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Top four singles sweeps Arkansas to win over LSU at SEC Tourney

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Box Score | Season Stats

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After dropping the doubles point Thursday afternoon, the top-four singles spots won in straight sets to help Arkansas’ men’s tennis team defeat LSU, 4-2, in the SEC Tournament.

The win marks the third-ever victory in the conference tournament for the Razorbacks (16-11) and their first since 2006. This is the fourth victory this season in which Arkansas came from behind to win after dropping the doubles point.

The Razorbacks have now won eight of its last 11 matches, including three straight. Arkansas has also won three straight over LSU and four of its last six matches over the Tigers.

“It was a good team win,” sai coach Andy Jackson. “Mike Redlicki was clutch in a very tense, high pressure situation. We are looking forward to the challenge of playing Georgia, the SEC Champions. It is a great opportunity for us.”

To start things off for Arkansas, Oscar Mesquida and Juan Marino made quick work at the No. 3 spot, giving the Razorbacks the early advantage in the doubles point by defeating Rafael Wagner and Eric Samuelsson 6-3. However, LSU went on to win at the No. 1 and 2 spots to gain the 1-0 match lead.

Mesquida continued his winning ways, defeating Gabor Csonka 6-3, 6-2 to tie the match 1-1. The sophomore has won four-straight decisions, all at the No. 3 spot and has victories in 10 of his last 11 decisions overall.

Marino fell to Samuelsson 4-6, 3-6 at the No. 6 spot to give LSU the 2-1 lead, but Adam Sanjurjo would close out Julian Saborio 6-3, 6-4 shortly after to knot the match at 2-2.

No. 34 Jose Salazar made quick work of the first set, winning 6-1, and took a 4-2 lead in the second before the set became a nail biter. LSU’s Nikola Samardzic fought back, winning three of the next four games to send the set to a tiebreaker, where Salazar defeated Samardzic 7-2 to win 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) and give Arkansas the 3-2 lead.

Down 5-4 in the first set at the No. 1 spot, 10th-ranked Redlicki won the final three games to come back and win 7-5. He jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set before No. 36 Jordan Daigle won back-to-back games to keep things interesting at 5-3. Redlicki would go on to defeat Diagle 7-5, 6-3 to give Arkansas the 4-2 victory.

The Razorbacks will square off against the No. 2 seed Georgia Bulldogs on Friday at 11 a.m. CT from Knoxville. Arkansas is 3-25 all-time against the Bulldogs and 0-1 in the SEC Tournament. Georgia has won at least a share of the regular season SEC Title in five of the last six seasons and two of the last five tournament titles.

Arkansas 4, LSU 2

Singles competition – Order of finish (3,6,4,2,1)
1. #10 Mike Redlicki (AR) def. #36 Jordan Daigle (LSU) 7-5, 6-3
2. #34 Jose Salazar (AR) def. Nikola Samardzic (LSU) 6-1, 7-6 (7-2)
3. Oscar Mesquida (AR) def. Gabor Csonka (LSU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Adam Sanjurjo (AR) def. Julian Saborio (LSU) 6-3, 6-4
5. Johan den Toom (AR) vs. Rafael Wagner (LSU) 6-7 (2-7), 4-5, unfinished
6. Eric Samuelsson (LSU) def. Juan Marino (AR) 6-4, 6-3

Doubles competition – Order of finish (3,2,1)
1. Julian Saborio/Gabor Csonka (LSU) def. #3 Mike Redlicki/Jose Salazar (AR) 7-6 (9-7)
2. Nikola Samardzic/Jordan Daigle (LSU) def. Adam Sanjurjo/Johan den Toom (AR) 6-4
3. Oscar Mesquida/Juan Marino (AR) def. Rafael Wagner/Eric Samuelsson (LSU) 6-3

Razorbacks will travel to Ohio State for NCAA regional; play Scarlet Course

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas’ women’s golf team will attend the Columbus (Ohio) Regional May 8-10, it was announced by the NCAA on the Golf Chanel on Thursday.

This is Arkansas’ 16th NCAA Regional appearance and the team’s 15th in a row. It is the first time since 2012 that the Razorbacks have played at Scarlet Course at Ohio State.

The Razorbacks are the No. 4 seed in the Regional joining No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Florida State, No. 12 South Carolina, No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 21 Colorado out of the Golfweek.com Top 25. The rest of the field features Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan, San Jose State, Houston, Louisville, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Old Dominion, Delaware, Missouri State and Cleveland State.

The Razorbacks have advanced out of regional play eight times as a team including each of the past two seasons. Arkansas’ best regional finish is third place in 2015 and a tie for third in 2013. The Razorbacks have two other top-5 finishes in eight appearances.

Four NCAA Regional sites welcome 24 teams and 12 individuals next week. Following 54 holes of stroke play, the low six teams and the low three individuals not on those teams from each regional will advance to the NCAA Championship.

Other NCAA Regional sites include Albuquerque, New Mexico (University of New Mexico Championship Course, host: New Mexico); Greenville, North Carolina (Ironwood Golf and Country Club, host: East Carolina University); and Lubbock, Texas (The Rawls Course, host: Texas Tech University).

The 2017 NCAA Championships take place at Rich Harvest Farms with Northern Illinois University serving as the host for the first time. Play takes place from May 19-24 (women) and May 26-31 (men).

Arkansas closes spring game to public due to weather forecasts

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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With numerous forecasts for Saturday calling for severe weather, including the threat of tornadoes and flooding, the Arkansas football program’s annual Red-White Spring Game scheduled for noon inside Donald W. Reynolds Stadium will be closed to the public.

Razorback Athletics, working in conjunction with the SEC Network, has arranged for the game to still be broadcast live on the SEC Network and via the WatchESPN platform starting at noon.

Chris Cotter, former All-SEC quarterback Clint Stoerner and Kris Budden will provide complete coverage of the game that will include in-game interviews with coach Bielema, current student-athletes and former Razorbacks.

In addition, Arkansas has cancelled HogFest presented by Pepsi, which was scheduled from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Lot 60 outside of Bud Walton Arena.

Hogs looking to assess strengths at SEC Relays in Baton Rouge

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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With the outdoor regular season approaching completion Arkansas’ men’s track and field team will have the opportunity to directly assess the strengths of several league rivals this weekend in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the SEC Relays.

The meet will feature seven teams from the national top-25, including top-ranked Texas A&M as well as: No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 LSU, No. 15 Arkansas, No. 17 Ole Miss, No. 20 Kentucky and No. 21 Tennessee.

Date/Time: Friday, April 28, 5:30 p.m. CT | Saturday, April 29, 12:02 a.m. CT
Venue: Bernie Moore Track Stadium
Important Links: Meet Schedule | Start Lists | Live Results

What’s At Stake
Currently ranked as the No. 2-best 4-x-100-meter relay team in the NCAA West region, the Razorbacks will place more emphasis on securing an improved time in the 4-x-400-meter relay. Arkansas has yet to race its ace team this outdoor season, which would most likely feature All-American quarter-milers Obi Igbokwe and Eric Janise. Other possible additions to the quartet include Kemar Mowatt, Rhayko Schwartz and Jamarco Stephen.

Relays For The Win 
Seven relays will be contested at Bernie Moore Track Stadium, all of which will be scored using the traditional track and field points scale (First = 10 points, second = 8 points, third = 6 points, fourth = 5 points, fifth = 4 points, sixth = 3 points, seventh = 2 points and eight = 1 point). The weekend will open with the sprint medley relay (200, 200, 400, 800) as well as the 4-x-800 on Friday evening and close with the 4-x-100, 4-x-200, shuttle hurdle, distance medley relay (1,200, 400, 800, 1,600) and 4-x-400 on Saturday afternoon.

Non-Relay Events To Watch
The high jump and long jump both promise to be exciting events, which will feature All Americans Ken LeGassey and Andreas Trajkovski up against some of the conferences’ most explosive talents. Jamaican Olympian Clive Pullen will look to get an improved mark in the triple jump on Saturday at 1:15 p.m.

Head Coach Chris Bucknam Sounds Off

Goals heading into the weekend: “Have a good meet. We want to do some more [NCAA] qualifying. We’ll have several individual competitors in the field events, steeplechase and 400 hurdles, those events in which we’d like a few more improved performances. But the main emphasis will be on the seven team-scored relays that we will be competing in.”

On the Relays: “We feel as though we’ve got some pretty good relays put together. Our 4-x-100 is outstanding. I think our 4-x-200 is great as well. Our distance medley relay team should be pretty solid with Jack Bruce along with Alex George, two athletes that a ranked near the top nationally in their individual events. We haven’t run a 4-x-800 in a while so we’re excited to see what transpires there as well.”

Razorbacks ready for SEC Relays in Baton Rouge

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Only three final tune-ups separate Arkansas’ women’s track and field team from postseason competition, the first being this weekend’s SEC Relays in Baton Rouge, La.

The newly minted league relay bout will see nine of the best teams from around the country face off on April 28-29. Teams attending currently ranked in the top-25 include No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 3 Arkansas, No. 4 LSU, No. 8 Kentucky, No. 10 Alabama, No. 17 Ole Miss and No. 23 Tennessee.

Date/Time: Friday, April 28, 5:30 p.m. CT | Saturday, April 29, 12:02 a.m. CT
Venue: Bernie Moore Track Stadium
Important Links: Meet Schedule | Start Lists | Live Results

4-x-100 Record Watch
Arkansas’ 4-x-100-meter relay team of Taliyah Brooks, Payton Stumbaugh, Daina Harper and Kiara Parker raced to a program record of 43.75 last weekend, relatively unchallenged by the field at the John McDonnell Invitational. The foursome’s new record could potentially improve this weekend, as they will line up against four out of the top-six fastest teams in the country including No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 5 Kentucky and No. 6 Alabama.

Relays For The Win
Seven relays will be contested at Bernie Moore Track Stadium, all of which will be scored using the traditional track and field points scale (First = 10 points, second = 8 points, third = 6 points, fourth = 5 points, fifth = 4 points, sixth = 3 points, seventh = 2 points and eight = 1 point). The weekend will open with the sprint medley relay (200, 200, 400, 800) as well as the 4-x-800 on Friday evening and close with the 4-x-100, 4-x-200, shuttle hurdle, distance medley relay (1,200, 400, 800, 1,600) and 4-x-400 on Saturday afternoon.

Non-Relay Events To Watch
With several of the most-talented vertical jumpers in the country traveling to Baton Rouge this weekend, the pole vault competition is shaping up to be one of the highlights of the meet. The event will feature two national champions in Razorback sophomore Lexi Weeks and Alabama senior Lakan Taylor as well as five All-Americans from the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships.

The horizontal jumps also look to be action-packed with 2017 NCAA indoor gold and silver medalists Sha’Keela Saunders (Kentucky) and Quanesha Burks (Alabama) entered in the long jump field of 19. A national bronze medalist in the event last year, Brooks will look to take on the jump titans in addition to her role on the track.

Coach Lance Harter Sounds Off

On the Relays: “Anytime we get to go to Louisiana and compete it’s great. They have a fabulous facility. We’re going into more of a relay-type format this year and what’s exciting is our 4-x-100 and our 4-x-400 are going to be the primaries and then it comes to the opportunity to run a distance medley relay or a 4-x-800 relay. Some of our middle distance runners are super excited about the opportunity to run with a baton in their hand outdoors because that never happens. So we’re looking forward to that”

Off the track: “The pole vault will be the featured event. Five of the best vaulters in the United States happen to be all in the SEC. We’re excited about that opportunity and I think there will be a lot of really good performances.”

Arkansas’ Hudson gets second team All-SEC honors

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas senior co-captain Shannon Hudson earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors as voted by the league’s head coaches, it was announced Thursday.

Hudson is the 13th All-SEC selection at Arkansas under head coach Michael Hegarty. Her selection marked the third straight year a Razorback has earned All-SEC acclaim.

“To receive this recognition in perhaps the strongest year ever in the conference makes it even more impressive to see Shannon awarded this honor,” Hegarty said. “Her career has been filled with highlights, and this ranks right up there with any of them.”

Hudson, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, is ranked No. 45 nationally in singles and No. 38 in doubles with partner Giulia Pairone. A two-time SEC Player of the Week this season, Hudson has turned in 16 overall singles victories, including 11 at the No. 1 spot this spring and five against nationally ranked opponents.

Five of her wins clinched team victories for the Razorbacks, with three coming in SEC play. She also posted 15 overall doubles wins, including 13 this spring, nine at the top spot and two against ranked competition.

Playing in the nation’s toughest conference, which boasts 11 teams in the top 25 of the national rankings, Hudson has helped the No. 19 Razorbacks to a 17-9 (7-6 SEC) record so far this season and a top 20 ranking in each of the last nine weeks.

Arkansas was ranked as high as No. 14 in the country on April 18, which was its highest ranking since March 8, 2011.

The Razorbacks have defeated 11 teams in the current national team rankings, including No. 13 Auburn, No. 20 Texas A&M, No. 21 LSU and No. 22 Tennessee.

Arkansas will find out its NCAA Tournament destination on May 2 at 4:30 p.m. during an NCAA.com selection show.

Hogs’ comeback falls short against Mississippi State, drops series

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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• Box Score

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Tori Cooper homered while Ashley Diaz and Autumn Russell turned in two-hit performances but Arkansas dropped a 4-3 decision to Mississippi State in Monday’s series finale.

The Razorbacks mounted a comeback with a two-run double by Loren Krzysko in the sixth inning but the would-be rally fell short still trailing by one.

Arkansas is now 28-18 overall with a 6-15 mark in SEC play.

With two down in the first inning, Cooper turned on an offering from Mississippi State starter Alexis Silkwood and deposited the ball over the fence in right field.

The solo shot was Cooper’s eighth home run of the season, doubling the total of four in the first two years of her career. The home run pushed the Razorbacks’ season total to 46 and marked the 18th time Arkansas has scored in the first inning.

As was the case in Sunday’s game, Mississippi State (34-15, 8-10 SEC) matched the output with a run in the bottom of the first to pull even.

The Razorbacks has chances throughout the first four innings with two runners on base in each frame but missed opportunities kept the team at just one run on the board.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs a run in the third, fourth and fifth innings to stretch their lead to 4-1, capping their score with a solo home run by Sarai Nui in the fifth frame.

Autumn Storms started the game, giving up five hits and three runs — two earned — in four innings of work. She was relieved by Allison Stewart who was greeted by the Nui shot.

After a walk to the second hitter of the inning, Katie Warrick entered the circle in place of Stewart, and continued her strong relief work against Mississippi State. Having thrown three scoreless innings Sunday, Warrick allowed just one hit — an infield single — in her two innings out of the bullpen.

In the top of the sixth, Diaz drew a one-out walk to reach base for the third time in the game. She had a single and a double in her first two at-bats, respectively.

Designated player Rachel Box singled to left and Russell put down her second infield hit of the game to load the bases. Krzysko responded with a double off the wall in center field, plating two runs and cutting Arkansas’ deficit to one.

However, the home team got out of the threat with an out at the plate and by catching Cooper trying to advance to second on the play.

Up Next
The Razorbacks’ road trip continues Tuesday afternoon at Jackson State with a 3 p.m. first pitch, followed by another weekend on the road with a three-game series at Notre Dame beginning Saturday.

Arkansas returns home May 5-7 when it hosts Georgia at Bogle Park, the regular-season finale for both teams.

Razorbacks, Kansas State to meet in ‘Classic at the K’ in KC

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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• Game Notes (PDF)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Arkansas will look to get back on track Tuesday after suffering its second conference series loss of the season when it plays its final midweek game of the 2017 season against Big 12-foe Kansas State.

The Hogs and Wildcats will be taking part in the National College Baseball Hall of Fame’s “Classic at the K” game played at Kauffman Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Royals.

Redshirt freshman Kevin Kopps will be taking the mound for the Razorbacks, making his third start of the year. Kopps started twice during the first two weekend series of the year against Miami (Ohio) and Bryant, picking up a victory against the RedHawks.

Since then, Kopps has been one of Arkansas’ most effective relievers, garnering a 3.99 ERA in 13 appearances with 25 strikeouts over 29.1 innings. In his last three outings, the Texas native has only allowed two earned runs and had a scoreless five-plus inning outing against Georgia, the longest outing of his career.

Follow Live

Tuesday’s game will be televised regionally on CST. There will be no internet stream of the game, but the game can be seen locally on Cox Sports Television throughout the Arkansas area. The game can also be heard on the radio via the Razorback Sports Network with Phil Elson calling the action.

Probable Starters

Tue. | 6 p.m. | (ARK) RHP Kevin Kopps (2-0, 3.99 ERA, 25/16 K/BB) vs. (KSU) TBA

Big League Clash In Big League Park

The 14th-ranked Razorbacks will play its final midweek game of the 2017 season when they travel to Kansas City to face Kansas State in the National College Baseball Hall of Fame’s Classic at the K at Kauffman Stadium.

This will be the second straight season that the Hogs will be playing at least one game in a major league ballpark. Last year, the Hogs went 3-0 in the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Ballpark.

This will also be the first meeting between the two programs since 2013 in the NCAA Manhattan Regional Final. Kansas State won that game, 4-3.

However, Arkansas has won three of the last five meetings with Kansas State. 

Another Four-Hit Game For Spanberger

Chad Spanberger’s hot bat continued over the weekend at Auburn. Even though he had his 12-game hitting streak snapped in the first game of the series, the junior responded with a hit in game two and a four-hit game in game three.

All four hits were singles and it was his second four-hit game of the season. He’s the first Razorback to have multiple four-hit games in the same season since Brian Anderson in 2013.

Since conference play started, Spanberger is hitting .362 with seven home runs and 38 RBIs. Both of his four-hit games came in SEC play with the first against Alabama (April 2). 

Reindl Moving Up The Ladder

Sophomore Jake Reindl has been one of Arkansas’ strongest arms out of the bullpen as of late and it may mean a more expanded role in the weeks to come.

In 12 of his 13 appearances this year, Reindl hasn’t given up more than two earned runs and has eight scoreless outings, seven consisting of two or more innings.

In three of his last six appearances, the sophomore has totaled five strikeouts, all against SEC opponents (Alabama, LSU, Auburn).

Reindl was particularly effective against Auburn in Saturday’s win, throwing three good innings with only one walk and two hits. 

Rankings Check

Arkansas held steady in the national rankings this week even with a series loss to now top-five Auburn. The Hogs are as high as No. 10 in the Collegiate Baseball Magazine poll and No. 14 in both the Perfect Game and USA Today/Coaches’ Poll.

In the important Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), the Razorbacks moved up to No. 12 in the nation, the third-highest SEC team.

Soooieville Sluggers

The Razorbacks have been hitting home runs at an unreal pace this year. Currently leading the SEC with 54 home runs this year, the Hogs have 12 more home runs than Kentucky, which is second in the league in long balls.

The 54 homers is also the 12-most in the country. Arkansas is the only team in the SEC with five players with six or more home runs this year.

Catcher Grant Koch and first baseman Chad Spanberger are tied for ninth in the SEC with nine home runs, while infielder Carson Shaddy and outfielder Luke Bonfield each have seven long balls.

Total HR      Total Runs   Pct. of Runs
54                     306                   31{e1768d0eec022f908d772ba0c0274d97d05d220b4341147789bdb671ddb19707}

Tournament Talk: SEC Network looks at baseball, softball tournaments

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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SEC Network’s Todd Walker and Kayla Braud decide which SEC teams and players to keep an eye on leading up to the conference tournaments.

Beyond the Bases: SEC Network on the road with Razorback Softball

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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SEC Network’s Jenny Dalton-Hill visits with Arkansas softball players about their typical travel schedules, support systems and the team’s comradery.

Hogs go 1-under on final day at SEC Championship; finish fourth overall

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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• Results

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Arkansas posted a 1-under 287 in the final round and finished fourth at the 2017 SEC Championship on Sunday.

No one could catch No. 8 Florida as the Gators (284–280–278) went 9-under on the day and 21-under for the tournament shooting an 842 to win their first league title since 2008.

Hard-charging and top-ranked Alabama went 13-under on the day and moved up five spots into a tie for second with 295–285–275—855 with No. 6 Georgia (287–282–286).

The Razorbacks (283–287–287) were fourth at 857 in the final standings.

Fifth-place featured a tie between No. 20 Texas A&M (282–290–288) and No. 11 South Carolina (286–290–284) at 860 rounding out the top spots in the tournament.

Junior Alana Uriell and sophomore Kaylee Benton tied for seventh overall shooting 212 at the Legacy Course at Greystone Golf and Country Club.

Sophomore Cara Gorlei tied for 22nd with a 216 followed by senior Summar Roachell who was 24th with 217. Sophomore Maria Fassi rounded out the Razorback scoring shooting 231 to tie for 63rd overall.

Benton, in her first season with the Razorbacks, posted a final round 69. She was 1-under on the front nine and had five birdies on the back nine including three in a row on holes 15, 16 and 17, posting the best Razorback round of the day.

Since coach Shauna Estes-Taylor took over the program in 2008, Arkansas has played to three runner-up finishes and eight top-4 finishes in 10 seasons. In addition, Estes-Taylor has coached the 2008 individual winner in Stacy Lewis and seven other top-5 individual finishes.

The Razorbacks await word of their NCAA Regional Selection. The Selection Show airs April 27 at 10 a.m. central on the Golf Channel.

Razorback Lineup

T7. Kaylee Benton —73–70–69—212
T7. Alana Uriell —68–72–72—212
T22. Cara Gorlei —71–73–72—216
24. Summar Roachell —71–72–74—217
T63. Maria Fassi —73–79–79—231

SEC Team Leaderboard

1. Florida — 284–280–278—842
2. Alabama — 295–285–275—855
3. Georgia — 287–282–286—855
4. Arkansas — 283–287–287—857
T5. Texas A&M — 282–290–288—860
T5. South Carolina — 286–290–284—860
7. Tennessee — 287–286–290—863
8. LSU — 294–292–287—873
9. Vanderbilt — 287–302–293—882
10. Kentucky — 291–296–298—885
11. Mississippi State — 295–300–292—887
12. Missouri — 302–295–292—889
13. Ole Miss — 296–295–300—891
14. Auburn — 300–297–297—894

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