Another Top 5 SEC series starts Friday against Gators
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Arkansas looks to continue their strong start to the conference season as it travels to face No. 2 Florida for a three-game series this weekend in Gainesville.
Game one is set for a 5:30 p.m. start on Friday at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium and will be televised on SEC Network+.
Games two and three between the Hogs and Gators will be in front of a national audience as ESPN2 will carry Saturday’s game and the SEC Network will carry Sunday’s game. Both of the final two games of the series will start at 11 a.m.
This weekend’s series is Arkansas’ second straight against a top-five opponent and first against the Gators since 2016.
Arkansas did face Florida once in last year’s SEC Tournament semifinals, beating the eventual national champion in run-rule fashion, 16-0 in seven innings, for its fourth SEC Tournament final berth in school history.
Follow Live
All three games will be available on the WatchESPN app this weekend. Mick Hubert (PxP) and Nick Belmonte (Analyst) will call the game for SEC Network+ on Friday.
Tom Hart (PxP) and Kyle Peterson (Analyst) will have games two and three on ESPN2 and the SEC Network.
Phil Elson will call all three games on the radio for the Razorback Sports Network from IMG. Those radio broadcasts are also available on the Razorback Gameday app.
Important Links (All times Central)
Fri, March 23 – Arkansas vs. Florida (Game 1) – 5:30 p.m. – LIVE STATS | WATCH
Sat, March 24 – Arkansas vs. Florida (Game 2) – 11 a.m. on ESPN2 – LIVE STATS | WATCH
Sun, March 25 – Arkansas vs. Florida (Game 3) – 11 a.m. on SEC Network – LIVE STATS | WATCH
Probable Starters
Game 1: ARK RHP Blaine Knight (1.30 ERA, 3-0, 25 K, 5 BB) vs. UF RHP Brady Singer (1.97 ERA, 5-0, 32 K, 5 BB)
Game 2: ARK RHP Isaiah Campbell (1.73 ERA, 2-2, 27 K, 12 BB) vs. UF RHP Jackson Kowar (3.16 ERA, 3-1, 32 K, 11 BB)
Game 3: ARK TBA vs. UF RHP Tyler Dyson (1.48 ERA, 4-1, 29 K, 6 BB)
Razorback Prime 9
• Arkansas heads into its series with No. 2 Florida as one of two SEC programs that are undefeated in conference play (Vanderbilt) going into week two.
• Over the last six games, Arkansas has hit 17 home runs, 13 of which came at the expense of No. 4 Kentucky last week. The Hogs currently lead the SEC and are second in the nation with 41 home runs.
• The Hogs are well ahead of last year’s home run pace where they hit an SEC-best 83 home runs, its third-most in school history. The 41 home runs hit this year is 12 ahead of the 2017 pace after 21 games.
• Freshman Heston Kjerstad hit two home runs in the loss to Charlotte on Wednesday. He’s the fifth different Razorback to record a multi-home run game this season (C. Shaddy, G. Koch, C. Martin, J. McFarland, H. Kjerstad).
• The Razorbacks have been magnificent over the first three innings this season scoring 77 of their 189 runs, making up 41 percent of their season run total.
• Freshman Casey Martin had his team-best 13-game hitting streak snapped on Wednesday at Charlotte. During that streak, he was hitting .367 with 11 RBIs, four home runs, 14 runs scored.
• The three-game sweep over No. 4 Kentucky last week was its first over the Wildcats since 2004.
• Arkansas scored 39 runs on Kentucky, its most in a three-game conference series since 1997.
• Junior Blaine Knight currently has the third-lowest ERA (1.30) of any SEC pitcher going into Friday’s game against the Gators. Four of his five outings have been five innings or more.
Razorbacks back home hosting Ole Miss, Mississippi State
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas hosts No. 11 Ole Miss and No. 24 Mississippi State at the George M. Billingsley Tennis Center this weekend.
Match Days & Times
The No. 46 Razorbacks play the Rebels on Friday at 5 p.m., while Sunday’s match against the Bulldogs is set for 1 p.m.
Live Coverage
Fans can follow both matches via live scoring at RazorbackStats.com.
Promotions
Admission is free. All matches will feature complimentary pizza, Keurig products, popcorn and Pepsi soft drinks for all fans in attendance.
The Last Meetings
The Hogs topped the Rebels 4-0 last year in Oxford, Mississippi, but fell 4-1 to Mississippi State in Starkville.
Arkansas owns a 14-13 advantage over Mississippi State in the all-time series but is 12-25 against Ole Miss.
Five Things To Know
• Ranked No. 40 nationally, Tatum Rice and Ana Oparenovic lead the SEC with an 11-1 record at No. 1 doubles.
• Giulia Pairone is one of nine singles players in the SEC with at least nine wins and one or fewer losses.
• The Hogs have won the doubles point in 12 of 14 matches this spring.
• Winners of six straight, Pairone and Mia Jurasic have also been dominant in doubles at 10-2 this spring.
• As a team, Arkansas has combined to win 27 of its 39 doubles matches this spring, good for a .711 winning percentage.
Fassi, Uriell in top 15 of ‘ANNIKA’ watch list for top golfer
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ Maria Fassi and Alana Uriell represent the Razorback women’s golf team in the top-15 of the ANNIKA Award Watch List, it was announced today.
Fassi remains in the No. 2 spot for the second consecutive week trailing UCLA’s Lilia Vu. Vu and the Bruins rank No. 1 in the country.
Vu has four individual titles and a runner-up finish this season.
She leads her team with a 69.8 stroke average and has helped the Bruins to five team titles and two runner-up finishes.
The Razorbacks have played their way to five team titles and Fassi has five individual wins this year.
Fassi and the Razorbacks bested the Bruins at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M in October.
Arkansas won the event shooting a 16-under 848 with UCLA in second at 4-under 860. Fassi was the individual winner with a 10-under 206. Vu did not compete at this event.
Uriell checks in at No. 15 this week. It is the sixth time this year to be among the nation’s best collegiate golfers.
She is currently ranked No. 15 in the Golfweek/Sagarin ranking and has four top-10 finishes this year.
Notes
• Arkansas is one of four schools (UCLA, Alabama, Wake Forest) with two selections on the watch list.
• Arkansas is one of five SEC teams represented on the watch list.
• This is the seventh release of the watch list and Maria Fassi has been in the top-4 in each ranking. She was No. 1 Oct. 12 and this is her second consecutive week at No. 2
• Alana Uriell has been on the watch list six times ranking as high as No. 5.
Up Next
Arkansas wraps up the regular season at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Georgia, April 13-15.
The Razorbacks travel to the SEC Championship in Birmingham, Alabama, April 18-22, playing the newly expanded format featuring match play for the first time.
ANNIKA Award Watch List
March 22, 2018
1. Lilia Vu, UCLA
2. Maria Fassi, Arkansas
3. Andrea Lee, Stanford
4. Lauren Stephenson, Alabama
5. Sierra Brooks, Florida
6. Olivia Mehaffey, Arizona State
7. Kristen Gillman, Alabama
8. Patty Tavatanakit, UCLA
9. Sophia Schubert, Texas
10. Leona Maguire, Duke
11. Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest
12. Ainhoa Olarra, South Carolina
13. Emilia Migliaccio, Wake Forest
14. Jillian Hollis, Georgia
15. Alana Uriell, Arkansas
Hogs host Mizzou in SEC home opener Friday
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas dips back into league play this weekend with their SEC home opener against Missouri.
The three-game set begins Friday at Bogle Park.
Admission for home games is free for all fans and gates at Bogle Park open one hour prior to first pitch.
Arkansas (23-5/0-3 SEC) vs Missouri (18-15/1-5 SEC) | Game Notes
Bogle Park (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Game 1: Friday, March 23 at 6 p.m. – SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Game 2: Saturday, March 24 at 1 p.m. – SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Game 3: Sunday, March 25 at 1 p.m. – SEC Network+ | Live Stats
All-Time Series vs Missouri
This weekend marks just the fourth series between the two teams as SEC opponents.
During that time, which includes a matchup in the 2013 SEC Tournament, Missouri has a 6-4 lead.
Overall, the Tigers lead 12-6. Arkansas took two of three in last year’s series played in Columbia.
Last Time Out
The Razorbacks improved to 14-0 at home with a sweep of Tuesday’s doubleheader against UT-Arlington.
Arkansas hit four home runs including two by Katie Warrick. Ashley Diaz hit her 21st career home run to move into a tie for seventh on the program’s career top 10 while sophomore Aly Manzo went deep for the first time in her career.
Swinging a Hot Bat
During her current eight-game hit streak, junior Katie Warrick is hitting .519 (14-for-27) with eight extra-base hits, 10 RBI and seven runs scored.
All six of her home runs have been hit during the recent hot streak.
Warrick is now tied for the team lead of six home runs with Diaz and freshman Hannah McEwen.
Among the Nation’s Best
Arkansas enters the weekend tied for fifth in the NCAA with 37 home runs.
The teams also owns top-50 national marks in slugging percentage (.515), scoring (5.93 runs/game), ERA (1.74) and batting average (.304).
Individually, Mary Haff is 11th in the NCAA with 128 strikeouts while McEwen is tied for 12th nationally with 34 runs driven in this season.
Wright bringing his ‘FBI,’ playmaking, to Carolina
When Jarius Wright was released last week by Minnesota, the feeling here was he wouldn’t be without a team for long.
Carolina offensive coordinator Norv Turner thought the same thing.
“His style really fits the way we’re going to go about doing things,” said Turner this week.
He spent two-and-a-half seasons coaching Wright in Minnesota.
“Very quick starter — explosive,” Turner said. “And he’s a very natural player in the slot. He’s been very successful in that area.”
Wright’s always been a natural, going all the way back to the sixth grade in Warren when you could look at him and tell he was going to be special.
Lumberjacks coach Bo Hembree told former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino that Wright’s football IQ was the best thing about him and after four seasons, Petrino talked about that a lot, too.
Wright has always been either making the big play or around when the big play happened. He trailed Cobi Hamilton down the sideline at AT&T Stadium against Texas A&M and fell on a fumble in the end zone for a score.
When Minnesota needed a Hail Mary in the playoffs against New Orleans this January, Wright was right there when they got one to advance to the NFC Championship game.
“My football intelligence has definitely helped me become a seven-year player in the NFL,” Wright said in a conference call Tuesday.
That’s not bragging, either. That’s not what Wright does, but he’s heard it from every coach he’s ever played for.
Wright is humble. He was raised by an Arkansas state trooper and a schoolteacher and he is keenly aware of his Warren roots, being the first player from that town to be drafted by an NFL team.
When the Vikings let him go last week, which was more a salary cap and numbers game at wide receiver, he wasn’t too worried, either. He may be humble, but he has a quiet determination.
He wasn’t going to pout about it, thanks to his upbringing.
“I hung out with the older kids. My brother is eight years older than me, so I really didn’t get a chance to pout and cry because they would make fun of me if I did,” Wright said. “I didn’t want to be that kid.”
Oh, and he’s confident about what he can do for an NFL team.
“When the ball is thrown to me, regardless of whether I have a defender right on me or if it’s not a good throw, I usually come up with the ball — knock on wood,” he said Tuesday.
That is exactly what Turner wanted.
“We got him matched up in one-on-one situations (at Minnesota), and I think he’s going to win most of those,” Turner said. “And he made a lot of big plays for us in the fourth quarter.”
With Turner, Wright knows exactly what he’s getting and that was a big part of wanting to play for the Panthers.
“”Just playing for Norv and knowing all the experience that Norv has in this league, he’s been able to get it done as offensive coordinator pretty much anywhere he’s gone,” Wright said. “That’s one thing that persuaded me.
“The other thing is that Norv also knows me; Norv knows what to expect from me. Us getting together and us teaming up, you definitely have a player and a coach that know each other.”
It helps they have Cam Newton at quarterback.
“The sky is the limit,” Wright said.
For Panther fans, that’s some good news. with the team reportedly close to being sold for a record multi-billion dollar amount, bringing in a clutch third-down receiver for Newton is something positive.
“”I don’t know him that well,” Wright said of Newton. “I’ve had a chance to play against him three or four times now, so I know he’s one heck of a player.
“What he brings to the game — whether he’s throwing the ball or running the ball — is something I definitely want to pair my talents up with.”
The Panthers do get a player that makes big plays with his smarts as much as his legs.
“Besides just athletic ability, I like to call it FBI … my football intelligence,” Wright said. “Just being in the right place at the right time, knowing your quarterback, knowing how they like to throw the ball and where they like to put the ball.
“Being on the same page with your quarterback, being able to find an open spot in the zone or if it’s man coverage, keep running.”
Razorback fans saw during a four-year stretch, including his final two years where the Hogs posted a 21-5 record, including a No. 5 ranking after a Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State following the 2011 season.
Panther fans are hoping for the same result.
