Tag: Chris Lanzilli

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:

Hagen Smith’s incredible start lifts No. 6 Diamond Hogs over LSU

Arkansas freshman Hagen Smith is having one of the best freshman pitching seasons in recent memory.

[autotag]Hagen Smith[/autotag] turned a performance for the ages on Friday.

Arkansas’ freshman left-hander, in Game Two against rival LSU, was brilliant and the sixth-ranked Hogs clinched the series victory of the Tigers with a 4-0 win at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Smith allowed just three total baserunners – one via walk and two with base knocks – in working seven innings and striking out seven in the process.

“Real impressive,” Arkansas coach [autotag]Dave Van Horn[/autotag] said. “I mean, it’s hard to shut anybody out, especially a team with that lineup.”

Arkansas scored three runs in the third to take control on a solo home run from [autotag]Zack Gregory[/autotag] and a two-run shot from [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag]. [autotag]Chris Lanzilli[/autotag] added another solo homer in the fifth to finish off the scoring.

LSU didn’t get a runner to even second base until the eighth inning against Zebulon Vermillion. The Tigers left the bases loaded in the frame when Evan Taylor induced a flyout to end things.

Arkansas will look to get a sweep in the series on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Razorbacks shut out LSU to take series

The Razorbacks clinched the series over LSU by relying on the long ball and solid pitching.

In game one of the much-anticipated series between rivals No. 6 Arkansas and No. 12 LSU, the Razorbacks relied on solid pitching from Connor Noland, who carried a no-hitter into the 6th inning, and again on Brady Tygart late in the game to secure the win.

Friday’s game was much of the same, as freshman [autotag]Hagen Smith[/autotag] was dominant from the very beginning in Arkansas’ 4-0 win over LSU at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Arkansas (27-7, 10-4 SEC) got a solid outing from Smith on Friday, as he pitched arguably his best game against an SEC opponent in his young career. In the win over LSU (23-11, 7-7 SEC), Smith matched his season-high in strikeouts against SEC foes with seven and allowed a season-low two hits and zero earned runs in SEC play in seven innings of work.

[autotag]Zebulon Vermillion[/autotag] and [autotag]Evan Taylor[/autotag] finished the game and combined to allow one hit in the final three frames.

While Smith did his job on the mound, the Arkansas defense backed him up as well. The Razorbacks played errorless ball, and made elite plays such as this one from short stop [autotag]Jalen Battles[/autotag]:

All four of Arkansas’ runs came via the long ball, with two coming in the 3rd inning.

[autotag]Zack Gregory[/autotag] put the Razorbacks on the board with a solo home run to lead off the inning. He smashed the second pitch of the at-bat to left field to give Arkansas the 1-0 lead. [autotag]Brady Slavens[/autotag] walked later in the inning, setting up [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag] to extend the lead by nailing his 4th home run to lift Arkansas to a 3-0 lead.

To add insurance, [autotag]Chris Lanzilli[/autotag] joined the home run party by hitting a lazer to left field, pushing the Arkansas lead to 4-0. Lanzilli’s 47th career home run traveled 361 feet, and left his bat at a screaming 100 miles per hour according to Arkansas Baseball Player Development.

Arkansas will go for the sweep over LSU on Saturday. First pitch for the final game of the series is set for 2 p.m. CT.

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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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Diamond Hogs blast four home runs, take series from Mississippi State

Arkansas’ bats came alive in taking Game 2 from Mississippi State on Saturday. The Diamond Hogs go for a sweep Sunday.

Every Arkansas and Mississippi State baseball series since 2015 has resulted in a sweep. The 2022 series may be no different.

Arkansas won Game 2 between the two schools on Saturday night from Baum-Walker Stadium, 12-5, behind the strength of four home runs. The Diamond Hogs will go for the sweep Sunday at 2 p.m.

Arkansas scored runs in five straight innings, including four runs in the second and another four in the third. [autotag]Brady Slavens[/autotag] hit a two-run blast in the third. [autotag]Chris Lanzilli[/autotag] hit a solo shot in the fourth and [autotag]Robert Moore[/autotag] followed on the next at-bat with one of his own. [autotag]Zack Gregory[/autotag] sent the last ball over the fence in the fifth.

Slavens knocked in three runs total, going 2 for 4 with a double, a walk and his homer. He was only bested by [autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag], who went 2 of 5 with four RBI on a two-run double and a two-run single.

Mississippi State opened the scoring when [autotag]Hagen Smith[/autotag] walked the first three batters of the game and the Bulldogs scored on a sacrifice fly. Smith settled after that, though, ultimately going six innings while not allowing any more walks, striking out seven and giving up three runs.

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.

Van Horn’s 300th SEC win is series clincher over Missouri

Arkansas won their 12th straight SEC series by defeating Missouri on Sunday. The win was sentimental for Razorback fans, as Dave Van Horn claimed his 300th SEC win as head coach.

The No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks won their second consecutive conference series to open league play on Sunday, defeating Missouri, 6-4, winning two of the three-game series to move to 18-4, 5-1 in SEC play.

The win keeps Arkansas in the driver’s seat of the SEC West, as they hold on to a two-game lead over Auburn, Texas A&M, LSU, and Mississippi State through two SEC series weekends. Sunday’s win over Missouri holds sentimental value for Razorback fans, as the leader of their program grabbed his 300th SEC win.

Since Dave Van Horn took over his alma mater’s baseball program in 2003, the Razorbacks have won 768 games, have appeared in the College World Series six times, and have held the title of conference champions three times. Arkansas has also made the postseason in all but one season under the direction of Van Horn.

Arkansas needed to come from behind to grab the series win over the Tigers. Missouri got on the board first on a two-run home run by Luke Mann in the 2nd inning to jump out to a 2-0 lead. The Razorbacks tied the game at 2-2 in the 4th inning thanks to a bases-loaded single by Jalen Battles to score Chris Lanzilli, and a bases-loaded walk to Zack Gregory.

Arkansas placed the dagger in Missouri in the top of the 7th inning, when they pulled away by scoring four runs in the inning, taking advantage of two Missouri errors. After a leadoff walk to Cayden Wallace and Peyton Stovall reaching base on a throwing error by Missouri’s Luke Mann, Michael Turner gave the Razorbacks the lead on a single to score Wallace. The second error of the inning would be a balk by the Tigers’ Austin Troesser that scored Stovall, pushing Arkansas ahead, 4-2.

Braydon Webb delivered the final blow with two outs in the inning by doubling down the third base line to score Robert Moore and Michael Turner to give Arkansas the 6-2 lead.

The Tigers would grab two more runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to cut into the Arkansas lead, 6-4, on a Tre Morris RBI single and a fielder’s choice that allowed Carlos Pena to score.

Seven Razorbacks grabbed a hit in the contest, with Michael Turner grabbing two hits to lead the team. On the mound, Jaxon Wiggins had another solid outing by allowing four hits and striking out eight batters over 7.1 innings of work, grabbing his 4th win of the season.

After another solid outing on Sunday, Wiggins says that he is feeling great about his recent performances, and believes in his team ahead of their next series at Mississippi State.

“For me personally, I have all the confidence in the world,” Wiggins said on the SEC Network broadcast following Arkansas’ win. “As for the team, I have confidence in them, and I’m sure that they have confidence.”

The Razorbacks will host a two-game midweek set with Little Rock before hosting the defending national champion Mississippi State Bulldogs for a three-game weekend series beginning Friday night at Baum-Walker Stadium.

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Sticks Of The Game: Hitting Streaks Continue for Stovall, Turner, Lanzilli

Three of Arkansas’ most reliable bats keep adding games to their impressive hit streaks.

When it comes to hitting the baseball, Arkansas did not get off to the start that they had hoped.

However, with Southeastern Conference play opening up this weekend, it seems that the bats are coming alive at the right time.

The No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks defeated Grambling, 14-1 on Tuesday by only grabbing eight hits all the while taking advantage of four Tiger errors. The headlining swing came off the bat of Braydon Webb, who crushed a grand slam over the right field wall that rattled off of the newly-opened development center to place the run-rule into effect. 

The home run was important for the team, but more so for Webb, who finally slugged his first hit of the season after 23 previous at-bats.

The other story from the game, is the extension of hit streaks for three of Arkansas’ key bats… Peyton Stovall, Michael Turner, and Chris Lanzilli.

Lanzilli extended his streak to a team-best nine games by adding two more to his season total. Peyton Stovall led the team in hits Tuesday with three, which added to his streak of eight games. Finally, Turner added a home run to his season total, extending his streak to seven games.

SWEEP! Pair Of Late Home Runs Lifts Resilient Hogs Over UIC

Two late home runs by Cayden Wallace and Chris Lanzilli push Arkansas over UIC for the weekend sweep.

Wow, what a way to end the final non-conference weekend of the series.

The No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks (12-3) had to fight off the eager Flames of UIC two different times late in the game, but in the end, it was meant to be for the Hogs to snag the fourth win of the weekend, defeating UIC, 10-8 on Sunday at Baum-Walker Stadium.

After UIC stormed back to tie the game at 8-8 in the top of the 9th, Arkansas got the help they needed from two of the more dependable bats in the lineup, Michael Turner and Chris Lanzilli.

Turner opened the inning by sending a line drive to right field for a double, setting the table for the power-bat of Chris Lanzilli to eat. The Wake Forest transfer crushed the fifth pitch of the at-bat into the Hog Pen in left field to lift the Razorbacks over the Flames.

It would be the second time in as many innings that those spectators on the hill in left field got to see an important long ball. In the 8th inning, down 6-4, Cayden Wallace smacked his second grand slam of the weekend to complete a four-run comeback and give the Razorbacks the 8-6 lead.

That would be the only hit of the afternoon for Wallace, but it would be one of the most important. The grand slam by Wallace would be third home run in as many days, as well as his 6th RBI of the game, and 13th of the weekend.

Arkansas grabbed the first lead of the game in the bottom of the 3rd inning, thanks to the hottest bats of the weekend, Cayden Wallace and Michael Turner.

Wallace plated Braydon Webb on a groundout to shortstop, then Turner reached first base successfully on a bunt, allowing Zack Gregory to score from third base and moving the Razorbacks ahead, 2-0.

The Flames took advantage of a handful of Razorback miscues in the 4th inning by scoring six runs on just one hit to take a 6-2 lead over Arkansas. The big blow in the inning came off the bat of Bryan Rosario, who scored three runs on a double down the left field line.

Mark Adamiak earned the win out of the bullpen. He replaced Brady Tygart once the Flames tied the game again in the top of the 9th, and allowed just a walk in 0.2 innings. Jaxon Wiggins got the start for Arkansas, going 3.1 innings and allowing five earned runs on one hit, and striking out five batters.

Arkansas will host a two-game midweek set with Grambling beginning Tuesday before welcoming the Kentucky Wildcats to Baum-Walker Stadium for the first SEC series of the season beginning Friday.

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