Baseball
Razorbacks go on road for Top 10 matchup with Vanderbilt this weekend
Arkansas faces its fourth-ranked opponent of the year and second from the Top 10 starting tomorrow when it faces sixth-ranked Vanderbilt in a three-game series.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Arkansas faces its fourth-ranked opponent of the year and second from the Top 10 starting tomorrow when it faces sixth-ranked Vanderbilt in a three-game series.
The series is set to start at 7 p.m. on Friday on the SEC Network, while Saturday’s game will be on ESPNU and first pitch is at 8 p.m.
Sunday’s series finale will be at 1 p.m. and be broadcast online via SEC Network+.
Follow Live
Mike Morgan (PxP) and Chris Burke (Analyst) will have the call on Friday and Saturday’s national broadcast.
All three games can be viewed online via the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com. Phil Elson will have the radio call all three days on the Razorback Sports Network.
Fans can listen to the radio call on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home and via the Razorback Gameday app.
Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes prior to first pitch. There will also be a live radio link available on ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
Important Links
Game 1 – WATCH | LIVE STATS
Game 2 – WATCH | LIVE STATS
Game 3 – WATCH | LIVE STATS
Probable Starters
FRI: (ARK) RHP Isaiah Campbell (6-0, 2.29 ERA, 59 K, 10 BB) vs. (VU) RHP Drake Fellows (6-0, 3.44 ERA, 58 K, 22 BB)
SAT: (ARK) RHP Connor Noland (0-1, 4.59 ERA, 22 K, 9 BB) vs. (VU) RHP Kumar Rocker (2-4, 5.90 ERA, 32 K, 8 BB)
SUN: (ARK) TBA vs. (VU) RHP Patrick Raby (5-1, 2.47 ERA, 38 K, 22 BB)
The Razorbacks (25-8, 8-4 SEC) have won three in a row after dispatching Oral Roberts on Tuesday, 15-8.
Heston Kjerstad had one of his best days, offensively, this season, hitting two home runs, one being a grand slam. It’s the third time in his career that he’s homered twice in a game and two of those times have been against the Golden Eagles.
Kjerstad is leading the team with nine home runs on the year and hitting .312 with 27 RBIs and 26 runs scored.
He ranks in the Top 10 in the SEC in home runs (9) and total bases (77) and has two or more RBIs in three of his last four games with a career-high five RBIs coming on Tuesday.
Razorback Prime Nine
• Arkansas goes to Vanderbilt for the first time since 2015 for a three-game series with the Commodores. The Hogs last won a three-game series in Nashville in 2010.
• Arkansas won its second road series in conference play last week when it took 2-of-3 from Auburn. It’s the Hogs’ third road series win overall this year, matching their most since 2015.
• The Razorbacks won a marathon 15-inning game on the backend of a doubleheader with Auburn on Friday. It was the longest game in terms of innings since 2004 (16 innings vs. SE Missouri St.).
• Freshman Patrick Wicklander has made 13 appearances this year, seven as a starter. In those games as a starter, the San Jose native has a 1.98 ERA, six earned runs allowed and 39 strikeouts.
• Patrick Wicklander has held opponents to a .186 batting average this season, which is the second-lowest among all freshman pitchers in the SEC.
• Friday night starter Isaiah Campbell was named to the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List on Wednesday. Campbell has a 6-0 record with a team-best 2.29 ERA and is the only pitcher in the SEC with three wins, a 1.80 or lower ERA and 25 or more strikeouts in conference games.
• Junior Dominic Fletcher added to his league-best doubles total last week, hitting two against Auburn. He added another against ORU and is tied for the SEC lead (17) with Jake Mangum.
• Heston Kjerstad hit two homers against Oral Roberts on Tuesday, his third multi-home run game of his career. One of his home runs was a grand slam, a career first.
• Redshirt senior Trevor Ezell batted in the leadoff spot for the first time this year last week and he responded with a .389 average, including two multi-hit games, two home runs and a team-best seven RBIs.
