Tag: Cayden Wallace

Diamond Hogs land next year’s starting shorstop…unless he decides to go pro

Jordan Sprinkle should slot into the starting shortstop position for Arkansas next year if he isn’t scooped up by the MLB draft later this month.

Jordan Sprinkle will almost certainly hear his name called in the MLB draft later this month.

For now, though, he is headed to Arkansas after announcing his transfer from California-Santa Barbara to the Diamond Hogs via the transfer portal.

Sprinkle, a rising junior, had a slash line of .285/.381/.413 with the Gauchos last season, driving in 35 runs and stealing 25 bases for UCSB. His team was eliminated by Stanford in the the Palo Alto Regional, shortly after which Sprinkle entered the transfer portal.

The MLB draft begins Sunday, July 17 and continues through Tuesday, July 19. Sprinkle is rated as the No. 156 prospect for it.

Arkansas has three players ranked higher in the prospect status for the draft. Third baseman Cayden Wallace is No. 31, right-hander Peyton Pallette is No. 43 and second baseman Robert Moore is No. 108. All three are expected to sign when drafted.

Coach Dave Van Horn bemoaned the draft’s late start date – it had been in June until last year – when he gave his end-of-season press conference on Thursday. In the meantime, Arkansas continues to use the transfer portal as the only position-player starter expected to return is Peyton Stovall.

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Dave Van Horn doesn’t hold back on draft: “It’s ridiculous”

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn is not a fan of the MLB Draft this time of year.

Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn has a point.

The Razorbacks long-time head man put a wrap on the Arkansas season with a end-of-year press conference on Thursday. Among the topics were, of course, the 2023 Diamond Hogs.

That’s where things became more testy than usual.

See, traditionally the MLB Draft had been in early-to-mid-June. But in 2021, Major League Baseball moved it to mid-July. This year, it’s in mid-to-late-July (specifically July 17-19), making things difficult for people like Van Horn who are seeking roster clarity heading into the fall semester.

“What a horrible time for the draft. The draft should have been last week,” Van Horn said. “I’ve said this 10 times this year: It makes no sense at all. No one likes it except the [MLB] owners. They think it’s cool to have the draft during the All-Star game. Nobody cares.”

In baseball, players don’t have to declare for the MLB Draft. If they’re selected and have eligibility remaining in college, than can choose to sign or stay in school. It’s straight-forward.

But it also creates the problem of the unknown. Several Arkansas recruits and current players – namely third baseman Cayden Wallace and second baseman Robert Moore – are likely to be taken. Most of them taken high. The question is whether where they are taken is high enough to entice them to leave the Diamond Hogs.

“I mean, it’s a joke. So we’ve got to get through that, and then you’ve got about 14 days after the draft to see who’s going to sign and now it’s August 1. That’s when the smoke will clear. Hopefully within a couple days after that, we’ll have a final roster. There could be a lot of changes,” Van Horn said.

Arkansas will likely only return one position-player starter, but could return all three weekend starters and a bulk of the bullpen.

Arkansas scores 17 in demolition of Stanford at College World Series

Arkansas’ bats save their best for the College World Series in blasting No. 2 Stanford.

Chris Lanzilli was not fooled by the changeup. The ball left his bat at 106 miles-per-hour and traveled beyond the left field wall.

It was the first of many impressive hitting moments for Arkansas, which had zero trouble with the No. 2 overall seed Stanford, 17-2, in the first round of the College World Series.

Lanzilli’s homer broke a 1-all tie with the Cardinal with one out in the fifth and the Razorbacks piled on from there. Arkansas racked up 21 hits, seven of which went for extra bases, in the easy win.

The Diamond Hogs will now get the winner of Auburn and Ole Miss. Those two meet Saturday night.

Every Arkansas starter had at least two hits, paced by Michael Turner’s 4-for-6 day. Peyton Stovall knocked in four runners and Cayden Wallace knocked in another three.

Alex Williams, the PAC 12 Pitcher of the Year, went 4 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits and two walks while striking out six and allowing five runs.

Robert Moore added the fifth run to Williams’ tally after the Cardinal starter left the game. Moore’s single to right served as the exit for Williams, but after Jalen Battles walked and Peyton Stovall hit into a fielder’s choice, Moore scored from third base on a wild pitch by Ryan Bruno.

An RBI single by nine-hole hitter Zack Gregory tacked on another run off Bruno to make it 6-1. That was that.

Every Arkansas batter had reached base at least once by the fifth. The Diamond Hogs lineup finished with 21 hits and seven walks.

Meanwhile, Arkansas starter Connor Noland mowed down the Stanford lineup. He worked 7 2/3 innings, helping his bullpen in the short week in Omaha, Nebraska, giving up just six hits.

Arkansas wasted little time opening the scoring. Braydon Webb led off the game with a triple and he scored two batters later on Cayden Wallace’s sacrifice fly.

Stanford tied things in the bottom of the inning in even faster fashion. Brock Jones took the third pitch of the game from Arkansas starter Connor Noland to deep left field over the wall.

Arkansas will get either the Tigers or Rebels on Monday night. The Razorbacks won SEC series against both during the regular season.

Arkansas pitcher Jaxon Wiggins named No. 3 MLB Draft prospect in Omaha

Arkansas pitcher Jaxon Wiggins’ stuff has pro scouts drooling at the College World Series.

Jaxon Wiggins spent most of the 2022 season as Arkansas’ third starter. At the College World Series, he will almost certainly be a part of the Razorbacks’ plans.

In fact, he could be in the plans far beyond that.

Wiggins, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound sophomore from Roland, Oklahoma, has the stuff of a front-line professional. He was named the No. 3 prospect to watch (eligible for the 2023 draft) at the whole College World Series by ESPN.

“Wiggins is regularly in the upper-90s and has above-average off-speed stuff but is still inexperienced,” the report reads.

Arkansas third baseman Cayden Wallace is the Razorbacks’ top-ranked professional prospect. The report lists him as the No. 3 prospect – eligible for any draft – at the whole tournament. Razorbacks second baseman Robert Moore is the No. 10 prospect.

Also considered for the future are Arkansas right-hander Brady Tygart, left-hander Hagen Smith, shortstop Jalen Battles and infielder Peyton Stovall, who is largely expected to move off of first base to second in the pros.

Michael Turner named Stillwater Regional MVP

Arkansas catcher Michael Turner named MVP of Stillwater Regional as Diamond Hogs advance to Super Regionals.

As if the weekend weren’t already crazy enough, Arkansas’ Stillwater Regional win Monday night was capped in perhaps the best way possible.

Razorbacks catcher Michael Turner, who made national sports news the previous week for…other reasons…was named the Regional’s Most Valuable Player at the conclusion of Arkansas’ 7-3 win.

The graduate transfer from Kent State had a two-run double in the ninth to help insure the Hogs victory. For the Regional, Turner went 8-18 with two walks, two home runs and a double and knocked in nine runs while scoring seven more.

Arkansas will play North Carolina in the Super Regionals in Chapel Hill on the weekend. The Tar Heels, the No. 10 seed, advanced after beating Virginia Commonwealth on Sunday.

Arkansas first baseman Peyton Stovall, third baseman Cayden Wallace, shortstop Jalen Battles and pitcher Connor Noland were named to the All-Regional team, as well.

The trip is Arkansas’ fourth straight to the Super Regionals. The Diamond Hogs lost in the Supers last year to North Carolina State, but the previous two times in the round they advanced to the College World Series.

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Arkansas falls to Oklahoma State in 10th, forcing winner-take-all game Monday

Oklahoma State scored four in the 10th to force a winner-take-all game against Arkansas on Monday.

The wild weekend will continue.

Oklahoma State, the No. 7 seed and host of the Stillwater Regional, rallied from a one-run deficit in the ninth and then plated four runs in the 10th to win, 14-10, to force a winner-take-all game for a spot in the Super Regionals on Monday.

Aidan Meola singled up the middle, off the foot of Arkansas pitcher Brady Tygart, to score the go-ahead runs in the first inning of extras. Oklahoma State re-captured the lead in the top of the ninth behind two walks, two doubles and a single and took a 10-8 lead into the bottom of the inning.

Brady Slavens’ two-run single, though, tied the game with two outs and forced extra innings for Arkansas, which was the home team by virtue winning their first two games of the Stillwater Regional.

Roc Riggio doubled to start the 10th and Zach Ehrhard followed with a single. Nolan McLean then hit his fifth home run of the Regional, a two-run shot, to left, giving the Cowboys a four-run lead.

Arkansas had taken its first lead of the night in the eighth when Michael Turner’s two-run home run gave the Diamond Hogs the one-run advantage going into the ninth inning.

Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn elected to go to Connor Noland, who started Arkansas’ opener against Grand Canyon on Friday, out of the bullpen for the ninth.

Noland induced a flyout before walking two straight Oklahoma State batters. David Mendham then sent a hard line drive to left field that went beyond outfielder Zack Gregory. Jaxson Crull and Hueston Morrill scored on the play after both were inserted as pinch-runners.

Springdale native Marcus Brown then plated another run with a double down the first-base line

Oklahoma State built a 5-2 lead after the first four innings as the Cowboys chased Arkansas starter Jaxson Wiggins after he recorded just four outs. Arkansas’ comeback began when Cayden Wallace homered in the fifth. In the sixth, he plated two more with a single to left and in the eighth, his grounder resulted in a fielder’s choice that pulled the Razorbacks within one.

McLean retired Arkansas’ Michael Turner, Robert Moore and Jalen Battles to finish the 10th.

The winner-take-all game is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday.

Arkansas vs. Oklahoma State: How to stream and listen to Saturday’s game

Hagen Smith gets the start on the mound as Arkansas faces Oklahoma State in a winner’s bracket contest

The Arkansas Razorbacks got back to their old ways on Friday in the Stillwater Regional opener against Grand Canyon.

The Razorbacks and Antelopes nearly matched each other in hits, but Arkansas did more with their opportunities. Behind a two-home run day by [autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag] and a three-RBI performance by [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag], Arkansas ran away with a 7-1 win over Grand Canyon, snapping a four-game losing streak. 

The most noteworthy item from the game was that Arkansas only used two pitchers, Connor Noland and Kole Ramage, to grab the win, which gives Arkansas more options out of the bullpen over the remainder of the series. Noland threw 7.0 innings in his start, his longest outing since tossing 8.0 innings against Ole Miss on April 29. Kole Ramage closed the game out by working 2.0 innings and striking out three batters.

For Oklahoma State, six Cowboy batters recorded multiple hits in their 10-5 win over Missouri State on Friday night. Jake Thompson recorded three hits while Nolan McLean mirrored Wallace’s performance by hitting two home runs in the game.

Arkansas will give the ball to Hagen Smith on Saturday. Smith, who last started May 14 against Vanderbilt, has two relief appearances in that time. In his last outing, he threw an inning and struck out two batters in the 7-5 loss to Florida in an elimination game of the SEC Tournament.

The Cowboys are expected to throw ace Justin Campbell. The two-time All-American has struck out 133 batters in 94.1 innings pitched, while holding a 9-2 record. Most recently, Campbell struck out ten batters while allowing three hits and a run in Oklahoma State’s 11-1 win over Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on May 26.

Sticks of the Game: Wallace, Turner power Hogs over Antelopes

Wallace’s two-home run day and Turner’s quality hits led Arkansas to a game one win in the Stillwater Regional on Friday.

In a game where both teams nearly matched each other in the hit column, the Arkansas Razorbacks proved that “quality over quantity” is what will ultimately win games.

The Razorbacks outhit Grand Canyon by just one hit on Friday, 9-8, but were able to add more value to their swings in a 7-1 win over the Antelopes in game one of the Stillwater Regional, hosted by Oklahoma State.

Six Razorbacks collected at least one hit in the game, while three of those batters sent at least one run across the plate in the win. Out of those players, the sticks of [autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag] made the most noise on Friday by teaming up to grab five hits and to score six of Arkansas’ seven runs.

Arkansas has seen its’ share of offensive struggles in their four-game losing streak, but after taking a week off of competition, it seems that they have left those days in the dust. That became apparent in the bottom of the 1st inning.

After a successful top-half of the inning by the Arkansas defense, the Razorbacks were able to get on the board first thanks to a mammoth home run by Wallace to left field, that appeared to exit the stadium completely.

That would be the first of two long balls for Wallace on the afternoon. Up 5-1 in the bottom of the 4th inning, Wallace hit another solo blast into the Razorback bullpen to add an insurance run. The longball was a response to GCU’s Tayler Aguilar hitting his 21st home run of the season in the top of the inning to put the Antelopes on the board.

After a wild week that featured a local radio host spatting off insults in his direction, Michael Turner silenced the critics by going 3-for-4 with three RBI in the win.

Turner played a key role in Arkansas breaking the game open in the 2nd inning. After two runs scored previous to his at-bat, Turner added two more runs to the total on a two-RBI single to score Braydon Webb and Brady Slavens, and to give Arkansas the 5-0 lead.

The Turner-Slavens combo would work together again to put the nail in the coffin and to solidify the Razorbacks win. Slavens reached base on a leadoff walk, and later scored on another RBI single by Turner to put Arkansas on top, 7-1.

Joining Wallace and Turner in earning hits for Arkansas were [autotag]Braydon Webb[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Lanzilli[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Battles[/autotag], and [autotag]Peyton Stovall[/autotag].

Arkansas moves on to the winner’s bracket to face the winner of Oklahoma State-Missouri State on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. CDT.

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Solid production at the plate lifts Arkansas over Grand Canyon

The Razorbacks silenced one of the country’s hardest-hitting teams to win game one of the Stillwater Regional

After a week away from competition, the Arkansas Razorbacks seemed to re-discover their groove at the plate, which lifted them to a much-needed opening-day win.

Arkansas jumped ahead early, and coasted the rest of the way in their regional-opener against Grand Canyon, defeating the Antelopes, 7-1 at O’Brate Stadium on the campus of Oklahoma State University.

Arkansas and Grand Canyon nearly matched each other in the hit column, with the Razorbacks holding a 9-8 advantage. But Arkansas got more production from their hits. The Razorbacks scored five runs over the first two innings on four hits to gain a comfortable advantage, while limiting Grand Canyon, who had seven players batting at .300 or better, to just one run.

The Razorbacks needed a great game to erase their recent struggles and a four-game losing skid. They got the hot start that they desperately needed in the bottom of the 1st inning on a solo moon shot by [autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag] to give Arkansas the 1-0 lead.

Arkansas extended their lead to 5-0 by the end of the 2nd inning, headlined by a two-RBI single by [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag]. With two runs across already, and the bases loaded, Turner sent a grounder up the middle to score [autotag]Braydon Webb[/autotag] and [autotag]Brady Slavens[/autotag] to give Arkansas the five-run cushion.

The Antelopes top hitter put his team on the board in the top of the 4th inning. GCU’s Tayler Aguliar cut the Arkansas lead to 5-1 by crushing his 21st home run of the season to right field.

But, as the old saying goes, “the best teams find ways to respond.” That is exactly what Arkansas did in the bottom half of the inning. With two outs in the inning, Wallace drilled his second home run of the game into the Arkansas bullpen to give the Razorbacks the 6-1 advantage.

The final run of the game came in the bottom of the 6th inning on a single by Turner to score Slavens, which was the second time that the duo combined to give Arkansas a run.

Turner and Wallace combined to plate six runs for Arkansas on five hits for Arkansas. Webb, [autotag]Chris Lanzilli[/autotag], [autotag]Peyton Stovall[/autotag], and [autotag]Jalen Battles[/autotag] also collected hits for the Razorbacks.

The biggest takeaway from the game, was that Arkansas used only two pitchers in the game, which boosts their options for later games in the regional. [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag] allowed just six hits and one earned run in 7.0 innings, and [autotag]Kole Ramage[/autotag] shut the door by tossing three innings of shutout baseball, grabbing three strikeouts in the meantime.

Next up for Arkansas will be the winner of the Oklahoma State-Missouri State game. The two teams will meet Saturday evening at 6 p.m. CDT.

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PHOTO GALLERY: Arkansas’ stay at the SEC Tournament

Here are the best images from Arkansas’ run at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala.

After a week-long stay in Alabama, the Arkansas Razorbacks could not wait to get home.

Arkansas began their trip to Alabama on May 18 to begin the final SEC series of the year at Alabama. After playing three games in Tuscaloosa, the Razorbacks made the short drive to Hoover to begin their journey in the SEC Tournament.

By claiming the no. 3 seed in the tournament, the Razorbacks were guaranteed at least two games in Hoover, beginning with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

In their meeting with Alabama, the Crimson Tide jumped out to an early 3-0 lead through two innings. The Razorbacks got a run back on a solo home run by [autotag]Jalen Battles[/autotag]. After the Tide answered to move their lead back to three runs, [autotag]Chris Lanzilli[/autotag] hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 6th inning to trim the lead to 4-3. But, Alabama would silence Arkansas’ bats en route to a victory.

Arkansas’ next draw would be the Florida Gators, a team that took two-of-three from Arkansas during the season.

The game with Florida played out almost similar to the Alabama game, where Arkansas’ opponent would jump out to a large lead, and Arkansas running out of time in an effort to take the win.

Florida lead by as much as five runs before Arkansas got on the board. To lead off the 6th inning, [autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag] hit back-to-back solo home runs to cut the Florida lead to 5-2. The Razorbacks would score three runs in the 9th to bring the game within two, but would run out of outs. Florida eliminated the Razorbacks by grabbing a 7-5 win.

Next for Arkansas is the NCAA Regionals. The Razorbacks will learn their postseason fate on Monday afternoon.