Tye and Tommy on things that will define Razorback football, Hog BSB vs. BKB, Tre Norwood and more!
Hutch on highest-drafted Hogs, Kopps’ numbers in context
Andrew Hutchinson of HawgBeat has rated the Razorbacks’ highest-rated drafted football player at each position ahead of Thursday’s draft.
TRUSTING THE PROCESS: Voice of the Hogs, Chuck Barrett
Tye and Chuck on the many radio jobs he worked, why he didn’t think he was getting the Arkansas gig, doing a show without PC and more.
Hobbs on depth of Arkansas’ pitching staff
Razorbacks pitching coach Matt Hobbs with an unusual weekend off and no games during week before heading to LSU for weekend series.
Chavanelle on Franks’ draft prospects, recruiting updates
HawgBeat’s Nikki Chavanelle looks for former Hogs quarterback Feleipe Franks to be taken in NFL Draft in later rounds plus updates recruiting.
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast: Is Kopps MVP for Hogs?
Tye & Tommy on Kevin Kopps in 2021, Clay on Hog FB NFL prospects, best Chuck Barrett stories and more!
Hogs bats come alive to hammer Missouri, avoiding sweep
Arkansas scored six runs in the first two innings and banged out a season-high 13 hits to defeat Missouri, 8-4, in the Bogle Park regular season finale on Monday night.
The Razorbacks never trailed and finish the week 1.5 games ahead of Florida for first place in the SEC standings.
How it happened
The offense wasted no time jumping on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning.
Back-to-back walks drawn by outfielder Hannah McEwen and infielder Braxton Burnside allowed infielder Hannah Gammill to launch her eighth home run of the year to left, giving Arkansas a 3-0 lead.
Infielder Danielle Gibson went yard two pitches later, combining with Gammill for the Razorbacks’ ninth back-to-back home runs this year.
Gibson is tied for second on the team alongside designated player Linnie Malkin with 15 home runs.
Arkansas extended its lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the second on Gibson’s RBI groundout and Malkin’s single up the middle.
Missouri (34-11, 12-6 SEC) scored all of its runs via a pair of two-run home runs in the fourth inning by Kim Wert and Emma Raabe, bringing the Tigers within two.
Burnside gave Arkansas a three-run advantage the next half inning, homering for the 24th time this season to left center on a 1-0 pitch, making the score, 7-4.
Burnside’s blast tied her with Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo atop the nation’s home run leaderboard.
Gibson’s single up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning scored Gammaill from second and gave the Hogs an 8-4 lead.
The Tigers attempted to come back in the top of the seventh inning and put two runners on with one out.
Arkansas turned to Autumn Storms out of the pen, and after and walking the first batter she faced, induced a game ending 4-6-3 double play.
Mary Haff (21-4) gave the Razorbacks 6.1 innings of work and allowed just four earned runs in the fourth inning.
She surrendered eight hits and one walk while striking out five. Storms earned her fourth save of the year, entering the game with the game’s tying run in the on deck circle.
The Tigers used a quartet of hurlers, with starter Jordan Weber (9-3) taking the loss allowing four earned runs on three hits and two walks.
Arkansas outhit Missouri 13-8, which tied a season-high (March 13 at South Carolina). Gammill, Gibson and catcher Kayla Green each paced the squad with three hits.
The Razorbacks finish out their regular season with a three-game road trip to LSU from Saturday, May 1 through Monday, May 3.
O’Gara rates Jefferson squarely in middle of QB rankings
Saturday Down South’s Connor O’Gara released his post-spring rankings of SEC quarterbacks and he has KJ Jefferson at sixth, which is up.
Kopps picks up several weekly awards, but still co-SEC
Kevin Kopps is not of this world, but in the SEC (as usual) with an Arkansas player that only gets you halfway to being top player in the league.
The right-handed reliever was named Collegiate Baseball Newspaper national player of the week as well as the SEC co-pitcher of the week on Monday after helping lead the top-ranked Hogs to a series win at South Carolina.
The SEC probably has some sort of answer that by having a co-whatever recognizes more players all that does really is water down the award.
You would think the Southeastern Conference would be a little above the participation trophy sort of recognition. Players are either the best … or they aren’t.
Matt Goodheart is the only Hogs baseball player this year to not have to share the honors and that was when he was named the player of the week back at the end of March.
In college baseball, especially the SEC, Kopps is the best pitcher and second place the last couple of weeks really hasn’t been able to be in the same discussion.
Kopps struck out 12 of the 15 batters he faced in two relief appearances during the series. He picked up a save, his fifth of the season, in the 6-1 series-opening win on Thursday, striking out six in three perfect innings.
The reliver then punched out all six in his two-inning appearance in the series finale, locking down the series win in the nightcap of Friday’s doubleheader.
Kopps threw 43 of his 59 pitches for strikes in the series, generating 21 swings-and-misses while not allowing a single baserunner.
He has a ridiculous 0.97 ERA in 37.0 innings pitched, striking out 66 batters this season.
He is the second Arkansas student-athlete to earn a national weekly award this year. Matt Goodheart took home honors from both CB Newspaper and Perfect Game/Rawlings one week ago.
Five Hogs, meanwhile, have earned weekly honors from the conference this season.
Kopps joins pitcher Caleb Bolden (co-pitcher of the week, Feb. 23), catcher Casey Opitz (co-player of the Week, March 22), Goodheart (player of the week, March 29) and outfielder Cayden Wallace (co-freshman of the Week, April 12 and 19) as Arkansas’ recipients.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
