Tag: Arkansas basetball

Where Arkansas Razorbacks rank in new D1Baseball, Baseball America Top 25 rankings

Arkansas Baseball: Here’s a look at where coach Dave Van Horn’s Arkansas Razorbacks are ranked in this week’s D1Baseball and Baseball America Top 25 rankings for the week of April 22.

Arkansas’ impressive 4-1 week wasn’t enough to move the Razorbacks back into the top spot in the new Top 25 rankings from Baseball America and D1Baseball, released Monday, April 22.

The Hogs (34-6 overall, 14-4 SEC) stayed at No. 2 in both rankings after notching a pair of thrilling wins over Texas Tech in non-conference play and taking two of three from South Carolina over the weekend in Columbia.

Arkansas will face Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tuesday in non-conference play at Dickey-Stephens Field in North Little Rock. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT. The game can be seen on SEC Network+. The Hogs will then welcome Florida to Baum-Walker Stadium beginning Friday when SEC play resumes.

Texas A&M (35-5) remained No. 1 in both rankings for the second week in a row. The Aggies defeated Air Force in midweek play before winning two of three at Alabama.

Tennessee moved to No. 3 in both rankings after winning two of three at Kentucky over the weekend in a key SEC series featuring two top five clubs. After falling in the series opener, the Volunteers (33-7) rallied for 9-4 and 13-11 victories in Lexington on Saturday and Sunday.

Kentucky (32-7) fell one spot to No. 4 in D1Baseball’s poll, giving the SEC the top four spots in those rankings.

Clemson (32-7) stayed at No. 4 in Baseball America’s rankings and moved up one spot No. 5 in D1Baseball’s poll.

No. 2 Razorbacks bounce back for series win over No. 21 Gamecocks

A five-run seventh inning, backed by Brady Tygart’s six strong innings on the bump, helped No. 2 Arkansas take down No. 21 South Carolina for a 9-6 win and SEC series victory.

No. 2 Arkansas bounced back in the nightcap of a doubleheader with a five-run seventh inning for a 9-6 victory over No. 21 South Carolina Saturday at Founders Park to give the Razorbacks another series victory in SEC play.

Coach Dave Van Horn’s team won its fifth of six SEC series with Saturday night’s victory.

After falling, 6-3, in Game 1 of the twin bill, the Razorbacks (34-6 overall, 14-4 SEC) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning of Game 2.

Jack Wagner plated the game’s first run with a fielder’s choice RBI. Peyton Holt, who reached base three times, scored on a wild pitch from South Carolina starter Dylan Eskew to make it 2-0. Parker Rowland, making just his sixth start of the season behind the plate, capped off the inning with an RBI double for a 3-0 lead.

Arkansas got run-scoring singles from Holt and Wehiwa Aloy, plus a two-run double from Kendall Diggs as part of its five-run seventh-inning, which put the Hogs ahead, 9-2.

South Carolina (27-13, 9-9) didn’t go down without a fight and closed the game with four unanswered runs. The Gamecocks touched Arkansas reliever Will McEntire for three eighth-inning runs that included an RBI double from Blake Jackson and a run-scoring single from Dalton Reeves, cutting the lead to 9-5.

McEntire escaped further damage by retiring Tyler Causey on a deep fly to the warning track in center field for the final out of the eighth.

Gage Wood worked the ninth inning and allowed a leadoff double to Lee Ellis, who scored on a throwing error for the game’s final run.

Wood froze Parker Noland with a called third strike to end the game.

Arkansas outhit South Carolina, 9-8. Diggs and Holt led the way with a pair of two-hit performances that included two RBIs apiece.

On the mound, Brady Tygart was excellent in his 10th start of the season, limiting South Carolina to two runs and four hits. Tygart (4-1) matched a season-high with six innings pitched. He struck out six and walked two for his first win in SEC play.

Eskew (2-3) suffered the loss for South Carolina, allowing four runs (one earned) in 5 2/3 innings.

NEXT UP

Arkansas is scheduled to face Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tuesday at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT. The game can be seen on SEC Network+. The Hogs will then welcome Florida to Fayetteville for its next SEC series beginning Friday night at 7 p.m.

Trevon Brazile has hired an agent, declared for NBA draft

With his departure, there are zero active players on Arkansas’ roster.

Just a few hours after reports suggesting that John Calipari was set to become Arkansas’ new head coach, forward Trevon Brazile announced that he has hired an agent and is declaring for the NBA Draft.

Per his conversation with ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Brazile does not intend to enter the transfer portal and is solely focused on the NBA.

I’m 100% in the draft… Arkansas made a big hire with John Calipari. I’m happy for the program, but the main thing for for me is keeping a one-track mind. I am going out for my dreams in the NBA.

Neither Brazile nor his agent have been contacted by Calipari. Even if he did, the 6-foot-10 forward suggests his mind is set.

His departure leaves Arkansas basketball with zero active players on its roster. Calipari will have an uphill battle once he arrives in Fayetteville, but his name alone can draw massive talent to the hill.

No official announcement for Calipari’s hiring had been made as of Monday afternoon. Reports, however, maintained it was matter of time.

Next Arkansas basketball coach will have to rebuild roster

Hours before Calipari became the front-runner, Arkansas’ best player entered the transfer portal.

Lost in the hullabaloo of Arkansas’ search for its next basketball, a search that has reportedly yielded an unexpected hire in John Calipari, was another exit from the basketball team.

Razorbacks wing Tramon Mark, who led the team in scoring and was Arkansas’ most consistent player in a season that lacked consistency, announced he was entering the transfer portal Sunday, just hours before word came about Calipari.

Mark could very well back out of the portal. So could all the Razorbacks who have entered. But it would still require a recruiting job by Calipari, or whoever becomes the next Arkansas coach, to keep him. It’s unclear whether the next coach would even want to.

An entire roster, practically, has to be rebuilt. As of now, only guard Khalif Battle, forward Trevon Brazile and signee Isaiah Elohim are scholarship players set to play for the Hogs in 2024-25.

Mark averaged 16.2 points per game for Arkansas in his only season in Fayetteville. He transferred to Arkansas, along with Battle and several others, the previous offseason. The Razorbacks finished the season with their first losing record since 2009-10 and coach Eric Musselman left to take the job at USC last week.