Hogs open play in NCAA on Friday afternoon
DETROIT, Mich. — Making its third NCAA Tournament appearance in a four-year span for the first time in 10 years, No. 7-seed Arkansas tips off with No. 10-seed Butler on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Detroit at 2:10 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena.
The Rundown
Opponent: (10) Butler Bulldogs (20-13)
Date: Friday, March 16
Site: Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, Mich.)
Tip-off: 2:10 p.m. CT
TV: truTV | Watch Live
Live Stats: Click Here
Sirius/XM Radio: 138/202
The #Fastest40 Facts
• With a 5-2 mark this season, Arkansas has won five-plus neutral site games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 10 years.
• Arkansas faced 11 teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament and posted an 8-8 record against those programs. Five of the 8 wins came against top 8 seeds.
• The Razorbacks have five wins over ranked opponents this year, the most such wins since knocking off eight AP Top 25 teams during the 1994-95 National Runner-up season.
• Arkansas’ 122 dunks are the most in the Mike Anderson era, and Daniel Gafford’s 74 slams are 27 more dunks than Butler has all season as a team.
• At 40.1 percent from behind the arc, the Razorbacks are on pace to record the second-highest three-point percentage by any SEC team in the last 25 years. Florida shot 40.9 percent in 2007.
• Arkansas has won 40 consecutive games when leading at halftime. During the Mike Anderson era, the Razorbacks are 125-7 (.946) when leading at the break.
• Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon are the only two players in the SEC to rank in the top 10 in points per game, 3-point FG percentage and FG percentage.
• Barford (.436) and Macon (.429) rank first and second in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage. No other high-major league in the country has its top 3-point shooters from the same team.
Let’s Dance
• The Razorbacks hold a 42-31 all-time record in 31 NCAA Tournament appearances.
• Holding a 20-11 overall record in NCAA openers, Arkansas has three straight opening-round victories.
• Arkansas has won its first two NCAA Tournament games nine times (1996 – Last time).
Boss Hog In March
• Mike Anderson is one of five head coaches in this year’s NCAA Tournament field to lead three different programs to three NCAA Tournaments.
• The Boss Hog is one of four current Division I coaches with 15 years of head coaching experience and zero losing seasons.
• Anderson is making his ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach. He is 9-8 all-time in the Big Dance, including one Sweet 16 and one Elite Eight.
• He is 6-2 in his first game of the NCAA Tournament, including two consecutive wins.
Hogs, Kentucky a Top 5 matchup at Baum
FAYETTEVILLE — Fifth-ranked Arkansas opens its 27th season of SEC play with a big matchup on Friday as fourth-ranked Kentucky visits Baum Stadium for a three-game series.
First pitch on Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network+.
This weekend’s series will mark the first top-five matchup between the two programs since Dave Van Horn became head coach and is the first top-five series Arkansas has had with any team since 2009, when top-ranked Arizona State visited Arkansas for a two-game midweek series.
The Razorbacks, at the time, were also ranked No. 1 in a different poll and took both games from the Sun Devils, 7-3 and 8-7.
The Wildcats come to town this week as one of the hottest teams in the conference, winning 10 of their last 12 games, including a series win over then-third-ranked Texas Tech.
Kentucky brings in the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year in Sean Hjelle as their Friday night starter. His four victories are good for tops in the league and his 1.35 ERA is a top-10 total.
Opposing him for the Hogs will be junior Blaine Knight, who has been nothing but stellar for Arkansas on Friday nights.
In his four starts, he’s notched three quality outings and only given up two earned runs over 23 innings.
His 0.78 ERA is third lowest in the SEC, second among starters, and his 21 strikeouts are good for most on the Arkansas staff.
Arkansas will try to bring a potent lineup to face Hjelle tomorrow, led by freshman Casey Martin, who’s been hitting at a near unconscious pace.
Over his last five games, the Lonoke, Arkansas native is hitting .421 with eight RBIs and three home runs.
Overall, he’s leading the team with a .417 average with six home runs and 20 RBIs. His batting average is currently third-highest among all SEC players and best among freshmen.
Follow Live
All three games will be available on SEC Network+ and the WatchESPN app with Brett Dolan (PXP) and Troy Eklund (Analyst) calling the action.
Phil Elson (PXP) and former Razorback Bubba Carpenter (Analyst) will have the radio call on the IMG Sports Network, including ESPN Arkansas at 95.3 FM in the River Valley, 96.3 FM in Hot Springs and Southwest Arkansas and 104.3 FM in North Arkansas, including Harrison, Mountain Home and Conway.
Friday night’s game will also be part of the SEC Network’s Bases Loaded coverage. All Friday night, the SEC Network will whip around to all seven live games as they happen. All games will be shown without interruption on WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.
Important Links
Fri, March 16 – Arkansas vs. Kentucky (Game 1) – 6:30 p.m. – LIVE STATS | WATCH
Sat, March 17 – Arkansas vs. Kentucky (Game 2) – 2 p.m. – LIVE STATS | WATCH
Sun, March 18 – Arkansas vs. Kentucky (Game 3) – 1 p.m. – LIVE STATS | WATCH
Probable Starters
Game 1: ARK RHP Blaine Knight (0.78 ERA, 3-0, 15 K, 4 BB) vs. UK RHP Sean Hjelle (1.35 ERA, 4-0, 24 K, 4 BB)
Game 2: ARK RHP Isaiah Campbell (2.00 ERA, 1-2, 19 K, 8 BB) vs. UK TBA
Game 3: ARK TBA vs. UK RHP Justin Lewis (4.07 ERA, 3-1, 37 K, 5 BB)
Top-Five Matchup At Baum — Kentucky is in the midst of a 14-3 season under second-year head coach Nick Mingione and has won 10 of its last 12 games, including a series win over No. 3 Texas Tech.
This weekend’s series between the Hogs and ‘Cats is the first top-five matchup at Baum Stadium since No. 1 Arizona State visited Arkansas for a two-game midweek series in 2009.
This weekend will also mark the first top-15 matchup between the two programs since 2012.
Coming Up Big In a Pinch — When senior infielder Jared Gates went down with an injury midway through Arkansas’ series finale with Kent State, sophomore Jordan McFarland came up clutch with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate and five RBIs, including two home runs, which equaled his entire total from a year ago.
His second home run of the game was a grand slam, becoming the first Razorback to hit a grand slam since Chad Spanberger did it in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals last year.
McFarland started both games of the Texas series and since then has hit an even .600 with 10 RBIs and five runs scored, the most of any Razorback over that span.
Crushed It — Freshman infielder Casey Martin was named the SEC Freshman of the Week after his huge weekend at the plate against Dayton and USC.
The Lonoke native led all Razorback hitters with a .444 average over the five-game span and slugged .474.
The freshman has kept it going, starting each of the last 12 games and is leading the team with a .417 average and six home runs.
He has hit a home run in each of the last three games and has the third-highest home run total in the conference.
Last Time We Met (Arkansas at Kentucky – 2016) — Arkansas won a huge series when it visited No. 12 Kentucky in 2016.
Junior right-hander Dominic Taccolini threw one of the best games of his career in game one, going 10 complete innings and striking out 10 batters without giving up a walk.
Chad Spanberger provided the lone home run in the 10th inning to break the scoreless tie and give Arkansas the 1-0 victory. With the series limited to just two days due to weather, the final two games were only seven innings long.
The Razorbacks got, yet, another good pitching performance in game two, this time from Zach Jackson, who threw a complete seven innings, striking out a career-high eight in the 2-0 win.
Hogs lose early lead, fall on road at LSU
BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat Arkansas, 4-2, on Thursday night at the LSU Tennis Complex.
The Razorbacks (5-8, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) won the doubles point and got the first victory in singles, but the Tigers (11-4, 2-3 SEC) rallied to win the next four matches.
In doubles, junior Agne Cepelyte and sophomore Natsuho Arakawa earned a 6-0 sweep over LSU’s Luba Vasilyuk and Ashton Rabalais at the No. 3 spot.
Sophomore Giulia Pairone and senior Mia Jurasic clinched the opening point with a 6-3 win at No. 2. At the clinch, No. 30 junior Ana Oparenovic and freshman Tatum Rice led 5-4 at the top spot.
Cepelyte continued her winning ways in singles, besting Rabalais 6-1, 6-1 at No. 6.
LSU then flipped the script, picking up consecutive wins at the top four spots for the overall team victory. Play at No. 5, where Arakawa was tied 4-4 in the third set, was stopped after the clinch.
Up Next
Arkansas will return to action Sunday when it takes on Texas A&M at noon CT in College Station.
Hogs start three-week homestand with ‘Woo Pig’
FAYETTEVILLE — With an early SEC-free weekend on its schedule, Arkansas returns to Bogle Park this weekend to host the Wooo Pig Classic.
The Razorbacks are set to host Iowa State, Omaha, Saint Francis and Tulsa. Including Arkansas, three of the five teams played in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
Admission to Bogle Park is free with gates opening one hour prior to first pitch of each day’s schedule.
Wooo Pig Classic | Game Notes
March 16-18, 2018
Bogle Park
Friday, March 16
9:30 a.m. – Tulsa vs Omaha – Live Stats
12 p.m. – Tulsa vs Iowa State – Live Stats
2:30 p.m. – Saint Francis (Pa.) vs Omaha – Live Stats
5 p.m. – Arkansas vs Iowa State – Live Stats
7:30 p.m. – Arkansas vs Saint Francis (Pa.) – Live Stats
Saturday, March 17
9:30 a.m. – Tulsa vs Iowa State – Live Stats
12 p.m. – Omaha vs Iowa State – Live Stats
2:30 p.m. – Tulsa vs Saint Francis (Pa.) – Live Stats
5 p.m. – Arkansas vs Omaha – SECN+ | Live Stats
7:30 p.m. – Arkansas vs Saint Francis (Pa.) – SECN+ | Live Stats
Sunday, March 18
10 a.m. – Saint Francis (Pa.) vs Iowa State – Live Stats
12:30 p.m. – Arkansas vs Omaha – SECN+ | Live Stats
Against the Field
The Razorbacks’ 13-game home stand opens this weekend with the Wooo Pig Classic. The three-day, five-team event begins Friday; Arkansas will not play Tulsa.
The Razorbacks have only played Iowa State previously with the series tied at one win each; the teams last met in 2010.
Saint Francis, Friday and Saturday night’s opponent, advanced to last year’s NCAA Tournament as part of the Tucson Regional.
Last Time Out
Autumn Buczek and Hannah McEwen had two hits each and Katie Warrick hit a two-run shot but the Razorbacks lost a 5-4 game at No. 11 Georgia in the series finale.
Four of the team’s five losses this season have come by one run.
Battle Tested, SEC Approved
In the first SEC start of her career and facing the top hitting and scoring team in the nation, freshman Mary Haff limited No. 11 Georgia to five hits and an unearned run in eight-plus innings. She also registered nine strikeouts.
Among the Nation’s Best
Entering the weekend, Arkansas is third in the SEC and tied for 15th in the NCAA with 26 home runs.
Additionally, the Razorbacks carry top-50 national marks in slugging percentage (.505), scoring (5.86 runs/game), ERA (1.91) and batting average (.305).
Individually, Haff’s 0.51 ERA ranks eighth among the nation’s pitchers.
Schultz earns Top 10 finish in NCAA Championship debut
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two Razorback freshmen competed on day two of the 2018 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of the Ohio State University.
Freshman diver Brooke Schultz competed in the one-meter springboard Thursday. After getting off to a slow start, the Fayetteville native picked it up to finish ninth in the prelims, just 0.35 points shy of qualifying for the finals with a score of 295.20. In the consolation round, Schultz scored a 311.80 to win the round and finish ninth overall in her NCAA debut.
Arkansas began the day with a 37th-place finish by freshman Peyton Palsha in the 500 freestyle. The St. Petersburg, Florida, native touched just shy of a personal-best 4:43.05, touching in 4:43.19 in her NCAA Championship debut. Palsha, the lone Razorback swimmer at the championships, will get back in the pool on Saturday for the 1650 freestyle.
Action will begin back on Friday for Arkansas as Schultz and fellow freshman diver Maha Amer will compete in the three-meter springboard trials beginning at 10:30 a.m. CT.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thursday, March 15
500 Freestyle – Palsha (37th, 4:43.19)
One-Meter Trials – Schultz (9th – 295.20)
One-Meter Consolation – Schultz (1st – 311.80)
Friday, March 16
Three-Meter Trials – 10:30 a.m. CT
Finals – 4 p.m. CT
Saturday, March 17
Platform Trials – 11:15 a.m. CT
1650 Free Early Heats – 2:45 p.m. CT
1650 Free – 5 p.m. CT
Finals – 5 p.m. CT
Razorbacks to host tri meet for Senior Night on Friday
FAYETTEVILLE — Eleventh-ranked Arkansas returns home for the final time this season to host 15th-ranked Denver and 26th-ranked Iowa State Friday at 7 p.m. inside Barnhill Arena.
Arkansas comes into the week with a Regional Qualifying Score of 196.660 for the second week in a row and hold the No. 11 spot in Road To Nationals weekly rankings.
After starting the season as the preseason ranked No. 19 team and have not been ranked below No. 11 since week one, including six weeks inside the top 10.
How They Compare (Season RQS)
Vault: Denver- 49.185, Arkansas- 49.045, Iowa State- 49.025
Bars: Arkansas- 49.265, Denver- 49.225, Iowa State- 49.050
Beam: Arkansas- 49.250, Denver- 49.165, Iowa State- 49.010
Floor: Denver- 49.270, Arkansas- 49.240, Iowa State-49.050
Total: Arkansas- 196.660, Denver- 196.525, Iowa State- 195.945
Freshman Sophia Carter is the Razorbacks’ highest ranked gymnast on an event, coming in at No. 17 on beam, while senior Braie Speed is ranked 18th on vault. Speed has secured multiple 9.900’s or higher two out of the last three meets, including a program record 9.950 on bars against Arizona.
It’ll be the second matchup in as many weeks against the Denver Pioneers as the Razorbacks were paired up against them last week at the Oklahoma Quad.
The Razorbacks have posted scores of 196 or higher in six of the last eight meets. This season, Arkansas has scored a 49.000 or higher in 29 event rotations, after posting similar scores just 18 times all of last season. Despite a low score last week, senior Amanda Wellick continues to score a 9.800 or higher in 82.7% of her routines.
The Razorbacks have been stellar at home this season, recording three wins and posting scores of 196.525, 197.175, 196.750 and 197.275 along the way.
Action is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., with pre-meet ceremonies beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Promotions
Friday’s meet will have a superhero theme as all kids attending the meet are encouraged to dress as their favorite superhero. The first 150 kids will receive a free custom Razorback cape.
The Razorbacks will honor seniors Braie Speed, Mia Bargiacchi and Amanda Wellick, as well as student assistant coach Leah MacMoyle during a post meet ceremony.
Hogs return home for pair of SEC matches this weekend
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas returns home this weekend to host Tennessee and No. 14 Georgia this weekend.
The Razorbacks and Volunteers (13-4, 2-1 SEC) will square off on Friday night at 6 p.m. at the Billingsley Tennis Center, while Arkansas will face the Bulldogs (7-5, 0-3 SEC) on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Arkansas has five players with double-digit singles wins this season, fall included, including three freshmen.
Senior Jose Salazar leads the way with a 15-9 overall record and a 9-5 mark this spring. Freshman Josh Howard-Tripp is 14-12 overall with a 7-7 mark this spring, while freshman Jose Alonso is 13-6 overall and 7-3 in the spring.
Alonso also has the longest current winning streak on the team at three straight. Freshman Alex Reco has holds the best spring winning percentage with an 8-3 record, 11-8 overall.
The last time Arkansas was at home, the Razorbacks opened SEC action with a 6-1 win over LSU, before falling 7-0 to No. 7 Texas A&M.
Last weekend, Arkansas hit the road for the first time in conference play, dropping matches to Kentucky 5-2 and No. 17 Vanderbilt 6-1.
