Join Mason Choate and Robert Stewart as they recap Arkansas’ series victory over the Auburn Tigers. The guys are joined by new producer Christian Cheetham as they go through each game, pick weekend MVPs and take a look around the SEC
KK Robinson announces he’s transferring to play for Aggies
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — KK Robinson has found a new home and he’s staying in the SEC.
The former four-star recruit didn’t have a lot of playing time with Arkansas in his two years, only playing in the first 11 games as a freshman before a foot injury de-railed him.
WMG.. pic.twitter.com/I5BWBgUOhd
— Kk Robinson (@onekrob2) May 8, 2022
Robinson, who transferred from Bryant to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.
Robinson took the path Ethan Henderson followed, transferring from the Hogs to play for Buzz Williams and the Aggies.
Here is Robinson’s bio from his time at Arkansas:
Sophomore (2021-22):
• Played in 18 games with two starts … Averaged 1.9 points wth 24 assists.
• Mercer: Started the season opener.
• GWU: Handed out a season-high three assists.
• UCA: Scored a season-high six points.
• Hofstra: Started and had four assists with zero turnovers while making a 3-pointer.
• Mizzou: Had a career-high two steals in 4:04 played
• @ Tennessee: Had two rebounds and two assists … Only other SEC game he had two boards was last year at Tennessee, which was the last game he played that season due to a foot injury.
• vs LSU (SEC): Was a career-best 3-of-4 at the free throw line with five points and added a steal in 3:23 played.
Freshman (2020-21):
• Named the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
• Only played in the first 11 games before having season-ending foot surgery to repair a fracture on his right foot on Jan. 10, 2021
• Scored 15 in collegiate debut (5-8 FG • 3-5 3PT) with three assists, three rebounds and a steal.
• Had four assists and five points with zero turnovers in a season-high 21 minutes played versus Lipscomb.
High School:
• Was rated the 36th-best incoming freshman in the nation and the 7th-best combo guard by 247Sports.com
• Was rated the 59th-best incoming freshman in the nation and the 10th-best point guard by 247Sports.com Composite
• Was rated the 79th-best incoming freshman in the nation and the 18th-best point guard by ESPN.com
• Was rated the 62nd-best incoming freshman in the nation and the 14th-best point guard by Rivals.com
• 2020 MaxPreps Virginia All-State first team
• 2-time Arkansas 7A All-State selection
• Oak Hill was ranked 7th in the nation in the ESPN final poll
Averaged 10.7 points, 7.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game … Helped lead his team to a 37-3 record and a final ranking of #7 in the ESPN poll … Averaged 18 points, 4.5 rebounds, three assists and three steals as a junior at Bryant High School while leading the Hornets to the Class 6A state championship game. He was tabbed honorable mention All-State on the Arkansas Sports Media Super Team … Robinson was named to the 2018 and 2019 Arkansas 7A All-State team as well as the 3A All-State team in 2017 when playing for Episcopal Collegiate HS.
Personal
Born Aug. 7, 2001, in Little Rock … Son of Kelvin and Rheagan Robinson … Has four brothers: Kelvin, Khasen, Kellen and Kollin … Major is recreation and sport management.
Hogs pour it on Auburn early, claim series
AUBURN, Ala. — After mustering just three hits Saturday afternoon, the Razorbacks brought the bats to Plainsman Park on Sunday.
They racked up 13 knocks in the rubber match against Auburn and won the series with a 7-4 decision.
Although the Hogs had little trouble scoring early, they did have to play from behind.
Auburn right fielder Bobby Peirce made them pay for a throwing error by sophomore third baseman Cayden Wallace with a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning.
Senior shortstop Jalen Battles drove in the first Arkansas run of the game in the second on a groundout to third base, and Wallace atoned for his defensive miscue with a game-tying RBI double.
The Razorbacks jumped out to a lead in the third on senior center fielder Braydon Webb’s three-run homer. Battles singled with two outs, chasing Auburn starter Joseph Gonzalez from the game.
The Tigers got a run back in the home half of the third on first baseman Sonny DiChiara’s leadoff bomb.
That was the only earned run Razorback sophomore right-handed pitcher Jaxon Wiggins allowed in five innings of work, in which he allowed four hits, walked two batters and struck out six. He improved to 6-1, earning his first win since April 16.
Arkansas tacked on runs in the fifth and sixth innings to stretch the lead to 7-3. Wallace roped his second RBI double of the game and fourth two-bagger of the series for the sixth run, and Battles hit a sacrifice fly for the seventh.
Sophomore right-hander Will McEntire made his first relief appearance of the season and Southeastern Conference debut in the sixth inning. He sat four batters down on strikes and allowed three hits in 3.1 innings.
Senior lefty Evan Taylor took over with runners on the corners and one out in the ninth. He induced a grounder to shortstop, which Battles bobbled, allowing the fourth Auburn run to score. The next ball in play came right back to him, and he initiated a 6-4-3 double play to ice the game.
The Razorbacks do not have a midweek game scheduled next week, so they are set to return to action Friday night at Baum-Walker Stadium to host Vanderbilt.
First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m and will be streamed live on the SEC Network+.
Tigers rally in eighth to beat Razorbacks
AUBURN, Ala. — The Razorbacks were deadlocked with the Auburn Tigers in the eighth inning Saturday afternoon, so when freshman right-handed pitcher Brady Tygart folded under pressure, it came as a surprise. He began his outing with three straight strikeouts, but the Tigers tagged him for two runs, going on to win 5-3 and even the series.
Following their series-opening victory, the Hogs got on the board first with two outs in the second inning. Senior center fielder Braydon Webb snuck a ball through the left side of the infield, scoring freshman designated hitter Kendall Diggs.
The Tigers knotted it back up before the second was over, as designated hitter Brooks Carlson took Arkansas freshman left-hander Hagen Smith deep to lead things off. First baseman Sonny DiChiara did the same in the third, giving Auburn a 2-1 lead.
Arkansas leveled the score again in the fifth after sophomore third baseman Cayden Wallace doubled and came home on a pair of productive groundouts. Graduate catcher Michael Turner moved him to third, and junior second baseman Robert Moore drove him in.
Neither starting pitcher made it through five innings. Auburn turned to the bullpen with two outs in the fifth, and the Razorbacks elected to go with senior righty Zebulon Vermillion after four. Smith walked three batters and struck out four, and he allowed just one more hit on top of the solo homers, but no additional runs.
Vermillion cruised through the fifth and sixth with ease, retiring half of the six hitters he faced on strikes, but he ran into trouble in the seventh. With one out, he surrendered another solo homer, which tied the game at 3-3. Freshman righty Brady Tygart relieved him, striking out both Tigers he saw to preserve the deadlock.
After his third strikeout to start the eighth, things started to go awry for Tygart. Ahead in the count 0-2, he walked a batter, then allowed a single to put runners on the corners. Pinch hitter Mason Land bunted a ball back to Tygart, and he botched the throw to the plate, allowing the go-ahead run to score and two runners to move into scoring position.
Junior lefty Zack Morris let one of those runners cross the plate on a sacrifice fly, but it hardly mattered because the Razorbacks went down quietly in the ninth.
The Arkansas-Auburn rubber match is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday. Sophomore righty Jaxon Wiggins is expected to start opposite Tiger right-hander Joseph Gonzalez. The game will stream live on the SEC Network+.
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Hogs rally, defeat Auburn in slugfest to open weekend series
AUBURN, Ala. — When Arkansas suffered a rally-killing interference call in the fifth inning Friday night, they could have rolled over.
They emerged from the frame down 5-2, but they hung nine runs on the Auburn Tigers over the next three, eventually coming away with an 11-8 victory.
Senior right-handed pitcher Connor Noland tossed one of his shortest outings of the year, making it through just four innings.
A throwing error by senior shortstop Jalen Battles with two outs in the third cost him two unearned runs. Auburn began the fourth with a solo home run, and four more hits turned into two more runs to make it 5-0.
Battles walked to begin the Arkansas fifth, and he scored his team’s first run on a single by sophomore third baseman Cayden Wallace.
Graduate catcher Michael Turner recorded the third straight single to bring the tying run to the plate with nobody out, and then controversy ensued.
Junior second baseman Robert Moore hit a grounder to second, which was bobbled and did not result in an out at first, but Turner was ruled out on an interference call, despite not making contact with the fielder. Senior first baseman Brady Slavens was able to tack on another run with a sacrifice fly, but two was all the Hogs could muster from the inning.
Senior right-hander Kole Ramage relieved Noland in the fifth, and he allowed a two-out solo blast, which brought the score to 6-2.
Another leadoff walk proved costly for the Tigers in the sixth, as sophomore right fielder Jace Bohrofen went deep to right field to cut the Auburn lead in half.
The Hogs drew even closer in the seventh on an error by the pitcher, allowing Turner to score the fifth run. With two on and nobody out, freshman designated hitter Kendall Diggs swatted his second three-run homer in as many starts, giving Arkansas an 8-6 lead.
At one point the Razorbacks trailed by five, but in the eighth inning, they took a five-run lead of their own on Moore’s three-run bomb.
Senior lefty Evan Taylor earned his fourth win of the year after collecting seven outs. He surrendered a pair of doubles to the Tigers in the eighth, allowing them to get within three runs, but freshman righty Brady Tygart took care of the final five outs to seal the victory.
Arkansas and Auburn are set to square off again at 4:30 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network.
Freshman left-hander Hagen Smith is expected to start for the Razorbacks, opposite Tiger righty Trace Bright.
How to watch-listen to Razorbacks-Auburn series this weekend
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Auburn may have some injured pitchers.
If Arkansas can’t hit any better than they did Tuesday night, though, it really won’t matter.
Maintaining a two-game lead in the SEC West, the Razorbacks will go to The Plains this weekend with an opportunity to strengthen their position atop the division.
The Hogs lost to Missouri State earlier this week when the offense disappeared and made a 6-4 final score look a lot closer than the game actually was.
It was more like a 6-1 game, which was the score before the Hogs mounted a little ninth-inning rally and actually managed to get the winning run to the plate before another easy out ended things.
The ranked showdown between No. 4 Arkansas (34-11, 14-7 SEC) and No. 19 Auburn (31-14, 12-9 SEC) starts at 7 p.m. Friday on SEC Network+ and Fubo.tv.
The second game of the series will broadcast nationally at 4:30 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network and Fubo.tv before the road trip concludes with a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday on SEC Network+ and Fubo.tv.
The Hogs are going for their fourth consecutive series win over the Tigers this weekend.
Arkansas has won its last three series and five of its last six against Auburn, including the most recent series between the teams on The Plains in 2019.
The Games
7 p.m. Friday
at No. 19 Auburn • SEC Network+ and Fubo.tv • Listen • Live Stats
4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7
at No. 19 Auburn • SEC Network and Fubo.tv • Listen • Live Stats
1 p.m. Sunday, May 8
at No. 19 Auburn • SEC Network+ and Fubo.tv • Listen • Live Stats
Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Arkansas RHP Connor Noland (5-3, 2.77 ERA) vs. Auburn RHP Mason Barnett (2-1, 4.19 ERA)
Game 2: Arkansas LHP Hagen Smith (6-2, 3.75 ERA) vs. Auburn RHP Trace Bright (2-4, 4.29 ERA)
Game 3: Arkansas RHP Jaxon Wiggins (5-1, 5.75 ERA) vs. Auburn RHP Joseph Gonzalez (6-1, 2.30 ERA)
On the Air
Friday and Sunday’s games at Plainsman Park will stream on SEC Network+.
Wiley Ballard (play-by-play) & Mark Fuller (analyst) have Friday’s call, while Ballard (play-by-play) & Gregg Olson (analyst) will handle Sunday’s series finale.
Mike Morgan (play-by-play) & Todd Walker (analyst), meanwhile, will call Saturday’s nationally televised contest on the SEC Network.
The game can also be heard with Phil Elson (play-by-play) on the call online online at HitThatLine.com or on ESPN Arkansas radio 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Series History
• Arkansas and Auburn are dead even since 1992 with the overall series record tied at 48-48.
• While the Hogs have been the more dominant team in Fayetteville (26-19), the Tigers control the series when played in Auburn with a 24-18 record.
• The Razorbacks last swept the Tigers in Auburn in 2009.
Game Notes
• The Razorbacks are 9-4 in their last 13 SEC road series over the last three seasons, having won six of their last eight conference road trips.
• Arkansas, which has won 15 of its last 17 overall SEC series, is 8-4 against SEC West opponents this season, most recently taking two of three games against visiting Ole Miss at Baum-Walker Stadium last weekend.
• For the third straight season, Arkansas has posted at least 14 wins after seven weeks of league play (15 in 2019 & 2021).
• Arkansas is ranked first in the SEC and second in the country in fielding percentage (.985), committing just 25 errors in 45 games this season.
• Two of college baseball’s best home run hitters will square off at Plainsman Park this weekend. Arkansas OF Chris Lanzilli and Auburn INF Sonny DiChiara have combined for 102 career home runs, with Lanzilli’s 48 career blasts ranking seventh most among all active Division I college baseball players.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Auburn announcer Andy Burcham previewing big SEC West series
When the Hogs-Tigers get together it’s usually close game that goes down to wire and nothing should change this year.
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