Hogs reliever Kevin Kopps was sharp coming in and throwing needing just 30 pitches over the final three innings to lock down a win.
Goodheart gets big hit to break out of hitting slump in win over Vandy
Matt Goodheart’s double in the bottom of the fourth scored three runs and gave the Hogs a 4-3 lead that held up in 6-4 win.
Vandy’s Corbin wasn’t exactly interested in press conference
Commodores coach Tim Corbin really didn’t have a lot of enthusiasm to be talking much or answering questions after loss to Hogs.
Razorbacks’ kickoff times for first three games set
The game times for Arkansas’ first three games of the 2021 season are set and none of them will have an early-morning kickoff that bothers only some media folks.
Fans seem to prefer later starters for more tailgating time which should be back in full force for this season after missing last year with covid restrictions.
It is expected Razorback Stadium will be at full capacity for this season.
The Razorbacks will kick off Sam Pittman’s second season Sept. 4 against Rice at 1 p.m. on ESPN+-SEC Network+.
All games will be aired on HitThatLine.com and ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs, 99.5 in Northwest Arkansas and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
The Hogs and Owls will meet for the first time since 1991, Arkansas’ last year in the Southwest Conference. The Razorbacks are 35-29-3 all time against Rice dating back to 1919.
Arkansas hosts Georgia Southern in the third game of the season at 3 p.m. on SEC Network. The meeting between the Hogs and Eagles will be the first on the gridiron.
The Razorbacks’ game vs. Texas on Sept. 11 was previously announced for a 6 p.m. kickoff on ESPN.
As part of the SEC’s new media rights agreement, a number of non-conference games will be aired only on ESPN+, which is digital only.
The home team will determine the start time that doesn’t compete with exclusive air times by some networks.
This year, those contests will also air on the SEC Network+ digital platform. Both streams are accessible in the ESPN app via connected devices.
Nine such contests will air the opening three weeks of the 2021 season, with additional games to be added throughout the season via the normal in-season selection process.
Carpenter on impact of Slavens’ being out for Hogs
Razorback radio analyst Bubba Carpenter talked on Halftime with Phil Elson about how Brady Slavens’ injury could affect Razorbacks.
Holt on Lockhart’s big game to get Hogs rolling at SEC Tournament
Bob Holt of the Democrat-Gazette talked on Halftime on Thursday about Lael Lockhart’s solid seven innings against Georgia.
Wolfenbarger named Arkansas’ Gatorade Player of the Year
Incoming freshman Jersey Wolfenbarger was named the Arkansas Girls Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year, announced today.
With her win in 2019-20, Wolfenbarger joins an elite club of multiple time winners, including Christyn Williams, Jordan Danberry, Tyler Scaife, Morgan Hook, Shekinna Stricklen, and Kelly Johnson.
Sasha Goforth, who will play alongside Wolfenbarger this season, was the Gatorade Player in the state of Arkansas following the 2018-19 season.
The accolades continue to roll in for Wolfenbarger, who arrives as one of the most decorated incoming players in Razorback women’s basketball history.
On the national level, Wolfenbarger was named a McDonald’s All-American, a Jordan Brand Classic Invitee and was selected as one of five players that will have a shot at one of Team USA’s three vacant roster spots for the U19 World Cup.
At the state level, Wolfenbarger garnered Arkansas player of the year honors from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Max Preps and the Arkansas Basketball Coaches Association.
At the time of her signing, Wolfenbarger was the number seven overall player and top ranked wing in ESPN’s HoopGurlz 2021 recruiting rankings.
The awards are not hollow, though, as Wolfenbarger impacted winning during her illustrious high school career.
She is coming off her second state title with Northside High School, as she led the Grizzlies to a 26-2 record and a Class 6A State Championship in 2020-21. She averaged 19.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 blocks per game during her final high school campaign.
Lockhart’s pitching, offense boosts Hogs, Georgia helps
Lael Lockhart pitched like Kevin Kopps for over seven innings, the offense put up good numbers and Arkansas opened the SEC Tournament with an 11-2 win.
Georgia helped a lot, too.
“They walked a lot, gave us some things, made a couple errors,” Dave Van Horn said later, “and we took advantage of it.”
The Bulldogs threw the ball over just about everything but the plate, including a wild second inning where the Razorbacks drew four walks. Christian Franklin walked twice in the same inning.
Six runs crossed the plate and Georgia was off to walking a total of 14 batters in the game. Franklin walked three times in the game and Cayden Wallace duplicated that.
“We just kept chipping away after we scored the six,” Van Horn said.
He was wanted another big inning to put the game on ice, but never got it. Matt Goodheart somehow had six at-bats and didn’t draw a walk. He didn’t get a hit, either, and struck out four times.
“We never could really get that big hit in the middle of the game to put them away,” Van Horn said.
It never really mattered. The Hogs put up the six in the second inning, then one in the fourth, three in the fifth and another in the eighth.
Lockhart shut the Bulldogs down through six innings (giving up two hits and striking out 11 without walking anybody), then got into a little trouble in the seventh and Heston Tole came in and stopped any miracle rallies.
“Just a solid game by our team,” Van Horn said. “We didn’t really make any mistakes.”
And didn’t have to use much of the bullpen. Kopps probably wasn’t going in under just about any circumstances, but Van Horn didn’t have to use anybody other than Tole.
If the Hogs have a good run in this tournament, Lockhart’s outing will be something you can point to as getting it off to a good start.
“Lael Lockhart had a great game,” Van Horn said. Tthe key was keeping ahead and he was on a roll.”
The Hogs will play either Ole Miss or Vanderbilt on Thursday night at 8 p.m.
Van Horn on Hogs playing good game against Georgia with no mistakes
Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn was impressed with Lockhart on the mound, team’s play overall in 13-2 win over Bulldogs.
Lockhart after strong performance with different preparation routine
Hogs pitcher Lael Lockhart didn’t get to follow his regular routine getting ready for Georgia, but had one of his best outings.
