Charlie Burris, who covers the Vols, goes in-depth on what has turned into another big game for the Razorbacks.
Halftime Pod Presented by Eastside Liquor: Torres, Moody
OPENING DAY for Razorback Baseball! What shenanigans was DVH referring? Hogs vs. Vols on the hardwood and more!
Guests- Aaron Torres & Moses Moody
Listen to Hogs’ season-opener here or on ESPN Arkansas radio
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Razorback baseball is back.
No. 2 Arkansas begins its 2022 campaign, the program’s 100th season of competition, with a three-game series against Illinois State this weekend at Baum-Walker Stadium.
First pitch in the opener is set for 3 p.m. Friday online on SEC Network+ and FuboTV.
You can listen to Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter online at HitThatLine.com or on ESPN Arkansas radio stations 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Game two of the series between the Razorbacks and Redbirds gets underway at noon Saturday before concluding with the finale at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Schedule
3 p.m. Friday: Illinois State • SEC Network+ • FuboTV • Listen
Noon Saturday: Illinois State • SEC Network+ • FuboTV • Listen
1 p.m. Sunday: Illinois State • SEC Network+ • FuboTV • Listen
Tune In
Arkansas’ season-opening series against Illinois State will stream on SEC Network+ with Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Troy Eklund (analyst) on the call for all three games.
Fans can catch all the action through the ESPN app on smartphones, computers and tablets or via Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
All three contests can also be heard Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter online all weekend at HitThatLine.com or on ESPN Arkansas radio stations 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Matchups
Friday: Arkansas RHP Connor Noland (2021: 1-0, 6.91 ERA) vs. Illinois State RHP Jordan Lussier (2021: 6-3, 4.36 ERA)
Saturday: Arkansas LHP Hagen Smith (2021: N/A) vs. Illinois State LHP Sean Sinisko (2021: 5-5, 4.44)
Sunday: Arkansas RHP Jaxon Wiggins (2021: 3-1, 5.09 ERA) vs. Illinois State RHP Derek Salata (2021: 2-4, 4.95)
Series History
Arkansas and Illinois State will meet for the eighth, ninth and 10th time in history this weekend. The Razorbacks are 5-2 overall against the Redbirds, with all seven games taking place in Fayetteville, Ark.
Illinois State, however, holds the momentum against Arkansas entering this weekend’s three-game series. The Redbirds have won two of the last three clashes with the Hogs, including a midweek contest at Baum-Walker Stadium during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
In the Polls
The Razorbacks begin the year ranked in all six major preseason polls, cracking the top 10 in five of them.
D1Baseball – No. 2
USA Today Coaches – No. 4
NCBWA – No. 4
Baseball America – No. 8
Perfect Game – No. 9
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper – No. 20
Big Hit Bob
Arkansas second baseman Robert Moore has the attention of general managers, scouts and talent evaluators across the board entering his junior season.
A consensus preseason All-American, Moore earned a spot on this year’s preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award after slashing .283/.384/.558 with a team-leading 16 home runs and 53 RBI in 2021. The Leawood, Kan., native also landed on the preseason All-SEC First Team at second base, garnering high praise from the league’s 14 coaches.
Moore has done nothing but amaze since stepping foot on campus as an early enrollee ahead of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, slashing .291/.388/.534 with 18 home runs and 70 RBI in 77 games over two seasons as a Razorback. He established himself as one of college baseball’s premier middle infielders last year, earning All-SEC, Newcomer All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive praise following his first full season at Arkansas.
It’s Wally Time
Alongside Moore in Arkansas’ infield, Cayden Wallace has big expectations ahead of the 2022 season.
The Greenbrier native burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2021, becoming the 24th Razorback in program history to earn Freshman All-America status by slashing .279/.369/.500 with 14 homers and 44 RBI. The Hogs’ primary right fielder last season, Wallace will take over at the hot corner for Arkansas this year.
One of the Hogs’ three team captains, Wallace enters the campaign as a preseason All-SEC Second Team honoree at third base. He also joined Moore as a preseason candidate for the Golden Spikes Award as Arkansas was one of nine programs to boast a pair of student-athletes on the watch list.
100 Seasons of Arkansas Baseball
Celebrating its 100th season of play in 2022, Arkansas will embark on its 75th consecutive campaign (after eight early seasons of non-varsity sponsorship and a program discontinuation from 1930 to 1946) on the diamond.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Halftime is LIVE. At Eat My Catfish, Hogs BSB opener, Basketball and more… 877-377-6963
11:30 – Aaron Torres
Phil and Drew are at Eat My Catfish.
OPENING DAY for Razorback Baseball! What shenenigans was DVH referring? Hogs vs. Vols on the hardwood and more! Call or text, 877-377-6963
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast: Charlie Burris joins the show
Tye & Tommy on baseball today in Baum Walker, Charlie joins to talk TN, plus a funny Mike Leach cameo
Lang Whitman previews big four days of racing at Oaklawn this weekend
Looking at a big President’s Day weekend on The Morning Rush with an Oaklawn handicapper on ESPN Arkansas.
The Morning Rush is LIVE!!!
The Morning Rush is live as they get you ready for basketball and the baseball season opener!!
Arkansas Diamond Hawgs Podcast: Opening Weekend Preview w/ Former Razorback LHP Patrick Wicklander
Join Mason Choate and Robert Stewart as they look back on the final weekend of scrimmages and talk Arkansas’ starting rotation/lineup (0:00-24:40), give some information on the Hogs’ opponent, Illinois State (24:40-31:00), and talk preseason honors and sounds of Baum (31:00-46:10). Stick around for an awesome interview with former Arkansas starting pitcher, Patrick Wicklander (46:10-1:03.55).
The Diamond Hawgs Podcast is not affiliated with the University of Arkansas.
The Horse Right Here – Dixie Belle Stakes & The Fairgrounds Grade 2 Risen Star
This week Scott and Lang discuss Oaklawn’s Dixie Belle Stakes as well as the nation’s biggest Kentucky Derby Prep Race – The Fairgrounds Grade 2 Risen Star.
Hogs see win streak snapped in loss to Florida, 76-67
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Arkansas (16-9, 6-6) had its two-game winning streak snapped on Thursday night in Exactech Arena in a 76-67 loss to No. 17 Florida (20-6, 10-3).
Turnovers were the story of the night.
Arkansas came into the game averaging just under 11 per game, second best in the nation, but finished with 20, their worst mark of the season.
The three-point shot was also a storyline in this one, as Arkansas, normally good three-point shooters, only hit one its 13 shots from beyond the arc.
Outside of the turnovers, the Hogs’ offense was efficient, hitting 49 percent from the field.
Samara Spencer, who picked up her fourth freshman of the week honor from the SEC on Monday, led the charge again, hitting a team-high 19 points.
Sophomore Sasha Goforth scored well in this one as well, going for 18 points.
Turning point
This game was close through the first quarter and the Gators got a buzzer-beater to lead by five at the end.
Goforth and company kept it close early, but the Gators started to pull away in the second quarter, forcing nine Arkansas turnovers.
Ironically, the Hogs didn’t miss a shot in the period. They were a perfect seven-of-seven in the frame. The Gators led by 14 at halftime.
The lead continued to grow in the third frame and it ballooned to as many as 18 during the third period. Arkansas mounted a late comeback, cutting the lead to eight several times, but couldn’t get any closer with the Gators knocking down free throws late.
Hogs Highlights
• Spencer has now gone for 17 or more points in seven straight games.
• Amber Ramirez secured the first double-double of her career, going for 10 points and 10 rebounds.
• Jersey Wolfenbarger showed her continued progression, going for 15 points and six boards.
• Goforth blocked three more shots against UF, her seventh game this season with 3+ blocks.
Next Game
Arkansas returns to Bud Walton Arena on Sunday against Kentucky in the #23For23 game. The tips off at 1 p.m. and will air live on SEC Network.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
TRUSTING THE PROCESS S2E7: Chris Gordy SportsTalk 790
Chris on how he almost jumped into acting, taking on the Houston sports market, making connections and more!
