Diamond Hogs drop first game in Fayetteville against Ole Miss

Arkansas fell on Friday night to Ole Miss, but kept its one-game lead for second in the SEC.

Good news and bad news for Arkansas baseball on Friday night.

The bad was the Razorbacks fell in their first game against Ole Miss on the road, 4-2. Arkansas gets two more shots against the Rebels on Saturday and Sunday. The first of those games is at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The positive is that everyone close to the Diamond Hogs in the SEC standings lost, too. Arkansas maintained a one-game lead for second in the league standings. The Razorbacks are ahead of Georgia, Auburn and LSU by a single game.

Arkansas put its first runner on base in each of the first three innings and then again in the seventh, but couldn’t score a run. A combination of double-play balls and base-running mistakes stifled the knocks.

Ole Miss had no such trouble. The Rebels weren’t as good as Arkansas at the plate against [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag] when Tim Elko and Kevin Graham, Ole Miss’ No. 3 and No. 4 hitters, hit a single and a double on consecutive at-bats in the fifth inning to plate three runs. Kent Alderman had opened the scoring an inning before with an RBI single, leading to a 4-0 lead.

Arkansas countered in the eighth when [autotag]Braydon Webb[/autotag] hit a two-run shot to left field but by then it was too late.

Noland pitched eight innings, giving up 11 hits and four walks. Dylan DeLucia worked seven for Ole Miss and gave up eight hits, but struck out nine to help the Rebels strand Hogs hitters.

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Razorbacks escape Central Arkansas’ upset effort in extra inning win

The Razorbacks took advantage of a late-inning mishap by Central Arkansas to grab the win.

It took extra innings, but the Razorbacks pulled it out.

A 10th inning mishap by Central Arkansas with runners in scoring position gave Arkansas the break they needed as they walked off victorious, defeating the Bears, 2-1 Tuesday at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.

Tied 1-1 heading to the 10th inning, Central Arkansas would strand a runner at third base to end their half of the inning, giving Arkansas a chance to walk away was winners. [autotag]Robert Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag] would reach on a single and a walk respectively.

[autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag] would reach base at the expense of Wallace being thrown out at second base on a fielder’s choice but would advance Moore to third base. [autotag]Brady Slavens[/autotag] stepped in the box and would take a base on balls with a full count, but the last pitch escaped the pitcher, allowing Moore to score and to give Arkansas the win.

Defense was the name of the game prior to the 10th inning walkoff. Arkansas took their first lead of the game in the 5th inning, breaking a scoreless tie. [autotag]Braydon Webb[/autotag] opened the inning with a single to left field, and scored two at-bats later on a single to left field by [autotag]Dylan Leach[/autotag] to give the Razorbacks the 1-0 lead.

Central Arkansas answered in the top of the 6th inning. Hunter Hicks grounded out to score Kolby Johnson, who reached with a leadoff double, from third base.

Pitching wise, both teams received production from their bullpens. For Arkansas, starter [autotag]Will McEntire[/autotag] allowed three hits and an earned run in 6.0 innings, striking out four batters. [autotag]Zack Morris[/autotag], [autotag]Evan Taylor[/autotag], [autotag]Mark Adamiak[/autotag], and [autotag]Heston Tole[/autotag] would carry the load for the remaining four innings, with neither reliever allowing a hit.

Central Arkansas’ Oliver Laufman tossed seven innings in his start, allowing six hits and an earned run. Andrew Shoultz struck out four batters and allowed a hit in 2.2 innings of relief.

Webb led the Arkansas offense with two hits, while Leach led in RBI with one.

The Razorbacks return to Baum-Walker Stadium on Friday to host Ole Miss. First pitch of the weekend-opener is set for 6:30 p.m. CT

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Arkansas receives boost in national polls following sweep of LSU

Arkansas Baseball’s sweep over LSU was deemed impressive by the national polls

Arkansas Baseball is trending upward following a successful week that saw the Razorbacks finish with a 5-0 record.

Arkansas (28-7, 11-4 SEC) bounced back last week after suffering their first SEC weekend series loss since 2019 at Florida April 7-9 in Gainesville by taking two games from in-state foe Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday, and by sweeping rival LSU, all in front of the home fans at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Because of that, the national polls are on the side of the Razorbacks. Arkansas has now climbed back into the top-5 in all major polls, ranking as high as No. 2 according to one publication.

Arkansas’ placing in the top-5 is very telling, as the Southeastern Conference only has two teams remaining in the top-10 across the board, Arkansas and Tennessee.

Here’s a look at how Arkansas has fared this week in the latest polls:

Player of the Game: Robert Moore was the total package in Arkansas’ win over LSU

From two clutch moments, to earning a spot on Sportcenter’s Top-10, Robert Moore had it going on in Thursday’s win over LSU.

Have yourself a night, kid.

Despite grabbing the 5-4 win over LSU on Thursday night, Arkansas had to retake a lead once and had to fight hard to keep the Tigers from stealing it again.

When it came to making plays where they mattered, [autotag]Robert Moore[/autotag] came through.

In a tie game in the 7th inning, Moore hit a two-RBI single to score [autotag]Braydon Webb[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag] to push Arkansas ahead, 5-3, which ended up being the game-winning hit.

The next inning, LSU was poised to retake the lead by loading the bases with one out. LSU’s Jordan Thompson would hit a ground ball to Moore at 2nd base, who then turned a double play to end the threat.

While he performed well in high intensity moments throughout, it was what he did earlier in the game that stood out. In the third inning, Moore fielded a ball in shallow right field, and would spin and throw the baseball away from his momentum to get the out at first. The play was so spectacular, that it made Sportscenter’s top-10 plays of the day.

When it mattered most, Robert Moore was that guy.

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Arkansas fights off LSU comeback attempt to win series opener

Robert Moore’s bat and Brady Tygart’s grit lifted Arkansas over LSU on Thursday.

In a game defined by pitching and defense through the first six innings, Arkansas (26-7, 9-4 SEC) needed a late push to fight off the comeback-minded LSU Tigers (23-10, 7-6 SEC) in Thursday’s series-opener in a 5-4 win.

Down 2-0, LSU was able to fight back to take a 3-2 lead in the 6th inning on RBI singles by the heart of their lineup, Jacob Berry, Cade Doughty, and Josh Pearson.

The Razorbacks responded in the 7th inning by scoring three runs to retake the lead, 5-3, headlined by a two-RBI single by [autotag]Robert Moore[/autotag]. But, as they had proven earlier in the game, LSU had the ability to fight back.

Arkansas called on freshman [autotag]Brady Tygart[/autotag] after a tough start to the 8th inning that began with three batters reaching base before a single out was recorded. LSU got a run back, but once that run scored, Tygart got a groundball that turned into a double play to put an end to the pressure that the Tigers were putting on Arkansas.

“That was absolutely huge. That put absolutely all of the momentum in our dugout. That got our fans really, really into the game,” said Tygart of the 8th inning double play.

The headline prior to LSU stealing the lead in the top of the 6th was [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag]. Noland had everything working for him through 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one baserunner before Dylan Crews singled up the middle to give the Tigers their first hit.

“I was very aware,” Noland said during the postgame press conference when asked if he knew that he was throwing a no-hitter through five innings.

Noland ended the game with seven strikeouts and four hits allowed in 6.0 innings of work. Evan Taylor earned the win out of the bullpen, allowing an unearned run while striking out three batters in 1.0 innings. Tygart would go on to get his 5th save of the season.

[autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag] led the Razorbacks with two hits while [autotag]Braydon Webb[/autotag] and Robert Moore recorded two RBI.

Game two of the series with LSU is set for 6 p.m. CT Friday, and can be seen on SEC Network.

 

Sticks of the Game: Every Diamond Hogs player reaches against UAPB in Game 1

Arkansas’ lineup, after some early season struggles, has been rather consistent in the last several weeks. Arkansas Pine-Bluff allowed the Razorbacks to add some more good mojo to such work in Game One on Tuesday. The Diamond Hogs had no trouble …

Arkansas’ lineup, after some early season struggles, has been rather consistent in the last several weeks. Arkansas Pine-Bluff allowed the Razorbacks to add some more good mojo to such work in Game One on Tuesday.

The Diamond Hogs had no trouble with UAPB in the first of two games of a doubleheader, winning 15-0.

Every Arkansas starter reached base and all but one had at least one hit. All of them also scored, saved one player, as well. Arkansas racked up 15 hits, eight walks and a hit-by-pitch in the win. Five of the knocks went for extra bases.

These players had the best of the day.

Sticks of the Game: Arkansas bats silence Gators’ bark

After a quiet start to the game, Arkansas would go on to outhit Florida, 12-3 in their series-opening win over the Gators on Thursday night.

The series opener between the No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks and the No. 22 Florida Gators began as expected, with both teams getting the most out of their aces.

Arkansas’s [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag] matched with Florida’s Hunter Barco almost evenly through the first three innings, with Barco facing the minimum and Noland allowing just one hit.

Barco felt good about his performance through the first three innings, in which he had allowed zero baserunners and had three strikeouts. He could be seen on the SEC Network broadcast saying choice words following one of those strikeouts.

Once the lineup began its second rotation, it was very apparent that the Razorbacks had taken notes on how to attack Barco. After sending just three batters to the plate in each of the first three innings, Arkansas would score their first run of the game in the 4th inning on an RBI single to short by [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag] as part of a seven-plate appearance inning.

Barco would continue to feel pressure, as he would hit his second batter in as many innings to begin the 4th, sending [autotag]Peyton Stovall[/autotag] to the base paths. He would later score on a single by [autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag] to extend the Arkansas lead to 2-0. The final run that Barco would surrender would come in the 5th inning, when [autotag]Chris Lanzilli[/autotag] led off the inning by crushing his 4th home run as a Razorback, and 46th of his collegiate career, over the left field wall to move Arkansas’ lead to 3-0. After a single by Turner, and a walk issued to Jalen Battles, Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan had seen enough, pulling Barco in favor of Tyler Nesbitt.

Arkansas’ bats would silence until the top of the 9th, when they exploded to score five runs headlined by back-to-back solo home runs by Cayden Wallace and [autotag]Braydon Webb[/autotag].

All-in-all, Arkansas outhit the Gators 12-3 in the win, with five Razorbacks recording multiple hits. Wallace and Turner paced Arkansas in the run-producing department with two RBI each.

Florida no match for Arkansas series opener

Connor Noland pitched seven innings of one-hit ball in Arkansas’ 8-1 win over Florida.

The SEC has long been the best college baseball conference in the country. Arkansas is making mincemeat of its fellow members in 2022, though.

The Razorbacks, the second-ranked team in the country, dispatched perennial power Florida in Gainesville on Thursday night, 8-1, in the teams’ series opener. The win lifted the Hogs to 23-5 and 8-2 in the SEC. Only Tennessee, the No. 1 team in the nation, has a better record at 28-1 and 9-0. Those two aren’t scheduled to play this year during the regular season.

As for Thursday, it was all Arkansas, even if it started a bit late.

The Diamond Hogs dropped five runs in the ninth for plenty of insurance. [autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag] and [autotag]Braydon Webb[/autotag] homered in back-to-back at-bats to start the inning as Arkansas batted around. [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag] hit an RBI double, [autotag]Jalen Battles[/autotag] plated a run with a sacrifice fly and [autotag]Peyton Stovall[/autotag] singled home a run to complete the scoring in the inning.

Arkansas opened with Turner’s RBI single in the fourth. It was followed in the fifth by a Wallace RBI single and then in the sixth with a solo shot from [autotag]Chris Lanzilli[/autotag].

Florida managed just three hits for the game and didn’t score until the ninth. Arkansas starter [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag], who was named to the midseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Trophy earlier in the week, worked seven innings, giving up just a single hit and one walk while striking out seven.

Game 2 in the series is set for Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT.

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Arkansas vs. Little Rock: Game preview, how to watch and listen to Wednesday’s game

The No. 2 Razorbacks completed a major comeback on Tuesday against Little Rock. Arkansas will go for a midweek series win Wednesday at 4 p.m.

The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks host the Little Rock Trojans on Wednesday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks overcame a 6-0 deficit prior to the bottom of the 3rd inning to take game one of the two-game midweek set with Little Rock on Tuesday, defeating the Trojans 16-8 at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Arkansas began chipping away at the Trojan lead in the bottom half of the 3rd inning when [autotag]Robert Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Lanzill[/autotag]i each collected an RBI on a double to left and a single to center respectively to cut the Little Rock lead to 6-2 heading to the 4th inning.

Little Rock’s Canyon McWilliams aided his team by coming off of the bench to hit a solo home run in the top of the 5th inning to expand the Trojans’ lead to 7-2. The Razorbacks responded by scoring nine runs over the next two innings to head into the 7th inning with a comfortable 11-7 lead.

[autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag], [autotag]Jaden Battles[/autotag], and [autotag]Drake Varnado[/autotag] contributed to the five-run 5th inning with their bats while Kendall Diggs was able to secure an RBI by reaching base on a fielder’s choice. Wallace led off the inning by hitting his 4th home run over the right center-field fence, while Battles and Varnado each grabbed RBI on singles.

Battles and Varnado would contribute to the four-run 6th inning as well by picking up an RBI each. Battles on a single to left field and Varnado on a sacrifice fly to score Moore. The two key bats of the game, [autotag]Braydon Webb[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag], scored their first runs of the game in back-to-back at-bats. Webb singled to left field to advance Wallace to 3rd base, who would then score on an error by Little Rock to extend the Razorback lead to 12-7. Webb would later score on an RBI double by Turner.

For safe measure, Arkansas would score five insurance runs in the bottom of the 8th on two swings of the bat. After beginning the inning on two-straight walks, freshman [autotag]Kendall Diggs[/autotag] hit his first career homerun as a Razorback to give Arkansas the 14-7 lead. Varnado would get hit by a pitch in the next at-bat, and would score two batters later when Braydon Webb hit his now team-leading 5th home run of the season, expanding the lead to 16-7.

Little Rock’s Miguel Soto cut into the Razorback lead in the top of the 9th inning on an RBI double, but the Trojans could not storm back, giving Arkansas their 19th win of the season.

Wednesday, the Razorbacks and Trojans will conclude their midweek series. First pitch from Baum-Walker Stadium is set for 4 p.m.

A Look at the Omahogs Top Returning Everyday Players

Now that the Super Bowl is behind us, we can finally say it: Welcome to baseball season. 

Now that the Super Bowl is behind us, we can finally say it: Welcome to baseball season.

The Omahogs begin their SEC championship defense this Friday when they host Illinois State for a three-game set at Baum-Walker Stadium. The Razorbacks open the season ranked in the Top Ten in most polls. There are three groups – D1Baseball, Baseball America, USA Today Coaches – widely regarded as the best of the bunch when it comes to assessing the college baseball world. In those three the Hogs rank #2, #8, and #4, respectively.

So why do the national pundits and coaches regard this team so highly? It’s a combination of coaching, returning players, and new blood. Combine those things with the recent success the team has had under Dave Van Horn and the tradition of winning in Fayetteville, and anyone can see that it would be unwise to overlook the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Today we will take a look at the core of this team – the returning offensive firepower.