Hogs face first road test against Arizona tonight
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Third-ranked Arkansas is on the road for the first time in 2018 this week.
With this weekend’s Tony Gwynn Legacy tournament still on deck, the Razorbacks will kick off their west coast swing with a neutral site game against PAC-12 power Arizona on Wednesday.
The game will be played at Tony Gwynn Stadium on San Diego State’s campus and first pitch is slated for 9 p.m.
Follow Live
Wednesday’s game will be televised regionally on Cox Sports Television with Brett Dolan (PXP) and Troy Eklund (Analyst) calling the action. Scott Inman (PXP) will have the radio call on the IMG Sports Network.
Important Links
Arkansas vs. Arizona – LIVE STATS | COX SPORTS CHANNEL FINDER
Probable Starters
Wed. | 9 p.m. | LHP Kacey Murphy (ARK) vs. TBA (ARIZ)
The Starting 9
• Arkansas will be facing Arizona for the second-straight year when the two teams face off on Wednesday. Arizona bested Arkansas 3-0 in its opening game of the Frisco Classic last year.
• The Razorbacks remained steady in all six college baseball polls this week, its highest still at No. 3 in the Collegiate Baseball Magazine poll.
• The 49 runs scored in the series with Bucknell last week was the most by an Arkansas team in its first three games of the season since 1997.
• Redshirt senior Carson Shaddy was awarded the SEC Player of the Week award on Monday after going 4-for-7 (.571) at the plate with two home runs, four walks, and an SEC-leading nine RBIs.
• Saturday’s 32-4 win over Bucknell was the largest run output by an Arkansas team since 2010 (32 vs. Saint Louis) and was one run shy of the school record for runs in a game (33 vs. Missouri Southern, 1984).
• As a team, Arkansas hit eight home runs last weekend, the most in the SEC and second-most in the nation.
• Seven different Razorbacks hit a home run in last week’s opening series. Only Carson Shaddy hit more than one as he went deep in games one and two.
• Freshman Heston Kjerstad had a stellar opening weekend, starting in left field all three games and hitting an SEC-leading .667 with multi-hit performances on Friday and Saturday.
• Shaddy’s four-RBI performance on Opening Day was the most by a Razorback since Blake Parker plated four against Dallas Baptist in 2005.
Kacey Murphy Set To Make First Start of 2018
Razorback junior left-hander Kacey Murphy will get the nod for the start against Arizona Wednesday night.
Murphy was a key hurler for the Hogs in 2017 as he made 10 starts in 19 appearances to compile a career-best 3.65 ERA over 49.1 innings. His 68 strikeouts were third-best on the team and he was one of only two Hog pitchers to throw a complete game during the season.
That complete game came in the SEC Tournament semifinals where he shut down the top-seeded Florida Gators in seven innings, allowing just two hits and striking out eight.
Soooieville Sluggers Year Two?
In 2017, Arkansas crushed an SEC-best 83 home runs, the most home runs by a Razorback team since 2010.
The Hogs picked up where they left off during opening weekend last week, hitting eight homers, including six in Saturday’s 32-4 victory over Bucknell.
Arkansas currently leads all SEC teams in home runs and is tops in the nation after week one.
Shaddy Goes All Out To Earn SEC Player Of The Week
Carson Shaddy was the Razorbacks’ most efficient hitter during the season’s first weekend as he totaled an SEC-leading nine RBIs in 12 plate appearances.
He was only 4-for-7 (.571) at the plate, but drew four walks to build up a .750 on-base percentage, which is third best in the league.
On Opening Day, Shaddy started 2018 off with a bang, clubbing four RBIs as part of a 1-for-2 day with a home run. The four RBIs were the most for a Razorback on Opening Day since Blake Parker drove in four in 2005 against Dallas Baptist.
He finished the weekend with a .571/.750/1.571 slash line, which are all top-10 totals in the SEC.
His slugging percentage is good for second in the conference and he was one of eight players in the league to hit two homers in the first three games.
Hogs Plate 49 Runs On Bucknell
Arkansas cruised to a sweep over Bucknell on opening weekend. While the three wins were impressive enough, it was the amount of runs that was astounding.
Forty-nine Razorback runs crossed the plate combined over the three games including 32 in Saturday’s game two. The 49 runs is the most in the first three games of a season since 1997.
The sweep is the team’s fifth-straight dating back to 2014, while the 32 runs on Saturday was just one less than the school record for runs scored in a single-game (1984).
Anderson expects Hogs to bounce back from loss
Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said after an 87-72 loss to Kentucky on Tuesday night he expects the team to bounce back.
Calipari says Hogs should be ‘sixth or seventh seed’
Kentucky coach John Calipari said Arkansas should get a good seed in the NCAA Tournament despite the 15-point loss to the Wildcats.
Beard, Macon on Hogs’ rebounding from loss to ’Cats
Arkansas’s Anton Beard and Daryl Macon expect players to put loss to Kentucky behind them after midnight Tuesday.
Kentucky’s players talk about big win over Razorbacks
Kentucky players P.J. Washington, Kevin Knox and Jarred Vanderbilt talk with the media after the Wildcats’ 87-72 win over Arkansas on Tuesday night.
Hogs’ Igbokwe garners third SEC honor for third time
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Seemingly sprinting through his third indoor campaign as a Razorback, junior Obi Igbokwe has been selected as the SEC Runner of the Week for the third time this season by the league office.
Already ranked third in the nation in the 400-meter dash, Igbokwe focused on his turnover and speed work this past weekend at the Arkansas Qualifier and was rewarded with an indoor personal best in the 200 of 20.69.
His performance is the second-fastest in the SEC so far this year and ranks him at No. 7 on the NCAA leader boards. Igbokwe also moved up to No. 6 on Arkansas’ all-time bests list.
Arkansas will return to action next weekend in College Station, Texas, on a mission to defend its league title at the 2018 Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships. The Razorbacks are the winningest indoor program in the conference, having captured 22 titles since 1992.
Brown recognized as SEC’s top freshman for 60-meters effort
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Arkansas newcomer Janeek Brown has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week, following her outstanding performance in the 60-meter hurdles at the Razorbacks’ regular season finale last weekend in Fayetteville at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
The fastest qualifier out of the 60 hurdle prelims, off a time of 8.20, Brown raced to a personal best of 8.15 in the finals to win the event.
The Kingston, Jamaica, native currently ranks 14th in the NCAA and is the second-fastest freshman in the country in the 60 hurdles.
Brown’s performance also checks in at No. 4 on Arkansas’ all-time bests list.
With the indoor regular season behind them the Razorbacks will shift their focus to postseason competition, looking to pick up the program’s 12th-consecutive Southeastern Conference title next weekend in College Station, Texas, at the 2018 SEC Indoor Championships.
