Hogs play two Friday, then Sunday against Kent State
FAYETTEVILLE — The 13-game homestand continues for fifth-ranked Arkansas as it welcomes in Kent State for a three-game set starting with a doubleheader on Friday at Baum Stadium.
First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 3 p.m. with the second game set to begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
Due to the threat of rain and thunderstorms in the Northwest Arkansas area on Saturday, the Hogs and Golden Flashes agreed to play two nine-inning games on Friday and then conclude the series on Sunday with a day off in between.
Arkansas (9-3) is coming off a four-win weekend, sweeping a two-game series from Dayton and winning two-out-of-three against USC.
The Hogs won the series over the Trojans in style getting a walk-off pinch-hit single from sophomore Dominic Fletcher on Sunday, their first walk-off win of the year.
As a team, Arkansas hit a combined .339 over the last five games with 41 runs scored and 59 hits. Freshman Casey Martin led all of those hitters after going 8-for-18 (.444) with two home runs and seven RBIs en route to earning his first SEC Freshman of the Week honor.
On the pitching side, the rotation continues to be led by junior Blaine Knight and redshirt sophomore Isaiah Campbell, who each will get a start this weekend.
Knight has been nearly unhittable as he has generated a 0.53 ERA, tied for the lowest in the SEC, two victories and 15 strikeouts.
Campbell isn’t far behind as 1.88 ERA is just outside the top 10 in the league and he’s one of 15 pitchers with three earned runs or less this year.
Follow Live
All three games will be available on SEC Network+ and the WatchESPN app with Benjamin Kelly (PXP) and Troy Eklund (Analyst) calling the action on Friday.
Brett Dolan will return for Sunday’s game. Phil Elson (PXP) and former Razorback Bubba Carpenter (Analyst) will have the radio call on the IMG Sports Network all weekend.
Important Links
Fri, March 9 – Arkansas vs. Kent State (Game 1) – 3 p.m. – LIVE STATS | WATCH
Fri, March 9 – Arkansas vs. Kent State (Game 2) – 30 minutes after Game 1 – LIVE STATS | WATCH
Sun, March 11 – Arkansas vs. Kent State (Game 3) – 1 p.m. – LIVE STATS | WATCH
Probable Starters
Game 1: ARK RHP Blaine Knight (0.53 ERA, 2-0, 15 K, 4 BB) vs. KSU LHP Eli Kraus (8.53 ERA, 1-1, 8 K, 4 BB)
Game 2: ARK RHP Isaiah Campbell (1.88 ERA, 1-1, 16 K, 6 BB) vs. KSU RHP Joey Murray (2.20 ERA, 1-1, 19 K, 4 BB)
Game 3: ARK RHP Bryce Bonnin (0.00 ERA, 1-0, 8 K, 1 BB) vs. KSU LHP Jared Skolnicki (6.92 ERA, 1-0, 14 K, 2 BB)
No Place Like Home – The Razorbacks have been stellar at home so far this season, building up a 7-1 record in series wins over Bucknell, Dayton, and USC. As a team, Arkansas is hitting .362, while the pitching staff has garnered a 1.52 ERA in games played at Baum Stadium. The starting pitchers have picked up four of the seven victories, while the staff as a whole is holding batters to a .202 average. At the plate, the Hogs have smashed 14 of its season’s 17 homers at Baum Stadium and are slugging a combined .589.
The Return Of The Soooieville Sluggers – In 2017, Arkansas crushed an SEC-best 83 home runs. It was the most home runs by a Razorback team since 2010. The Hogs have picked up where they left off with 17 home runs after 12 games this year, equaling last year’s total after 12 games. Junior Eric Cole and freshman Casey Martin are currently tied for the most on the team with three home runs and seven different Razorbacks have two or more.
Martin’s Offense Earns Him SEC Freshman Of The Week Honor – Freshman infielder Casey Martin was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday after his huge weekend at the plate against Dayton and USC. The Lonoke, Arkansas native led all Razorback hitters with a .444 average over the five-game span and slugged .474. For the year, his .414 average is currently ninth best in the Southeastern Conference and his .793 slugging percentage is sixth best. Among freshmen in the league, his average is the third highest and his slugging is the best.
Bonfield And Shaddy Near 150 Starts As Razorbacks – 12 games into their senior seasons, Luke Bonfield and Carson Shaddy are both nearing 150 starts for their Razorback careers. Bonfield currently sits at 140 starts, while Shaddy is at 139 starts. Once they reach 150, they will become the first Razorbacks to reach that mark since Michael Bernal finished his career with 167 starts. Danny Hamblin still holds the record for 245 starts in his career.
As Dark As Knight – There’s been no daylight for opposing hitters that step into the box against junior right-hander Blaine Knight. The Bryant, Arkansas native has racked up two wins in three starts this season with a team-leading 0.53 ERA, which is also good for second in the SEC and top-50 in the nation. Knight has thrown five or more innings in all three of his starts and given up just one earned run over 17.0 innings.
Pitchers Shine In Early Weeks – Arkansas has shown its depth on the mound through the first three weeks of the season. Of the 12 games played, Arkansas starters have gone five or more innings seven times and have given up a combined seven earned runs and struck out 53 batters. As a staff, the 1.78 ERA is the best in the league and best 12-game start by a Razorback pitching staff under Dave Van Horn.
NCAA ERA Leaders (Team)
| Rank | Team | ERA |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hofstra | 1.55 |
| 2. | St. John’s (NY) | 1.67 |
| 3. | Pittsburgh | 1.68 |
| 4. | Hawaii | 1.74 |
| 5. | Arkansas | 1.78 |
No. 2 Hogs facing best at NCAA Championships this weekend
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Fresh off winning its 12th-consecutive SEC Championship No. 2 Arkansas returns to College Station this weekend for the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championship.
Arkansas is one of four ranked SEC programs that top the national polls, including No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Kentucky and No. 4 LSU.
“Georgia jumped ahead of us in the polls,” coach Lance Harter said. “They had a great SEC meet by their key individuals. As everyone knows, at the national meet the caliber of talent rises according to the competition and they have a few more stars than a lot of us do.
“I think we’ve got to do what we can do and that’s make sure we take care of business in the events that we’re favored in and capitalize on other events where we’re in the mix.”
Events to Watch (Friday):
• 12:15 p.m. | Pentathlon
Razorback Entry: Taliyah Brooks (PR: 4,580 points)
• 5:50 p.m. | Mile Semifinal
Razorback Entry: Nikki Hiltz (PR: 4:33.44)
• 6:15 p.m. | 60 Meters Semifinal
Razorback Entry: Jada Baylark (PR: 7.22)
• 6:40 p.m. | 400 Meters Semifinal
Razorbacks Entry: Morgan Burks-Magee (PR: 52.20)
• 7:05 p.m. | 60 Meter Hurdles Semifinal
Razorback Entries: Janeek Brown (PR: 8.04) | Payton Chadwick (PR: 8.08)
• 7:10 p.m. | Long Jump Final
Razorback Entries: Taliyah Brooks (PR: 6.57m/21-6 3/4) | Payton Chadwick (PR: 6.30m/20-8)
• 7:50 p.m. | 200 Meters Semifinal
Razorback Entries: Payton Chadwick (PR: 22.99)
Friday Scoring Opportunities
Redshirt senior leader Taliyah Brooks will look to position the Razorbacks for strong contention for team gold on Friday as an individual contender for gold in both the pentathlon and the long jump. Although currently ranked second in the pentathlon Brooks is the top returning performer in the event from the 2017 season and boasts the strongest PR (4,580 points), which she scored at last year’s indoor national meet. Additionally she is one of only nine women to mark a 21-foot jump this season, with her best of 6.57m/21-6 3/4 trailing national leader Kate Hall of Georgia by 2 3/4 inches. Arkansas will hope to pick up additional points in the long jump off the heels of Payton Chadwick who enters the event with a best of 6.30m/20-8. It will be one of three events on the weekend in which Chadwick hopes to contribute points to the Hogs in.
Survive and Advance
Arkansas will try and push through several Razorbacks to Saturday event finals starting with another senior leader, Nikki Hiltz in the mile semifinal at 5:50 p.m. CT. Freshmen Janeek Brown (60-meter hurdles) and Morgan Burks-Magee (400 meters) will look to hold their own with the upperclassmen and advance out of the first round in their national debuts in their respective events. Along with Brown the 60-meter hurdles with feature Payton Chadwick who will be pulling double duty for Arkansas on the track between the hurdles and the 200.
Pole Vault Power
Following Friday’s competition, Arkansas will look for a score boost from pole vault trio Desiree Freier, Tori Hoggard and Lexi Jacobus. The four-time All-Americans finished 2-3-5 at the SEC championships led by Jacobus. All three hogs are seasoned competitors at the national level and return as top-eight finishers from the 2017 competition.
First Up
The Razorbacks will kick off the weekend tomorrow afternoon with Taliyah Brooks in the pentathlon 60-meter hurdles at 12:15 p.m. The two-day event will be live streamed on ESPN3 with Friday’s stream beginning at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday’s stream beginning at 4 p.m..
Razorbacks hosting pair of Top 20 teams this weekend
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will look to build on its 1-0 start in Southeastern Conference play when it hosts No. 17 Kentucky and No. 4 Vanderbilt this weekend.
The Razorbacks (5-5, 1-0 SEC) will play the Wildcats (9-3, 1-1 SEC) at 5 p.m. CT Friday before they take on the Commodores (9-2, 2-0 SEC) at noon CT Sunday. Both matches will take place at the George M. Billingsley Tennis Center.
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. Students in attendance will also have the opportunity to win an Apple Watch courtesy of University of Arkansas Associated Student Government.
Last Time Out
Arkansas opened league play with a 4-1 win over Missouri last Friday. The Razorbacks started fast and finished strong, earning the doubles point with back-to-back wins at the top two spots and securing three of four singles victories. Junior Ana Oparenovic, who is the No. nation’s No. 87 ranked singles player, delivered the clinch with a 6-3, 6-4 win at the No. 2 spot. Vanderbilt is coming off a 4-0 win against Alabama, while Kentucky is coming off a 4-3 loss to No. 18 Auburn.
League Leaders
Moving up six spots in the latest national doubles rankings, the Razorbacks’ No. 30 nationally ranked duo of Oparenovic and freshman Tatum Rice, leads all SEC No. 1 doubles pairs with a 9-0 record at the top spot. Overall, Oparenovic and Rice’s record ranks No. 2 in the conference.
Singles Success
In singles, sophomore No. 66 Giulia Pairone boasts an 8-0 record, including a 3-0 mark at the top spot. Pairone’s 8-0 singles record is fifth best in the SEC.
Dominant Doubles
The Hogs have won the doubles point in nine of its 10 matches this season.
More Notables
Rice is also ranked No. 51 in doubles with sophomore Jackie Carr, while Oparenovic is ranked No. 67 with senior Mia Jurasic.
Hogs ready for first conference weekend on road
FAYETTEVILLE — After splitting its first two conference matches of the season last weekend at home, Arkansas hits the road for the first time in conference this weekend, traveling to Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
The Razorbacks will open the weekend on Friday in Lexington, Kentucky, facing the Wildcats at 4 p.m. Following that match, Arkansas will head south to Nashville to face the Vanderbilt Commodores on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Arkansas has won seven of its last nine matches, bringing its overall mark to 8-5 this season and 1-1 in SEC play, after splitting a pair of SEC matches last weekend.
The Razorbacks hosted the LSU Tigers last Friday, defeating the Tigers 6-1 to open conference action. On Sunday, No. 7 Texas A&M came into Fayetteville and swept Arkansas 7-0.
The Razorbacks are led by senior Jose Salazar, who is 15-7 overall this season in singles, including a 9-3 mark this spring. Freshman josh Howard-Tripp is right behind with 14 singles victories, holding a 7-5 record this spring.
Fourth-ranked Razorbacks ready for NCAA battle
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — No. 4 Arkansas will face its final challenge of the indoor season this weekend in College Station, in pursuit of the program’s 42nd national title at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships.
The Razorbacks are back in Aggieland for the second time in in two weeks having finished as the runner-up at the the 2018 Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships at the end of February.
“The game plan is have our guys get out there and perform to the best of their ability,” coach Chris Bucknam said. “Right now, we know who our qualifiers are and anyone of them can score; probably a little bit of luck and being fearless.
“I think that’s the name of the game for our guys. You have to go in there knowing you can win.”
Events to Watch (Friday):
• 12 p.m. | Heptathlon Day One
Razorback Entry: Gabe Moore (PR: 5,777 points)
• 5:30 p.m. | Long Jump Final
Razorback Entry: Laquan Nairn (PR: 7.87m/25-10)
• 6:05 p.m. / 7:35 p.m. | 60/200 Meters Semifinal
Razorback Entry: Kenzo Cotton (PR: 6.56/20.61)
• 6:25 p.m. | 400 Meters Semifinal
Razorbacks Entries: Obi Igbokwe (PR: 45.38) | Rhayko Schwartz (PR: 46.08)
• 8:05 p.m. | 5,000 Meters Final
Razorback Entry: Jack Bruce (PR: 13:43.34)
Friday Scoring Opportunities
Arkansas will rely on distance and field to get points on the board on day one of the championships with senior Jack Bruce contesting the 5,000 final and sophomore Laquan Nairn in the long jump.
A three-time cross country All-American, Bruce had his breakthrough on the track at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships where he surprised the track and field world, out-kicking notable favorites to place second in the 5,000 by a narrow margin to Stanford’s Grant Fisher.
Survive and Advance
In addition to points secured, the Razorbacks will also need finalists. Two-time 60 and 200-meter national finalist Kenzo Cotton will lead that charge for the Hogs, looking to close out his career three-for-three.
Cotton heads into his two seminfinal competitions with major momentum having finished first in the 60 and second in the 200 in the fastest conference championships in the nation.
“I’m sure he’s [Kenzo] looking for a win, I’m sure he’s looking to be a national champion,” Bucknam said. “That was such a big win for him. He won a big race.
“The 60-meter dash in the SEC is a marquis race; a heavy bout, and he was able to come away with that win. We all know the kind of athlete he’s been for us and he’s just a sign that consistency leads to championships”
First Up
Two-time combined events All-American Gabe Moore will be the first Razorback to see action, opening Arkansas’ weekend with the heptathlon 60-meter dash at 12 p.m.
The SEC heptathlon runner-up currently ranks at No. 7 in the country and has a best in the event of 5,777 points secured earlier this season at the Razorback Invitational.
The two-day event will be live streamed on ESPN3 with Friday’s stream beginning at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday’s stream beginning at 4 p.m.
Offensive changes more than just pace of offense
Arkansas is different these days.
And it’s more than having a head coach that runs more in one practice than the previous one waddled around in five years … combined.
Every single player we’ve talked to in the spring has mentioned how much faster the pace of just about everything is. Not one has complained.
Not even the quarterbacks, who’ve been saddled with learning an entirely new way of offense. The learning is at an accelerated pace.
“The last coaching staff we didn’t really go this fast,” Cole Kelley said Thursday.
It’s also not going like a well-oiled machine, but Chad Morris really wasn’t expecting it to this early, he’s said on a couple of occasions.
“We’re making some mistakes, but we’re making them full speed,” Kelley said. “Guys aren’t just putting their hands up stopping. We’re going full speed.”
Kelley and Ty Storey have been splitting the reps at the No. 1 quarterback position. Storey may have gained a slight edge in the two-minute drill in Saturday’s workout where he led the offense to a score on a pass to freshman Michael Woods.
“We obviously picked up some momentum and carried it through till the end,” Storey said Tuesday. “Obviously Mike Woods made a great catch and scored, so it was good.”
Kelley’s drive ended in an interception by Ryan Pulley.
“In my opinion, it was a P.I. [pass interference], but Pulley gets away with those a lot, so I’m not going to fault him,” Kelley said with a sheepish smile.
Apparently, though, the running game is beginning to show signs of progress.
“Seems like the running backs are getting used to getting the flow,” tight end Jeremy Patton said. “We broke off some great runs today at practice. It’s fast, new and fun.”
Patton said Chase Hayden, Devwah Whaley and T.J. Hammonds all had big runs with Hayden breaking free on a couple of 60-yard runs.
Morris said his offense utilized the tight end position a lot and was a key to it working.
Coming to a school where that position has been the most successful over the past few years (two Mackey Award winners in D.J. Williams and Hunter Henry), Morris hit the motherload of tight ends.
They could be even more prominent with the wealth of talent already there.
“It’s definitely going to be different.” he said. “Our job is to be the utility guy on offense.
“We’re moving around. You’ll see us at wideout, you’ll see us in the slot, you’ll see us in the backfield. So we’re really the guy that brings everything together for this offense.”
Morris said earlier, the first round of installs would go for three practices, then the offense would go back through it, hopefully at a faster pace.
“We’re just about finished with what we’re going to install for the spring, but it’s really smooth,” Patton said.
“We’ve all kind of rolled through,” Storey said. “I think they’re trying to kind of throw us all in there and see what happens. But most of all I think they’re trying to make sure we learn the offense and pick up on it.”
With the first scrimmage planned for Saturday, it will be the first chance to see how it’s coming together.
It probably won’t be ready for prime time.
But it will be different.
And faster.
