Tag: Razorbacks Baseball

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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Movin on’ up: Kjerstad receives promotion to High-A

It did not take long for Heston Kjerstad to make an impression, as he is receiving a promotion just 22 games into his professional career.

[autotag]Heston Kjerstad[/autotag] is having a memorable welcome back to the game he loves.

Since being sidelined due to a mix of the COVID-19 pandemic, a heart condition, and a hamstring injury through the first two seasons of his professional career, the former Razorback is finally getting a chance to prove his worth in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He is doing so at a high pace by receiving a promotion just one month after making his professional debut.

The Orioles announced Monday that Kjerstad has been promoted from Single-A Delmarva to High-A Aberdeen, and is set to suit up for the Ironbirds on Tuesday night when they face Jersey Shore for a six-game series.

Kjerstad says that he welcomes the challenge of moving up another level.

“I’m just ready for a new challenge, another level of play, and just continuing doing what I’ve been doing and keep enjoying baseball,” Kjerstad said. “There are a lot of great players. It’s unreal. The guys I was facing in Low-A, there were numerous guys throwing 98 with unreal changeups and everything. Everybody can play and everybody can compete, so you’ve got to be ready every day.”

Kjerstad played in 22 games for the Delmarva Shorebirds, where he batted .463 with two home runs and 17 RBI in 80 plate appearances.

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Connor Noland hints at a possible return to Arkansas

Arkansas’ ace discussed his future during an interview with a local morning show on Wednesday.

The key piece to Arkansas’ pitching rotation for the 2022 season has a big decision to make.

Arkansas right-handed pitcher [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag] joined “The Morning Rush” on ESPN Arkansas Wednesday morning, where the topic of declaring for the Major League Baseball draft was discussed.

When asked whether or not he had plans to begin his professional career, or return to Arkansas for his fifth season of eligibility that has been granted due to the shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Noland says that he is going to take his time to make the right decision for him.

Noland stepped up in a huge way for Arkansas, as he took over the Friday night starter role in place of projected ace [autotag]Peyton Pallette[/autotag], who suffered an elbow injury prior to the start of the 2022 season.

Noland, who had not gotten significant starts on the mound since his freshman season in 2019, went 8-6 in 19 starts, accumulating a 3.65 ERA with 113 strikeouts to just 34 issued walks in 116.0 innings pitched. He tells hosts Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft that he prepared during the offseason to be a shoe-in for that role.

The MLB Draft is set to begin Sunday, July 17 and last until Tuesday, July 19. If Noland is not selected in a spot that is beneficial, he has the opportunity to return to Arkansas for next season in an effort to improve his draft stock.

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Razorbacks make huge climb in final D1Baseball.com rankings

Arkansas’ run to the College World Series gives them a major boost in the season-ending polls.

Arkansas Baseball’s strong end to the 2022 season caught the attention of one national poll.

D1Baseball.com released their end-of-season poll on Monday, where they placed the Razorbacks No. 4 behind Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and National Champion Ole Miss. Arkansas ends the season by making a 19-spot climb from the No. 23 spot in the rankings when the poll was last conducted on May 31.

Arkansas ended the month of May by dropping six of their final eight games of the month, which included losing two games in the SEC Tournament.

The Razorbacks found a spark once the calendar turned to June, and played with the same intensity that made them so successful at the beginning of the season, where they opened the conference slate with three-straight SEC series wins.

Arkansas put on an offensive clinic in the Stillwater Regional, where they scored 44 runs on their way to winning the regional. They would then take care of North Carolina by winning the Chapel Hill Super Regional in two games, which set them up to compete in the College World Series for the 11th time in program history.

Arkansas would then go 3-2 in Omaha, which would be their longest run in the College World Series since competing in the final series in 2018.

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Peyton Stovall affirms commitment to Razorbacks

Rumors of Peyton Stovall transferring away from the program were put to rest on Monday by Stovall himself.

Not even 24 hours after Ole Miss knocked off Oklahoma to win their first-ever College World Series title, wild rumors regarding the Transfer Portal began to circulate.

Three Razorbacks have announced their intentions to pursue other opportunities outside of Arkansas Baseball, with one of those announcing his decision Monday afternoon.

However, a wild rumor regarding a fourth member of Arkansas’ special season that concluded in the College World Series semi-finals began circulating on social media Sunday, a rumor that has since been put to rest.

Speculation regarding [autotag]Peyton Stovall[/autotag]’s intent to transfer began making the rounds, especially on Twitter. But, Stovall ended those rumors by joining the “Out of Bounds” radio show on 103.7 the Buzz in Little Rock on Monday afternoon, where he reaffirmed his commitment to the program.

“I don’t know how that got started,” Stovall said to hosts John Nabors and Joe Franklin. “I plan to be a Razorback for the next two years. I’m excited for next year.”

Stovall, a freshman from Haughton, Louisiana, appeared in 52 games for the Razorbacks in 2022, In 200 at-bats, Stovall hit .295 with six home runs and 31 RBI. In the field, he recorded 413 putouts at first base.

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Stay Golden: Robert Moore wins Arkansas’ first-ever Gold Glove Award

The junior is honored as College Baseball’s top 2nd baseman after fielding at a 0.992 clip this season.

One of the best defenders in College Baseball now has an award to back it up.

Arkansas’ [autotag]Robert Moore[/autotag] has been awarded the Rawlings Gold Glove award, being named the best 2nd baseman in College Baseball, Rawlings alongside the American Baseball Coaches Association announced Wednesday.

The junior from Leawood, Kan. becomes the first-ever Razorback to win the award after an incredible season at 2nd base by fielding at a 0.992 clip. In 63 games, Moore has recorded 92 putouts, has assisted in making 163 outs, and has only made two errors.

He, alongside [autotag]Jalen Battles[/autotag], have teamed up to become one of the best middle-infield duos in the country. Battles was unfortunately left off of the finalist list for best shortstops in the country.

In true Robert Moore fashion, he spent time to appreciate everyone who put him in this position to win the award.

Joining Moore as a finalist for the Gold Glove Award from Arkansas was pitcher [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag]. Noland, however, finished behind Iowa’s Ben Beutel as the nation’s best defender at pitcher. The senior right-hander fielded at 1.000 in 2022, making five putouts and assisting in recording 16 outs.

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Arkansas vs. Auburn: How to watch, listen to Tuesday’s CWS elimination game

Arkansas meets another SEC foe in the College World Series, but this time in an elimination setting.

The Razorbacks took a tough one on Monday night. But, the good news is, they get one more chance at survival on Tuesday night against another SEC West foe.

In what was an offensive battle through the first two innings, Ole Miss ran away with the game by scoring six runs over the middle innings and added three more in the 8th inning to defeat Arkansas, 13-5 on Monday night in the College World Series, forcing the Razorbacks to move to the loser’s bracket.

Tuesday’s opponent? the Auburn Tigers. In their elimination game Monday against Stanford, it took a while for Auburn’s bats to warm up. But, they were able to break through by scoring all six of their runs over the 6th and 7th innings to grab the 6-2 win over the Cardinal to keep their national title dreams alive.

In their regular-season meeting, the Razorbacks took two-of-three from the Tigers at Plainsman Park May 6-8. It would be the last SEC regular season series that Arkansas would win, as they would drop their final two series’ to Vanderbilt and Alabama.

Will McEntire will get the start on the mound for Arkansas, going against Auburn’s Mason Barnett.

In the series opener on May 6, Barnett lasted 4.0 innings, where he allowed five hits and two earned runs while striking out in Arkansas’ 11-8 win. McEntire threw 3.1 innings of relief in the series finale on May 8. He struck out four batters while allowing an earned run on three hits in the 7-4 Arkansas win.

Ole Miss hopes to limit “Wooo Pigs” in Monday’s game

Monday’s starting pitcher for Ole Miss, Hunter Elliot hopes to pitch well enough to help his team win, and to also silence the rowdy Arkansas crowd.

After shelling Stanford, 17-2, in Saturday’s College World Series opener, Arkansas Baseball is feeling confident heading into their next game.

The Razorbacks are set to battle SEC foe Ole Miss for the 4th time this season, but this time on the big stage that is Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. Arkansas took two-of-three from the Rebels at Baum-Walker Stadium April 29-May 1.

Despite Arkansas posting huge offensive numbers throughout the NCAA Tournament, Ole Miss believes that a perfect game plan can disarm the Arkansas bats, says Monday’s starting pitcher Hunter Elliot.

“We really gotta pitch to them, you really gotta make pitches,” said Elliot during Monday’s media session. “But, just like any team, they are pitchable if you do execute your pitches. (If) you have your best stuff, you can beat them.”

Elliot hopes to pitch well enough to course get his team a win, but he also wants to pitch well for another reason… to change the atmosphere that Arkansas fans create at baseball games. When asked if he was learned to tune out the “Calling of the Hogs,” Elliot says that he hopes to try a different approach when facing Arkansas on Monday night.

“I would say, rather than trying to tune them out, I hope to make it to where they don’t do it as much, that would be better,” says Elliot. “If you allow less runs, you won’t hear it as much I have figured out. The less home runs, the less “wooo pigs.”

In his last start against Arkansas, Elliot went 6.0 innings where he struck out eight batters while allowing four hits and three earned runs in a 6-3 loss to the Razorbacks on April 30. He did not take the loss, as Arkansas scored three runs in the bottom of the 9th off of Jack Dougherty to secure the win.

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WATCH: Phil Elson calls Arkansas’ Omaha-clinching walk-off single

Here’s how Brady Slavens’ walk-off single sounded from the voice of Arkansas Baseball

“And you can call them the Omahogs!”

Those words were exclaimed by Phil Elson, the radio voice of Arkansas Baseball, following [autotag]Brady Slavens[/autotag]’ walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th inning that lifted Arkansas over North Carolina on Sunday afternoon to clinch a spot in the College World Series for the 11th time in program history.

North Carolina broke the 2-2 tie in the top of the 9th inning on an RBI single to take the 3-2 lead, hoping that it would be enough to beat Arkansas and force a winner-take-all game three on Monday.

As they have proven all postseason, the Razorbacks were not going to go away that easily.

The inning started with back to back singles by [autotag]Jalen Battles[/autotag] and [autotag]Peyton Stovall[/autotag]. In the next at-bat, [autotag]Kendall Diggs[/autotag] would reach on a walk, loading the bases for [autotag]Braydon Webb[/autotag]. Webb hit a grounder that resulted in a fielder’s choice, allowing Battles to score from 3rd base to tie the game again at 3-3.

With two on and no outs, Slavens delivered the game winning hit that would send Arkansas to Omaha.

Here is how the walk-off sounded from the voice of Elson:

Arkansas will face the winner of Monday’s Stanford Super Regional between Stanford and UConn in the College World Series later this week at Charles Schawb Field in Omaha, Nebraska. Official dates and times will be released at a later time.

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Arkansas Baseball plays “the right way”

Despite his team ending their season on Sunday to Arkansas, North Carolina head coach Scott Forbes was complimentary of the Razorbacks style of play.

Arkansas Baseball claimed a spot in the College World Series for the 11th time in program history on Sunday by defeating North Carolina, 4-3 on a walk-off single by [autotag]Brady Slavens[/autotag] in the bottom of the 9th inning.

The Razorbacks swept the Tar Heels in two games at the Chapel Hill Super Regional. In addition to Sunday’s win, Arkansas defeated North Carolina in game one of the best-of-three series, 4-1 on Saturday behind a strong outing from [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag] on the mound.

North Carolina, who came into the Super Regional as winners of 11 of their previous 12 games, was obviously disappointed in dropping their final game of the year in heartbreaking fashion. However, that did not stop Tar Heels head coach Scott Forbes from being complimentary of the Razorbacks led by [autotag]Dave Van Horn[/autotag].

In his postgame press conference, Forbes congratulated the Razorbacks for their Super Regional victory, and says that he sees a lot of his team in Arkansas. 

“What a battle. Two great teams. I want to congratulate Arkansas. (They are) a heck of a team, what a heck of a season that they have had. Coach Van Horn and his coaches all do a tremendous job, and they have always done a tremendous job. It’s like watching our own team across the field. They play the right way. They play hard. They don’t showboat. They keep their mouth shut and play how baseball is supposed to be played. Congrats to Arkansas.” 

Arkansas’ season continues later this week in Omaha, Neb., and the College World Series. The next game for the Razorbacks, as well as their opponent, will be revealed at a later time.

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