Tag: Evan Taylor

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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Tygart Bends Mizzou into Knots

The #3 Arkansas Razorbacks outlasted Missouri on Friday night, beating the Tigers 7-5 in Columbia, Missouri, in a back-and-forth affair. While Mizzou never led, they pushed the Hogs by answering Razorback runs time and again. That is, until the 8th inning.

Enter Brady Tygart

The #3 Arkansas Razorbacks outlasted Missouri on Friday night, beating the Tigers 7-5 in Columbia, Missouri, in a back-and-forth affair. While Mizzou never led, they pushed the Hogs by answering Razorback runs time and again. That is, until the 8th inning.

Enter Brady Tygart

The electric freshman baffled the black and gold, making SEC hitters look silly by striking out 5 of the 8 batters he faced. Even after Missouri brought the tying run to the plate, Tygart answered the bell by striking out Mike Colleta to end the game.

Conor Noland started the game for Arkansas, leaving after 5 complete innings on 101 pitches. The Tigers worked the Hogs senior, scratching out 7 hits – 3 of which that never left the infield – while only earning one walk. Noland padded his impressive strikeout total but K-ing 9 batters, giving him 47 for the year. He has an impressive 12.3 K/9 rate this year, notably without an overpowering fastball.

Zebulon Vermillion picked up the win after surrendering the lead by giving up his first three hits and first earned run of the season. Evan Taylor gave up a run in relief but also looked sharp at times.

Any win is a good win the SEC, especially on a Friday night. It was not the prettiest or most dominating win of the season, but it was good to see the Hogs respond after being pushed by a scrappy Missouri team. They’ll play again on Saturday in CoMo. First pitch is set for 2:00pm and will be televised on ESPN Plus.

Hogs Pitching Dominates on Sweep Sunday

Jaxon Wiggins may be the best Sunday starter in the SEC. After elite pitching from Friday starter Connor Noland and Saturday starter Hagen Smith, Wiggins showed he can be just as dominant in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Kentucky. That completes a three-game sweep and puts Arkansas alone in first place in the SEC West after one weekend of conference play. 

Jaxon Wiggins may be the best Sunday starter in the SEC. After elite pitching from Friday starter Connor Noland and Saturday starter Hagen Smith, Wiggins showed he can be just as dominant in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Kentucky. That completes a three-game sweep and puts Arkansas alone in first place in the SEC West after one weekend of conference play.

After taking a few weeks to wake up, the Arkansas bats have certainly begun to make some noise. The Hogs scored 45 runs in 5 games this week. Scoring runs will not be a longterm problem.

The pitching, though, has been the main storyline for the 2022 Razorbacks after 19 games. Wiggins pitched six strong innings, yielding only four hits while not allowing a run. He did issues four walks, but he backed that up with 8 strikeouts. The few times he was in trouble Wiggins was able to get out of it.

The bullpen was phenomenal all weekend, too, and Sunday was no exception. Even Taylor gave up a solo home run in one inning of work, while freshman Brady Tygart recorded a 6-out save in which he only allowed one base hit.

For the weekend Arkansas pitching allowed a total of 6 Kentucky runs (all earned) while striking out 32 batters. It was total dominance. As the Hogs begin running the gauntlet of SEC play, make not mistake: this team is ready.

Noland and Bullpen Bros Help Hogs Win SEC Opener

It seems the number one question entering the season for Dave Van Horn and the Razorbacks baseball squad was, “How will you replace Golden Spikes Award winner Kevin Kopps?”

The answer appears to be, “with every arm available.”

It seems the number one question entering the season for Dave Van Horn and the Razorbacks baseball squad was, “How will you replace Golden Spikes Award winner Kevin Kopps?”

The answer appears to be, “with every arm available.”

Nineteen different Razorbacks have recorded an out this year, but only three were needed to dispatch the Kentucky Wildcats in Friday’s conference opener for both. The Hogs woke up Saturday morning in a familiar position: atop the SEC West standings. Yes, it’s only one game. But there are five other teams (Texas A&M is tied with Arkansas) that wish they could trade places with the Razorbacks.

The offense founds its way – thanks in large part to the horrid Kentucky defense – but the pitching is what stood out. Connor Noland continues to look like a true SEC Friday night starter, Evan Taylor was wicked out of the bullpen, and Kole Ramage continued to show he made the right decision to come back for one more ride in red.