Category: Arkansas baseball

SEC Baseball Power Rankings: Hogs back in top three

Only two weeks remaining in the SEC baseball regular season, and it’s a five-team race for the top seed. 

Only two weeks remaining in the SEC baseball regular season, and it’s a five-team race for the top seed.

The SEC will likely have eight teams in the tournament, and all eight have an opportunity to make it to the College World Series. The SEC regular season has been a gauntlet, and those that make it out will be well prepared.

We’ll have to wait until these last two weeks of games to determine who will make it out. Six conference games on the schedule could turn into a back-to-back sweep if somebody isn’t careful.

As for the Diamond Hogs, they have two tough conference series to end the season, but they are currently riding a six-game win streak against SEC opponents.

Diamond Hogs up to No. 3 in the nation in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

LSU is the only SEC team ranked ahead of Arkansas in the poll. The Diamond Hogs lead the Tigers in the standings.

Polls haven’t meant anything in more than a decade. But ask any fan if they feel something when the weekly ones are released, and they would, if being honest, tell you yes.

For Arkansas baseball that’s definitely the case.

The Razorbacks jumped three spots on Monday in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, going from No. 6 to No. 3 following a weekend sweep of Mississippi State. Now, the only SEC team ahead of Arkansas is LSU, a team who dropped one spot, alternating with Wake Forest.

The SEC owned four of the top five spots in the poll and five of the top 10. Behind Arkansas was No. 4 Vanderbilt and No. 5 Florida. South Carolina was No. 7, while Kentucky was ranked 16th and Tennessee 20th.

Arkansas will host Vandy from Friday to Sunday at Baum-Walker Stadium in the penultimate series of the regular season. The Diamond Hogs own a 1/2-game lead over LSU for first in the SEC West.

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Arkansas’ sweep of MSU, LSU’s loss to Auburn vault Diamond Hogs into first

Kendall Diggs and Jace Bohrofen had massive days as Arkansas swept Mississippi State on Sunday.

With just two weekends left in the regular season, Arkansas finds itself back on top of the SEC West.

By sweeping Mississippi State on Sunday with an 11-6 win combined with  Auburn’s upset of LSU, the Diamond Hogs re-took first-place in the SEC West, a 1/2-game up on the Tigers.

The Razorbacks took a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in the fourth on the strength of Jace Bohrofen’s two-out, three-run double. Then, in the fifth, Kendall Diggs cleared the bases with a grand slam and Bohrofen followed him with a solo shot.

That was more than enough for Arkansas’ fourth pitchers. Hunter Hollan went only 3 2/3 innings and allowed four runs, but Cody Adcock, Zack Morris and Parker Coil limited the Bulldogs to just two runs and two hits the rest of the way.

Arkansas’ win was its sixth straight and sixth series win in eight such in the SEC. Sunday’s victory also allowed the Razorbacks to pick up their second SEC sweep of the season.

The Diamond Hogs will play their final series of the season at Baum-Walker Stadium from Friday to Sunday against South Carolina. USC is ranked No. 5 in the country. Arkansas is sixth.

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Diamond Hogs run-rule Mississippi State in Game 2, take series

Brady Tygart pitched in his second game since returning from injury and Arkansas was sharp.

The Arkansas baseball team played one of its most complete games of the season Saturday to take the series against Mississippi State.

Arkansas collected 11 hits and picked up strong efforts from Brady Tygart and Will McEntire on the mound to take Game 2, 14-2, in just seven innings. The victory was the Diamond Hogs’ fifth in a row and, combined with Auburn’s defeat of LSU, moved the team to just 1 1/2 games back of the Tigers in the SEC West.

The Razorbacks damaged every pitcher Mississippi State tried. They were never retired 1-2-3 in an inning and scored runs in five different frames. A five-run seventh inning was enough to end the game early after MSU didn’t score in the bottom.

Tygart pitched his second game since March 1 after returning from injury. He started and went two innings, giving up just a walk. McEntire finished the final five and struck out four.

At the plate Kendall Diggs had the best day. He went 3 for 4 with a home run, five RBI and two runs. Caleb Cali and Brady Slavens also homered.

Arkansas will go for the sweep Sunday at 1 p.m.

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Arkansas baseball vs Mississippi State – Game 3: How to watch, stream, listen

Arkansas clinch the series against Mississippi State, but they will attempt to capture the sweep.

Arkansas baseball has found its groove again.

The Diamond Hogs knocked off Mississippi State, 14-2, to claim their sixth SEC season series thanks to the run-rule in the seventh inning. This is also the fourth consecutive series victory over Mississippi State.

Arkansas jumped out to an 8-0 lead by the fourth inning. It wasn’t until the sixth inning that the Hogs began to send the ball over the fence. Brady Slevins hit his second home run of the series in the sixth inning. In the next inning, Kendall Diggs and Caleb Cali had two home runs combining for five RBIs which sealed the game.

Diggs had a great day at the plate, leading the team with three hits and five RBIs.

On the mound, Will McEntire pitched five innings, giving up seven hits and two runs while striking out four batters in relief duty. Brady Tygart started the game by giving up zero hits and runs in two innings of work.

Arkansas tosses two-hitter, takes Game 1 vs Mississippi State

Arkansas’ staff had trouble working, well, out of trouble all season. Not on Friday.

Arkansas’ pitching staff has largely been middle-of-the-pack in the SEC this season.

On Friday, though, the triumverate of Hagen Smith, Cody Adcock and Gage Wood gave the Diamond Hogs perhaps one of their better games of the season. They combined for a two-hitter in Arkansas’ 6-2 win at Mississippi State to open the series in Starkville.

Smith worked the first five innings and gave up both hits and runs. The first came on an RBI single in the fourth after a walk and a hit batter. The second run after two walks and a single loaded the bases, Mississippi State scored on a wild pitch.

The second run tied things as Arkansas scored its first two runs in the first inning on a two-run home run by Jace Bohrofen. Brady Slavens broke the tie in the sixth with a two-run shot and the Diamond Hogs tacked on two more in the ninth on a wild pitch and an RBI single from Kendall Diggs.

Arkansas’ staff’s stuff wasn’t their best of the season. Mississippi State walked eight times, too. But working out of the trouble had been a Razorbacks issue all season. The Bulldogs ultimately left nine runners  onbase.

Caleb Cali had the best day at the plate for Arkansas, collecting three hits in four at-bats with a double and a run. No other Razorbacks hitter had more than a knock.

Arkansas will look to take the series on Saturday when the teams meet at 6 p.m.

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Arkansas baseball vs Mississippi State – Game 2: How to watch, stream, listen

Arkansas will attempt to claim their fourth consecutive series win over Mississippi State Saturday night. Here’s how to catch the action.  

It was a good Friday Night for the Diamond Hogs.

They opened their series against Mississippi State with a 6-2 victory, improving to 10-1 against the Bulldogs since 2019. Dave Van Horn got a complete game from his squad, with thirteen strikeouts and two home runs.

Hagen Smith, Cody Adcock, and Gage Wood combined for 13 strikeouts in the two-hitter, the first of its kind under Van Horn.

Jace Bohrofen and Brady Slevins contributed the two home runs. Bohrofen’s two-run bomb came in the first inning, bringing home Kendall Diggs to build an early 2-0 lead. The Bulldogs attempted to make a comeback, but Slevins put the Hogs ahead once more with a two-run bomb of his own in the top of the sixth.

Arkansas will attempt to claim their fourth consecutive series win over Mississippi State Saturday night. Here’s how to catch the action.

Dave Van Horn returning Hagen Smith to Arkansas’ rotation

Hagen Smith has been Arkansas’ best pitcher this season by far, so he’s headed back to the rotation for Mississippi State.

Injuries have beset the Arkansas baseball team as bad in 2023 as they have any season in recent memory.

Coach Dave Van Horn is having to be more clever than usual when it comes to making adjustments because of it. That includes returning the team’s best and most consistent pitcher back to the rotation.

Hagen Smith is set to start Friday’s opener against Mississippi State with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. in Starkville. The start will be Smith’s seventh this season, but he also has six relief appearances. He has a 6-1 record, the team’s best, and a 2.64 earned-run average – also best among qualifiers – in 47 2/3 innings.

In other words, Van Horn wants to maximize the innings total for the best pitcher on his roster.

The move will hurt a bullpen that is already stretched thing and hasn’t pitched well more often than not. Among the five players with the most outings in relief this season, their invidivual ERAs are 3.00, 6.58, 5.06, 8.18 and 9.74 in order of most relief appearances to fewest. For the record, that’s Gage Wood, Austin Ledbetter, Cody Adcock, Christian Foutch and Zack Morris.

Arkansas enters its eighth SEC series of the weekend in second in the Western Division, two games in the loss column behind LSU, but four games in front of Alabama for third in the division.

Arkansas baseball vs Mississippi State – Game 1: How to watch, stream, listen

Arkansas travels to Mississippi State looking to claim their sixth SEC series.

The college baseball season is coming to a close for the Diamond Hogs, with only three series left before the SEC tournament.

First, the Diamond Hogs must travel to Starksville for a weekend series against Mississippi State.

Mississippi State is at the bottom of the SEC, with only six wins in league play. We all know that doesn’t mean a guarantee for Arkansas after the debacle in Athens. Arkansas is also fighting off the injury bug, who just took another pitcher for the rest of the season. 

Arkansas still has a chance o be a top seed in the SEC Tournament, especially if they can pull off another sweep to claim their sixth conference series win.

Arkansas pitcher Dylan Carter suffers season-ending injury

The injury bug strikes again for Dave Van Horn and Arkansas baseball’s pitching staff

The injury bug has struck Arkansas baseball yet again. The Diamond Hogs lost another important bullpen piece when RHP [autotag]Dylan Carter[/autotag] suffered a season-ending UCL tear.

The sophomore from Bentonville shared the heartbreaking news to Twitter with a short statement.

“Razorback Nation: It is with a heavy heart that I announce my 2023 season has come to an end due to a UCL tear,” Carter’s announcement read. “This season has been nothing short of amazing and our teams season isn’t over yet. I will be the best teammate and supporter as we finish up the season and begin our run to Omaha. #31”

Carter was injured in last Thursday’s series-opening win over Texas A&M after just one inning of relief work. He’s been stellar this season, having recorded a 6-0 record, 3.65 ERA and two saves across 37 innings pitched this season. Carter has walked 11 batters, struck out 26 and opponents are batting .264 against him.

This is third season-ending injury suffered by an Arkansas pitcher. Jaxon Wiggins and Koty Frank are both out with UCL injuries that required Tommy John surgery, just as Carter will need.

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