks this past season averaging 17.9 points per game and was third in the Southeastern Conference, helping the Hogs back to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years.
The Jackson, Tennessee, native earned first-team All-SEC honors for his senior season. Barford turned into a sharpshooter from long range in his final year, hitting three-plus three-pointers 15 times last season after doing so just twice last year.
He scored a career-high 28 points in two different games, both coming against SEC foes Tennessee and Florida.
Macon was tabbed a second-team All-SEC member after averaging 16.8 points per game and a team-best 3.9 assists per game.
Macon had 17 games of 20-plus points in his career and joined Corliss Williamson as the only Razorbacks to record seven straight 20-point games since Arkansas joined the SEC.
He and Barford became the sixth and seventh Razorbacks to score 1,000 points in just two seasons at Arkansas.
Razorback Basketball✔@RazorbackMBB
Congrats to our newest #ProHogs! @Jbarford1 headed to the @NBASummerLeague with the @Timberwolves & @_dmacon4 with the @MiamiHEAT.
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.
