Tag: Kole Ramage

After Saturday, Ramage not the only Hog to play in College World Series

Arkansas reliever Kole Ramage is the only Razorbacks player who has played in the College World Series before.

In 2018, the Arkansas baseball team made the national championship series against Oregon State, ultimately falling, two games to one.

Razorbacks reliever Kole Ramage is the only player on the current Arkansas who played in that World Series. He pitched 1 2/3 innings in Game 2 against the Beavers, giving up a hit and striking out a batter. He faced current Major Leaguers Trevor Larnach and Adley Rutschman in the game, experience that will only help this weekend.

“Absolutely, I think it takes a little of that pressure off,” Ramage said.

Expect coach Dave Van Horn to, accordingly, look toward the senior in a tight spot. Ramage also pitched two innings in Game 3.

“I’ve pitched in this park before, so I kind of know how it plays and I know how it feels to be out there so there’s definitely a little bit of pressure off of it.”

Arkansas goes against Stanford at 1 p.m. CT.

Razorbacks win shootout with Cowboys to win Stillwater Regional

Arkansas stood tall once the dust settled in Stillwater. They will now travel to North Carolina to meet the Tar Heels in the Super Regionals.

In a weekend fueled by long balls, marathon games, and a plethora of runs scored, the eventful Stillwater Regional has now come to an end.

Arkansas and Oklahoma State provided offensive fireworks in their previous two meetings in the Stillwater Regional, but when it came down to one final battle in the war, it was the mighty Razorbacks who stood tall when the dust settled.

All Arkansas needed was an early lead and a shutdown effort by a freshman on the mound to move on to their 4th straight Super Regional by defeating Oklahoma State, 7-3, on Monday night at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.

Monday’s winner-take-all game did not begin as swiftly as the previous two meetings between the Razorbacks and Cowboys, with neither team scoring a run through the first three innings.

Trailing 5-3 in the 8th inning, Oklahoma State threatened to take the lead before ending the frame with the bases loaded.

Freshman [autotag]Hagen Smith[/autotag], who lasted just 1.1 innings in Saturday’s win over the Cowboys, entered the game in relief of [autotag]Zebulon Vermillion[/autotag]. Smith struggled to find command early on, as he allowed the first three runners of his outing to reach base. However, with the bases loaded, Smith struck out the final two batters of the inning, including the thorn in the Razorbacks side this regional, Roc Riggio.

Smith would gain momentum in the top of the 9th as Michael Turner doubled home two runners to extend the lead to 7-3, and to give him a four-run cushion. Smith would use that confidence to sit down Oklahoma State in order, ending the game with two strikeouts.

In two innings of work, Smith struck out four batters while allowing one walk and hitting a batter. The outing was a breath of fresh air for Smith, as the usual Saturday starter has seen his role change over the last month.

Arkansas found its’ groove in the 4th inning by plating four runs to jump out to a comfortable lead. [autotag]Brady Slavens[/autotag] led off the inning by hitting his 15th home run of the season to put Arkansas on the board, 1-0.

Arkansas would then get two baserunners on with two outs for [autotag]Jalen Battles[/autotag], who then delivered a single that would be deep enough to score those runners, and to give the Razorbacks the 3-0 lead.

Battles would score one at-bat later on an RBI single by [autotag]Peyton Stovall[/autotag].

The Stovall-Battles connection teamed up again in the 6th inning to add one more to Arkansas’ total. Stovall singled up the middle to score Battles from 2nd base to move the Arkansas lead to 5-0.

The Cowboys began chipping away at Arkansas’ lead, by scoring three runs over the next two innings. Oklahoma State’s David Mendham hit a solo home run in the 6th inning to erase the shutout. Then, in the 7th inning, Roc Riggio and Zach Ehrhard each grabbed an RBI to cut the Razorbacks lead to 5-3.

Battles and Stovall would lead the Arkansas offense with two hits and two RBI each. Turner also grabbed two RBI on his 9th inning double. [autotag]Kole Ramage[/autotag] earned the win out of the bullpen for Arkansas, where he allowed three earned runs on four hits while striking out five batters in 2.2 innings of work.

Arkansas’ season will continue next weekend in the Super Regionals. Their next stop on the road to Omaha is Chapel Hill, N.C., where they will face the North Carolina Tar Heels. North Carolina went 4-1 in the Chapel Hill Regional, defeating Virginia Commonwealth, 7-3 in Monday’s championship game.

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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.

Arms of the Game: Strong outings by Noland, Ramage save bullpen for future

By using just two pitchers in Friday’s 7-1 win over GCU, Arkansas’ pitching options become greater going forward.

When it comes to regional play, where a team can play between three and five games over a four-day stretch, the team that has healthier pitchers and more reliable arms is usually the team that gets out alive.

For Arkansas, the key to future success become clearer after they were able to defeat Grand Canyon, 7-1, in game one of the Stillwater Regional by only using two pitchers.

Grand Canyon, who entered the game with seven players hitting over .300, were limited in production Friday thanks to the strong start by ace [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag], and by [autotag]Kole Ramage[/autotag] slamming the door over the final three frames.

The Antelopes nearly matched Arkansas in hits, only trailing the Razorbacks 9-8 in the column, but were not able to make those hits count over the stretch of nine innings. The only run of the game scored by Grand Canyon came with one swing of the bat, a solo blast by Tayler Aguilar to put the Antelopes on the board, 5-1 in the 4th inning.

Head coach [autotag]Dave Van Horn[/autotag] says that being able to grab a regional win by not using many pitchers was very important for the future:

To be able to just beat a quality team like Grand Canyon with two pitchers, that was big.

Noland, who tossed his longest outing since throwing for 8.0 innings against Ole Miss on April 29, struck out four batters while allowing just six hits in 7.0 innings of work today in the win. Catcher Michael Turner explains what made Noland’s start so successful:

“I thought he worked ahead in the count and when he does that he’s super effective,” says Turner. “I thought he did a good job today.”

Van Horn also says that he was proud of the way Noland attacked Grand Canyon’s lethal lineup, saying that he was proud of Noland for not letting them frustrate him.

After a solid seven innings on the mound, Arkansas turned the keys over to Kole Ramage. Ramage, who pitched for the first time since the loss to Alabama on May 25 at the SEC Tournament, extending his streak of not allowing a run in now five of his last six outings by tossing three innings of two-hit baseball to close the game.

What is in store for Arkansas on the mound tomorrow? Van Horn says that he is going to wait on the result of the Oklahoma State-Missouri State game, as Arkansas will face the winner of that contest on Saturday 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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Razorbacks rule rivalry Game 1 over Red Wolves

Brady Slavens’ grand slam was the highlight in the Diamond Hogs’ sixth straight win.

[autotag]Arkansas baseball[/autotag] won its sixth straight game Tuesday, dispatching Arkansas State, 10-1, at Baum-Walker Stadium.

[autotag]Brady Slavens[/autotag] went 4 for 5 with a home run, four RBI and three runs to lead the way for the Diamond Hogs. [autotag]Kole Ramage[/autotag] worked the first three innings and picked up the victory, his second of the year.

Arkansas scored all of its runs in the odd-numbered innings. Robert Moore’s two-run homer in the first inning started things before Arkansas State responded with a run in the second.

The biggest inning was the seventh, in which the Razorbacks plated five. Slavens’ grand slam was the highlight of the frame.

The two teams play again Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Diamond Hogs are on the road during the weekend, back in SEC play against Texas A&M.

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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Diamond Hogs rolls over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Game One of doublehader

Arkansas gave up just a single hit in a shutout win over UAPB in Game 1 on Tuesday.

Arkansas baseball needed a tonic after the weekend saw the Diamond Hogs lose their first series of the season.

Arkansas Pine-Bluff was the cure to spell the ills.

The sixth-ranked Razorbacks had no trouble with the visitors from the southeast part of the Natural State, beating UAPB, 15-0, in seven innings of the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday. Game Two was scheduled to begin 45 minutes after Game One ended.

Arkansas collected 15 hits and walked eight times in the victory. [autotag]Brady Slavens[/autotag] led all hitters from the 2-hole. The first baseman went 4 for 5 with two home runs and six RBI. [autotag]Dylan Leach[/autotag], who had five hits and went for the cycle in his last start behind the plate, went 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs.

Isaac Bracken was the only Arkansas pitcher to give up a hit. Kacy Higgins doubled for the Lions in the top of the seventh. [autotag]Kole Ramage[/autotag] picked up his first win of the season, striking out five of the nine batters he faced.

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.

SABR Prattling – Week 1

In this space each week we will take a look at the numbers. What do the analytics say? Who got lucky? Who hit into bad luck over and over again? Baseball is a game told in numbers. Much like notes on a page of sheet music, they provide the roadmap. The game is the jam session that spits out the notes. And we’re the rock writers who decipher them and talk about what it all means. 

The Arkansas Razorbacks won two out of three games this weekend against Illinois State. This was a predictable result, as most teams – even the elite ones – can drop a game on any given weekend against a competent opponent. Just take a look around the weekend scoreboard, and you will see this to be true.

But the Hogs lost their first game. Suddenly a 2-1 weekend record feels more like relief than expectation. Many Hogs fans were in near panic mode after the first game. That’s a result of high expectations. It’s also the result of sequencing, which is but one small part of the great SABR experiment.

In this space each week we will take a look at the numbers. What do the analytics say? Who got lucky? Who hit into bad luck over and over again? Baseball is a game told in numbers. Much like notes on a page of sheet music, they provide the roadmap. The game is the jam session that spits out the notes. And we’re the rock writers who decipher them and talk about what it all means.