Tag: Jaxon Wiggins

Arkansas pitcher Jaxon Wiggins signs with Cubs, just ahead of deadline

Former Diamond Hogs pitcher Jaxon Wiggins will turn pro after all.

The longer the process played out, the more Arkansas fans’ hopes grew.

Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, Jaxon Wiggins will turn professional.

The former hard throwing Arkansas right-hander signed for $1.4 million with the Chicago Cubs, making him the last player from the Cubs’ draft class to ink a deal. In fact, the $1.4 million was all Chicago had left in its pool.

Wiggins had leverage against whichever team drafted him as many considered him a first-round talent and he could return to Arkansas for another season if he chose. But he also missed the 2023 season with Tommy John surgery, too, meaning the future was a bit muddier than it might be for someone with a clean bill of health.

In 2022, his only season with the Diamond Hogs, he struck out 82 batters in just 66 innings. That is the sort of stuff that put him so high on draft boards, despite his 6.55 earned-run average that year.

Still, coach Dave Van Horn had to anticipate Wiggins turning pro. He picked up Mason Molina, an All-Big 12 pitcher with Texas Tech last year, out of the transfer portal to bolster next year’s rotation.

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Wiggins drafted by Cubs in second round

Despite missing the 2023 season due to Tommy John Surgery, right-handed pitcher, Jaxon Wiggins became the 68th overall pick in the MLB Draft. 

Despite missing the 2023 season thanks to Tommy John Surgery, right-handed pitcher Jaxon Wiggins became the 68th overall pick in the MLB Draft.

The Cubs selected the righty in the second round. Since 2019, Wiggins is the 17th pitcher from Arkansas to be drafted, with 13 of them being selected in the first ten rounds.

Wiggins was expected to lead the Razorbacks’ starting rotation but unfortunately missed the entire 2023 season due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament, which necessitated Tommy John surgery.

In his Arkansas career, the Roland, Okla., native appeared in 34 games with 19 starts and recorded a 9-4 record with a 6.17 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 89 innings. During his sophomore year in 2022, Wiggins had a record of 6-3 with 82 strikeouts in 66 innings across 17 appearances with 15 starts and an ERA of 6.55.

As a true freshman in 2021, he appeared on the mound in 17 games, four of which he started, and had a record of 3-1, 28 strikeouts, and four saves in 23 innings pitched while maintaining an ERA of 5.09.

Wiggins was the fourth and final Arkansas product selected on day one in the draft.

Column: The sky isn’t falling for Arkansas baseball after one series

Arkansas baseball struggled mightily over the weekend, but things are never as bad as they seem. Especially when Dave Van Horn is your coach.

The No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks dropped their second conference series of the season in embarrassing fashion over the weekend. They were swept by the unranked Georgia Bulldogs (23-17, 7-11) and didn’t really look like a team deserving of a No. 5 ranking.

Head coach [autotag]Dave Van Horn[/autotag]’s passionate ejection on Saturday was able to save the Diamond Hogs from a complete collapse in the ninth inning. The Razorbacks led by four heading into the bottom of the ninth, but the struggling Bulldogs were able get a grand slam and solo homer back-to-back to get the win.

Losing is always frustrating. Losing the way Arkansas did Saturday will cause even the most staunch Diamond Hog supporters to ask “what’s going on?” Some delusional Arkansas fans went a little too far with their frustrations on social media but that should be expected.

Arkansas baseball’s struggles are easy to explain right now and Dave Van Horn’s track record of righting things ahead of the postseason should offer some comfort to wavering fans.

First, Diamond Hogs have been decimated by injury this season. They lost their projected ace [autotag]Jaxon Wiggins[/autotag] before the season and the hits kept on coming after play started. Pitchers [autotag]Brady Tygart[/autotag] and [autotag]Koty Frank[/autotag] were each hurt in early March. Tygart should return soon but Frank is out for the season.

Stud outfielder [autotag]Jared Wegner[/autotag] has been out since April 11 with a fractured thumb after sliding into third base. Ahead of Thursday’s first game against the Bulldogs it was announced that starting catcher [autotag]Parker Rowland[/autotag] would not play. Van Horn confirmed later that Rowland would be out indefinitely due to back issues.

“We’re just trying to patch this thing together until we can get all our guys back,” Van Horn said about all of the injuries. “We’re just trying to win enough games to get to a regional. There’s going to be a lot of conference games played without our guys.”

Aside from Wiggins and Frank, Arkansas fans should expect Tygart, Wegner and Rowland back in the near future. That should help ease some of the struggles we saw over the weekend.

The injury issues can’t be helped by Van Horn or anyone else, and it’s disingenuous to let one series sweep negate the dominance we’ve seen from this team at times.

Arkansas fans remember the 2018 team for being one out from being crowned champions, but forget how much that team struggled in the regular season. The Diamond Hogs failed to win a single road series in conference play during that 2018 season.

Until proven otherwise, it would behoove Razorback fans to trust Dave Van Horn to make it six straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

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Crash and burn: Arkansas falls to Alabama in finale, gets No. 3 seed for SEC Tourney

Arkansas lost to Alabama on Saturday by 13 runs, their worst defeat of the season.

The Arkansas baseball team will get three days off before the SEC Tournament. After Saturday’s result, they need it.

The Razorbacks played their worst game of the season, falling to Alabama on the road, 18-5. Coach Dave Van Horn’s bunch will play the first game of the second round on Wednesday against the winner of No. 6 Georgia and No. 11 Alabama who play in the first single elimination round on Tuesday.

Arkansas’ pitching simply did not have it. Of the eight pitchers who worked, only two allowed no runs. Alabama tagged starter [autotag]Jaxon Wiggins[/autotag] for five runs and chased him after just 1 1/3 innings. Overall, Hogs pitchers gave up the 18 runs on just 11 hits, but they walked 11 batters, hit three more and threw four wild pitches.

The Crimson Tide had built the lead to 18-3 by the time the fifth inning was over. Alabama second baseman Bryan Eblin led the Tide with five RBI. Leftfielder William Hamiter added four more.

The Diamond Hogs lineup was fair, knocking 11 hits, including home runs from [autotag]Braydon Webb[/autotag] and [autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag]. They also drew four base-on-balls.

But the story was pitching. Freshman [autotag]Hagen Smith[/autotag] is expected to start the SEC Tournament game on Wednesday even though he was used out of the bullpen Saturday. He gave up five runs on three hits and two walks. He also struck out the four batters he retired.

Arkansas will make the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season, not counting the 2020 season that was washed out because of COVID-19. The Razorbacks have failed to make the postseason only once under Van Horn, in 2016. It will be difficult for the team, despite their No. 5 ranking entering the weekend, to get a national seed without winning the SEC Tournament, however, because their RPI sits in the 20s.

Arkansas Baseball: Changes coming to weekend rotation for Alabama series

For the first time all season, Arkansas will shake up the weekend rotation. Expect to see a new face on the mound for Friday’s opener in Tuscaloosa.

For the final weekend of the regular season, head coach Dave Van Horn is shaking up the weekend rotation for the first time all year.

The no. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks have played 13 weekend series in the 2022 season with the same weekend rotation of Connor Noland, Hagen Smith, and Jaxon Wiggins. As the Razorbacks travel to Alabama to face the Crimson Tide, one pitcher will have one extra day of rest while one has been removed from the rotation altogether.

For Thursday’s opener, [autotag]Will McEntire[/autotag] will get his first start in SEC play. McEntire has been used mostly as a midweek starter, going 1-1 with four starts. Recently, he has been used in relief. He made his first appearance in a weekend series in Arkansas’ 7-4 win over Auburn on May 8, and grabbed a three-inning save against Vanderbilt on May 14.

The usual Friday starter, [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag], will be moved to game two of the series to allow him a full week between starts. Noland has not had the best luck over the last five SEC starts, as he has either taken a loss or left the mound without recording a decision. Head coach [autotag]Dave Van Horn[/autotag] says that Noland is staying positive, but he looks to change his approach in the Alabama series and beyond.

“He feels healthy, no issues there physically,” says Van Horn. “Just pitch to contact more, don’t worry about getting strikeouts. I don’t think that he is, that’s just what we try to tell him, “hey, just let them hit it. We will field it.” Hopefully he will be good this weekend.” 

The only pitcher to remain in his role will be [autotag]Jaxon Wiggins[/autotag], who will close out the series on Saturday afternoon. Wiggins pitched well enough to get the win last Sunday at home against Vanderbilt, striking out eight batters over 4.1 innings of work. But he allowed two earned runs while the Commodores shut down any chance of run support, which set him up for the loss.

Freshman [autotag]Hagan Smith[/autotag] will be out of the rotation this weekend. No reason has been given for Smith’s removal, but according to Whole Hog Sports, it could be because of his struggles working deep into games. Over his last five starts, Smith has only lasted six innings or more twice.

Arkansas begins their week-long stay in Alabama on Thursday night, when they face Alabama at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CDT.

Arkansas splits Sunday action, drops series to Vanderbilt

Arkansas Baseball could not adjust to the weather-altered weekend, dropping a home series to Vanderbilt.

The weekend forecast did not do Arkansas Baseball any favors this weekend, as they dropped their third SEC series of the season, their first at Baum-Walker Stadium since March 29-31, 2019 against Ole Miss.

Due to thunderstorms, Saturday’s game was halted in the 6th inning with Arkansas leading Vanderbilt, 8-6. The game resumed Sunday with the Razorbacks pulling away with an 11-6 victory. [autotag]Jalen Battles[/autotag] hit a two-run home run in the 7th inning to headline the win.

The rules were altered for game three, as the game was trimmed to seven innings due to more rain in the area. Vanderbilt, led by Dominic Keegan’s three-RBI day, defeated Arkansas, 5-0 to take the series.

Arkansas grabbed two hits by [autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Moore[/autotag] but were not able to manufacture any runs. [autotag]Jaxon Wiggins[/autotag] struck out eight batters, but allowed two earned runs on four hits in 4.1 innings in his start.

The Razorbacks fall to 37-14, 17-10 in the SEC. They are currently tied with Texas A&M for the lead in the SEC West as we head to the final weekend of the regular season. Arkansas will travel to Alabama while Texas A&M travels to Ole Miss.

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Homers lift Hogs to series win over Ole Miss

Chris Lanzilli and Michael Turner each hit two-run homers in Arkansas’ clinching win.

Arkansas’ weekend series against Ole Miss wasn’t must-win in the traditional sense. But if the Razorbacks were to fall at home in two out of three against an SEC rival, the homestretch of the league season would be tenuous.

And while it still may be, the Diamond Hogs can breathe a bit easier, anyway.

Arkansas took the rubber match of a three-game set against the Rebels at Baum-Walker Stadium by winning Sunday, 4-3, behind the strength of two home runs. The victory ensured the Diamond Hogs (34-10, 14-7) at least a one game lead for second-place in the SEC.

Chris Lanzilli’s two-run shot in the third inning put Arkansas ahead, 2-1, after Tim Elko’s RBI single the first. When Ole Miss plated two on Kemp Alderman’s single in the fourth, [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag] hit a two-run job to right, scoring Lanzilli, to provide the game-winner.

Zack Morris and [autotag]Brady Tygart[/autotag] worked six innings out of the Arkansas bullpen, allowing just two hits while walking six and striking out six. Ole Miss chased Hogs starter [autotag]Jaxon Wiggins[/autotag] after three when he allowed six baserunner and three runs.

Arkansas is back at home Tuesday in its final nonconference game of the year: against rival Missouri State. After that, the Diamond Hogs head to Auburn, are home against Vanderbilt and go to Alabama to close the regular season.

Arkansas baseball vs Texas A&M: How to watch, stream, listen to Game 3

The winner of Arkansas and Texas A&M on Sunday will win the series.

The final game of a three-game set between Arkansas baseball and Texas A&M will get underway at 1 p.m. from College Station.

The Aggies took Game 1 and the Diamond Hogs won Game 2. Both were pitching duels. An Arkansas win in Game 3 would keep the Razorbacks alone in second place. A Texas A&M win would likely see the Aggies crack the Top 25 and pull within two games of No. 6 Arkansas in the SEC standings.

Arkansas has lost just one SEC series since 2019, earlier this season to Florida. Right-hander [autotag]Jaxon Wiggins[/autotag] will get the start in order to keep the streak alive.

The Hogs bounced back Saturday behind the strength of two home runs from [autotag]Brady Slavens[/autotag].

Arkansas reveals update to uniform for Tuesday’s game with Arkansas State

Arkansas Baseball will wear special caps in honor of childhood cancer awareness.

Arkansas Baseball will be adding this feature to their uniforms for their midweek tilt with in-state foe Arkansas State.

On Tuesday, Arkansas Baseball will don gold caps to promote childhood cancer awarness.

This will be just the second time that Arkansas Baseball has worn the gold caps. Last season, the Razorbacks sported the caps against Arkansas State in their first-ever meeting on the diamond. In the 8-4 win, Arkansas’ [autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag] hit a grand slam, while pitchers such as [autotag]Jaxon Wiggins[/autotag], [autotag]Kole Ramage[/autotag], and [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag] all saw time on the mound.

Tuesday’s game with the Red Wolves is set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. Kole Ramage will get the start for Arkansas, facing off with Carter Holt of Arkansas State.

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Tigers Weep? Tiger Sweep: Arkansas sweeps LSU for first time since 2011

Arkansas took all three games from LSU in a battle of national powerhouses and two top-15 teams.

The response [autotag]Arkansas baseball[/autotag] had to losing their first SEC series in three calendar years over the previous week was impressive.

On Saturday, the No. 6 Diamond Hogs, who were ranked No. 2 before falling in two of three in Gainesville against Florida last week, sent No. 15 LSU back to Baton Rouge winless in a three-game set in Fayetteville. A four-run fifth inning was more than enough for the Razorbacks, who stretched their winning streak to five games with a 6-2 win over the Tigers.

[autotag]Jaxon Wiggins[/autotag] kept his record perfect at 5-0 when he went 5 1/3 innings on Saturday. He gave up nine hits and walked three batters, but his nine strikeouts kept Arkansas mostly out of danger, even if he was tagged for two runs.

Down 1-0 after an RBI double from Dylan Crews in the second, Arkansas sent eight batters to the plate in the fifth. [autotag]Peyton Stovall[/autotag] knocked the Diamond Hogs’ first run on a fielder’s choice, [autotag]Cayden Wallace[/autotag] knocked in two more with a single up the middle and [autotag]Brady Slavens[/autotag] added one more with a sacrifice fly.

Slavens would add two more in the seventh on a two-run shot to right field.

The series sweep is Arkansas’ first over LSU since 2011. The sweep also guarantees the Razorbacks will hold on to second place in SEC play with five league series remaining.

Arkansas is back on the diamond Tuesday and Wednesday when it hosts Arkansas State at Baum-Walker Stadium.

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