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

Dominic Fletcher drives ball during win over Red Raiders at the College World Series on Wednesday. PHOTO BY JAMIE VARNELL
Razorbacks third baseman Casey Martin slides head first across home play for another run in the 7-4 win over Texas Tech on Wednesday. PHOTO BY JAMIE VARNELL
Arkansas second baseman Carson Shaddy raises a fist late in the Hogs’ win over Texas Tech. PHOTO BY JAMIE VARNELL
Razorbacks relief pitcher Barrett Loseke continued his success against Texas Tech coming in late and shutting down the Red Raiders to set up Matt Cronin to close it out. PHOTO BY JAMIE VARNELL

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.

Van Horn, players recapping win over Texas Tech

© Video from NCAA

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn along with Dominic Fletcher, Jared Gates and Barrett Loseke talking about the Hogs’ 7-4 win over Texas Tech on Wednesday.

Hogs unleash bats, down Texas Tech, 7-4

OMAHA, Neb. — Sophomore Dominic Fletcher became the first player with four hits and four RBI in a College World Series game at TD Ameritrade Park to pace the Razorbacks to a 7-4 win over No. 9 Texas Tech.

Fletcher and Jared Gates each hit a home run in Wednesday’s game while junior Barrett Loseke picked up the win in another dominant effort against Texas Tech.

Arkansas, the No. 5 national seed, will next play Friday, June 22 at 7 p.m. (CT) against the winner of the elimination game between Florida and Texas Tech. With the win, the Razorbacks improve to 46-19 this season.

Box Score vs Texas Tech

The Big Inning

Out to a 3-0 lead, Arkansas added a pair of insurance runs in the fourth inning to extend its advantage to five.

Fletcher led off the frame with a no-doubt solo shot over the bullpen in right field. The home run was his ninth of the season and his first since the Razorbacks’ opening game of the SEC Tournament against South Carolina (May 23).

Arkansas tacked on another run with an RBI single off the bat of junior Jax Biggers which knocked Texas Tech starter Davis Martin out of the game.

The Hitting

With two home runs Wednesday, the Razorbacks pushed their program record to 97 this season. Arkansas has now hit 13 during the NCAA Tournament, leaving the yard in six of those eight games.

Overall, the Razorbacks pounded out 12 hits to reach double figures for the seventh time in eight NCAA Tournament games. From the top of the order, Eric Cole and Casey Martin joined Fletcher with multi-hit performances.

The Pitching

Junior Kacey Murphy got the start and responded with seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work, good for his 10th outing with five or more strikeouts this season.

After Texas Tech got on the board with a two-run double in the fifth, Murphy gave way to Loseke who came in to get the final out of the inning.

With five strikeouts in 3.0 innings Wednesday, Loseke has fanned 15 hitters in two appearances (7.2 innings) against Texas Tech this season.

Quick Start

For the 26th this season and for the fourth straight game, the Razorbacks scored in the first inning on the strength of three hits including a two-run double by Fletcher.

Arkansas is now 23-3 this season when scoring in the first inning and 31-8 overall when scoring first.

“Let the Boys Play”

Originally scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m., the 1-0 winner’s bracket game between Arkansas and Texas Tech was first postponed to Wednesday at 11 a.m. but due to a weather delay this morning, first pitch was ultimately pushed to 2:30 p.m.

Game Note

Wednesday’s game marked the 60th meeting in the all-time series between Arkansas and Texas Tech and the second this season. The teams had never met in the College World Series.

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 vs No. 9 Texas Tech – 11 a.m.

Thursday, June 21
Game 10: No. 1 Florida vs No. 9 Texas Tech – 7 p.m. [ESPNU]

Friday, June 22
Game 12: No. 5 Arkansas vs Winner Game 11 – 7 p.m. [ESPN]

Bad weather delays Hogs-Red Raiders to Wednesday

Arkansas and Texas Tech will have to wait a few hours.

The bad weather in Omaha has caused the NCAA to move their game scheduled for Tuesday night to Wednesday morning.

The game is now scheduled to start at 11 a.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2 as well as on ESPN Arkansas stations at 95.3 FM in the River Valley, 96.3 FM in Hot Springs and 104.3 FM in Harrison-Mountain Home.

The pregame will start at 10:30 a.m. with Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter setting the scene from the College World Series.

Burnside joining Razorbacks’ softball after two years at Mizzou

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Courtney Deifel has announced the addition of Braxton Burnside to the Razorbacks’ softball roster.

The Paragould native spent the first two season of her collegiate career at Missouri and joins the Hogs as a junior.

In two seasons with Missouri, Burnside registered 99 hits with 48 runs scored, 15 home runs, 80 RBI and 20 doubles. After a standout 2017 season, she earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team and was named a top-25 finalist for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year.

Burnside also collected NFCA and USA Softball National Player of the Week (March 18, 2017) honors following a week with three home runs including two grand slams in one game.

Additionally, Burnside was part of two NCAA appearances with Missouri and, for her work in the classroom, was part of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Burnside is no stranger to the Natural State as a standout for Paragould High School. She hit 44 home runs during her prep career which ranks first all-time in Arkansas high school softball history.

She amassed 185 RBI with the Rams and carried a .551 batting average during her junior season. Burnside was also a three-time All-State performer.

The Razorbacks are coming off a season in which they posted a 42-17 record and advanced the program’s first-ever NCAA Super Regional.

Individually, Arkansas had a program-high four NFCA All-Region selections with Hannah McEwen, Mary Haff, Autumn Buczek and Katie Warrick. Haff was also a top-three finalist for National Freshman of the Year.