Hogs coach Dave Van Horn didn’t think they played well against a good Aggies’ pitcher, but still came close to pulling out win late.
Hogs sweep doubleheader to clinch series over A&M
It only took the Hogs one day to clinch yet another SEC series win.
No. 1 Arkansas won both games of Saturday’s doubleheader against Texas A&M, demolishing the Aggies, 13-0, in game one before a thrilling 2-1 extra-inning, walk-off win in the nightcap at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The Razorbacks improve to 30-5 overall on the year with today’s two victories, including an 11-3 mark in conference play. Arkansas widened its lead in the SEC West with the wins, opening a 1.5-game edge over second-place Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
The Hogs now eye a series sweep in tomorrow’s finale, which gets underway at 2 p.m. on SEC Network+.
Game One
Arkansas scored early and often in the day’s opener, jumping all over Texas A&M from the get-go en route to a 13-0 shutout win.
Brady Slavens drove home two in the bottom of the first on a double to the gap in right center, giving the Hogs an early 2-0 cushion. Matt Goodheart’s solo shot in the bottom of the second was followed by Slavens’ two-run blast, which put the Razorbacks ahead by five after two innings of play.
The Hogs never looked back, holding onto their five-run lead and tacking on more in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth. Robert Moore’s two-run homer in the seventh, which put Arkansas up by 12, was the cherry on top of the game-long offensive onslaught.
13 runs were more than enough for Razorback pitchers Patrick Wicklander, Caden Monke and Heston Tole. The trio combined to strike out 14, shutting out the Aggies while allowing only three hits and three walks.
It was the first Arkansas’ first shutout against an SEC program since a 2-0 win against Missouri on March 15, 2019, at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Game Two
Arkansas proved it can win without double-digit runs in Saturday’s nightcap, riding strong pitching to a 2-1 extra-inning, walk-off victory.
Starter Peyton Pallette was brilliant, striking out seven in six innings of work. The righty allowed only three hits and did not walk a batter in the longest start of his collegiate career.
Goodheart provided Pallette with early run support, launching a homer over the wall in right center in the bottom of the first. His fourth home run in three games put Arkansas ahead, 1-0.
The one-run lead would hold up until the top of the seventh. Kevin Kopps, who entered in relief of Pallette to start the inning, allowed a leadoff home run, which knotted the ballgame at one.
From there, the reliever was nearly unhittable. Kopps closed out the remainder of the game, striking out five while allowing only more hit in his four innings of work to pick up his sixth win of the season.
His dominance out of the bullpen set the stage for Cayden Wallace, who stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 10th with runners on first and second. The freshman did exactly what was needed.
Wallace put the ball in play, reaching on a fielder’s choice as Texas A&M second baseman Ty Coleman’s errant throw to first base allowed Moore to score the game-winning run from second.
Questions may abound in spring, but not at wide receiver
While the White team’s 30-20 win in the scrimmage with concessions Saturday didn’t provide a lot of answers, there are no questions about the wide receivers.
Treylon Burks and Mike Woods have the potential to be the best 1-2 combination in the SEC and Trey Knox may actually be back to what he showed as a freshman in 2019.
Each of them caught just two passes and scored a touchdown.
“Probably not as many as they wanted,” Sam Pittman said later. “We’ve seen them for 14 practices. We didn’t need any more than what they got.”
And Knox had a pair of catches on both of the plays he was targeted and made leaping catches on both, similar to what got fans excited about his potential in 2019. He just simply caught passes literally on top of poor Hudson Clark on those two plays.
Then there was John David White, the walk-on that looks too small in stature with this group of receivers, but is making plays that Pittman is noticing.
“I love him,” he said. “He can separate in his routes. He catches, he blocks, he’s tough. There’ll certainly be a place for him because he’s earned that.”
In other words, he’s exactly what the Razorbacks need around all these prototype big, tall receivers that have gotten all the headlines.
White had five catches (on six targets) for 87 yards and a touchdown.
They will be catching passes from KJ Jefferson as long as they can keep him on the field because Pittman has said all spring they want to have the quarterback also be able to run on purpose instead of desperation.
After the scrimmage, Pittman almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself Jefferson and Malik Hornsby are the answers at quarterback (and he admitted they will have to have two quarterbacks this season).
“I’d have to go look back at every throw that he made, but I can tell you this, when I was standing out on the field, I was going, ‘It’d be hard not to like this kid at quarterback,’” he said. “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s commanding and he was on point. As a head coach, I was sitting back there going, ‘I’m damn glad he’s our quarterback.’”
And he’s also high on Hornsby who is fast and a better runner right now than a passer, although he settled down as the scrimmage continued Saturday.
“He was way more accurate that what he had been in the past,” Pittman said. “He had great command of the offense out there. He’ll be a better player when we’re allowed to use the quarterback as a runner a little bit more.”
Jefferson knows the players has catching his passes and the guess here is that gives him confidence. He was Burks’ roommate as a freshman and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles has pushed all spring teaching quarterbacks to let them do what they can do.
“Coach Briles is a huge believer in giving guys a chance on the outside and going up and making plays,” Jefferson said. “We’ve got playmakers, so why not give them a chance? I put my trust in those guys. They trust me to put the ball in good spots and they are going to make plays.”
Pittman is obviously putting his trust in Jefferson and Hornsby.
And everybody is trusting a talented group of receivers to make it work.
Van Horn on Pallette’s ‘efficient’ start in second game win
Dave Van Horn said after Peyton Pallette started and went six innings throwing just 73 pitches in a 10-inning 2-1 win after taking first game.
Hog Reaction Postgame Show | Recapping the Razorbacks’ Red/White Game
Ruscin and Tye recap the Razorbacks’ Red/White game, live from Sassy’s in Fayetteville!
Pittman pleased with spring, not a single bad practice, he says
The White downed the Red, 30-20, in the spring game Saturday and Sam Pittman talked about the 15 practices overall.
Catalon on defense during spring after Red-White Game
Hogs safety Jalen Catalon talked with the media after six tackles in brief time on field in Red’s 30-20 win to wrap up spring drills.
Jefferson after solid outing in half of spring game Saturday
Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson (6-of-11, 153 yards, 2 touchdowns) didn’t play long but was efficient, especially on deep passes.
McAdoo’s flip to Hogs probably should not be THAT surprising
Kenny Guiton got a big pickup for his group of wide receivers Friday evening when Clarendon’s Quincey McAdoo committed to Arkansas.
— Quincey ? (@QuinceyMcadoo) April 16, 2021
And we probably shouldn’t be that shocked. You kind of had the feeling he knee-jerked the initial commitment to Florida State shortly after Justin Stepp left for South Carolina.
According to the 247Sports composite of all the rankings, McAdoo is a highly-rated three-star prospect, the No. 52 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 4 overall prospect in the state.
For Guiton, it’s the first wide receiver pickup for the 2022 class and McAdoo is a big one when you add in he’s one of the top players within the state. That’s a point of emphasis for Sam Pittman and they didn’t want to see a Top 10 player within the state leave.
According to the guys who follow the recruiting closely, the Hogs have offered 11 players inside the state and they now have commitments from six.
It’s part of the reason the Razorbacks’ ranking has risen dramatically to just outside the Top 10 in some of them but it’s probably a little premature to get hung up on where they stack up nationally.
In the SEC, they are fourth (everybody else works just as hard at recruiting) and third in the West, but that will probably change as some like Alabama and Auburn kick their recruiting in and commitments are announced.
Nolan Richardson Drive unveiled on Arkansas’ campus
Former Arkansas basketball coach Nolan Richardson helped pave the way for countless others throughout his legendary career, now future generations of Razorbacks will forge their journeys on a street that bears his name.
Nolan Richardson Drive, previously Leroy Pond Avenue, was officially dedicated in a ceremony on Friday afternoon on the University of Arkansas campus.
Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz, legendary Arkansas coaches John McDonnell (men’s track and field) and Norm DeBriyn (baseball), Razorback head men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman and numerous former Razorback men’s basketball players were among those in attendance for a dedication ceremony coordinated by the University of Arkansas’ Black Alumni Society and the City of Fayetteville.
Later in the afternoon, a dedication ceremony was held to dedicate the renaming of Government Avenue, near the Fayetteville National Cemetery, to Lt. Col. Leroy Pond Avenue.
Pond was a University of Arkansas graduate, who died in 1945 from combat wounds sustained while fighting for the Army in World War II. Last month, the Fayetteville City Council voted unanimously for the name changes.
TRUSTING THE PROCESS: Andrew Hutchinson of Hawgbeat
Tye & Hutch on growing up a Springdale Bulldog, his love for stats, how being a father changed his life and more!
