Tag: Razorbacks Baseball

Twitter reacts to another gem tossed by Connor Noland

Arkansas ace Connor Noland has been on fire this postseason, which makes Razorback fans very excited.

After ending the regular season on a sour note, Arkansas Baseball has worked out the kinks, and is back to playing the high standard of baseball that won them many games in the early portion of the season.

One of the main reasons? Solid work on the mound, especially from Friday ace [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag].

In two postseason starts, Noland has struck out 10 batters over 13.2 innings. In those outings, Arkansas’ defense has only allowed two runs. Noland posted another solid outing in Saturday’s 4-1 win over North Carolina. He struck out six batters in 6.2 innings of work.

Arkansas fans, both watching in Chapel Hill as well from the comfort of their homes, were proud of Noland, to say the least. Here are a few of the best tweets reacting to Noland’s superb start.

Know Your Enemy: Hogs vs. Heels preview with Tar Heels Wire’s Zack Pearson

Tar Heels Wire’s Zack Pearson joins this week’s edition of “Know Your Enemy” to provide a more in-depth look into Arkansas’ Super Regional opponent

Arkansas escaped Oklahoma last weekend in what was one of the most electrifying and most viewed, regionals of the weekend.

After opening the Stillwater Regional with a win over a feisty Grand Canyon team last Friday, Arkansas went 2-1 over the host Oklahoma State Cowboys to claim the regional, and move on to their fourth consecutive Super Regional.

Arkansas’ next stop on the road to Omaha is Chapel Hill, N.C., home of the North Carolina Tar Heels, where they will do battle with the winners of the Chapel Hill regional beginning Saturday morning.

The Atlantic Coast Conference champions had a similar road to a regional title, as they had to dig themselves out of the loser’s bracket. After falling to Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday night, the Tar Heels would get revenge by beating the Rams twice to advance in the NCAA Tournament.

That’s not the only similarity that Arkansas and North Carolina share. Both teams also overcame slumps during the season, and are now playing their best baseball when it matters most.

Arkansas ended the regular season by dropping their final two SEC series of the season to Vanderbilt and Alabama respectively, before bowing out of the SEC Tournament after two games. Arkansas seems to have found their spark again, as they were able to post 37 runs in the final three games of the Stillwater Regional.

North Carolina’s struggles began in the last week of March, and basically lasted all through April. The Tar Heels were swept by Miami during their series March 25-27 in Coral Gables, and would go on to drop four straight ACC series before regaining their footing against rival NC State during the first weekend in May. The Tar Heels would end the season by winning their final three ACC series, and going a perfect 4-0 in the ACC Tournament.

Need more information on this weekend’s Super Regional foe? Well, you have come to the right place. Zack Pearson of Tar Heels Wire has had his finger on the pulse of North Carolina baseball all season long, and was nice enough to provide insight on the Tar Heels from a local’s prospective.

Here’s the next installment of “Know Your Enemy” from Razorbacks Wire:

Monday’s Stillwater Regional final the third-most viewed game since 2006

College baseball fans were glued to their TV’s as they watched Arkansas Baseball defeat Oklahoma State to advance to the Super Regionals.

Arkansas’ regional-clinching victory over Oklahoma State on Monday night was a classic. The game was so exciting, that most college baseball fans could not keep their eyes away from their screens.

ESPN released the broadcast numbers from the game on Thursday and revealed that a total of 531,000 viewers watched Arkansas defeat Oklahoma State to advance to the Super Regionals for the fourth straight season. Dating back to 2006, it was the third most-viewed NCAA baseball regional game on the family of ESPN networks.

After splitting the first two games with Oklahoma State during the Stillwater Regional, the Razorbacks jumped out to a comfortable lead and fought off a late comeback attempt by the Cowboys to grab the 7-3 win.

Leading 5-3 in the 8th inning, freshman [autotag]Hagen Smith[/autotag] was given the task to hold Arkansas’ lead despite the fact that Oklahoma State loaded the bases. He got the job done by striking out the final two batters of the inning. To add insurance, [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag] sent two runners across the plate in the 9th inning on a double to extend the Razorback lead to 7-3. Smith rode that momentum into the bottom half, where he sat down the Cowboys in order to seal the win.

Arkansas’ season continues in the Super Regionals beginning Saturday at North Carolina. Game one of the best-of-three series begins Saturday at 10 a.m. CDT, and can be seen on ESPN.

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Smith, Tygart named Freshman All-Americans

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper names Hagen Smith and Brady Tygart as Freshman All-Americans, the first since Connor Noland in 2019 to win the honor

Two keys to Arkansas Baseball’s success in 2022 have been recognized by the national media.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper recently released their picks for the best Freshman baseball players across the country, naming Arkansas’ [autotag]Hagen Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Brady Tygart[/autotag] Freshman All-Americans.

Smith, a freshman from Bullard, Texas, has appeared in 17 games this season with 14 starts. In 70.0 innings pitched this season, Smith has struck out 79 batters while walking just 42, and posting a 4.89 ERA.

Smith began the season as the Saturday starter during weekend series’, but has been used mostly out of the bullpen since May 14. Smith, who had not thrown over four innings in one outing since April 30 against Ole Miss, grabbed his first save of the season last Monday night at Oklahoma State in the Stillwater Regional championship game. Smith tossed two innings, striking out four batters and preserving the Arkansas lead, which led them to a victory.

Tygart has been a force out of the bullpen all season. Known for his pitches using elusive movement, Tygart has recorded eight saves for the Razorbacks, with 51 strikeouts and a 3.93 ERA.

Tygart’s best outing of the season came against Ole Miss on May 1, where he struck out five batters on his way to a three-inning save.

According to Arkansas communications, Smith and Tygart are the 25th and 26th players in program history to earn Freshman All-America honors. They are the first Razorbacks pitchers to do so since [autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag] earned the recognition in 2019.

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Dates, Times, Networks announced for 2022 Super Regionals

College Baseball fans should be treated to more excitement this weekend as 16 teams fight for a spot in Omaha during the Super Regionals.

College Baseball fans were treated to a wild weekend of baseball last weekend during the opening round of the NCAA Baseball playoffs.

The regionals were filled with Auburn dominating their entire regional, high-scoring, marathon games in Stillwater and Stanford, and LSU erasing huge deficits in the Hattiesburg Regional before ultimately ending their season with a loss to host Southern Miss.

This weekend’s Super Regionals appear to bring just as much excitement. Here’s a look at who is playing, where they are playing, and how to watch them on this one final weekend before the College World Series begins.

Hagen Smith becomes unlikely hero in Stillwater Regional final

Smith texted Head Coach Dave Van Horn “my arm feels awesome. I want the ball” on Sunday night. The rest, is history.

In what was an exciting, unrelenting grind of a Regional, the Arkansas Razorbacks stood tall and left Stillwater with the opportunity to continue their season in the Super Regional round.

When it came down to all-around effort, catcher [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag] did it all for the Razorbacks. He was amazing in the field and was clutch at the plate, en route to winning the Stillwater Regional MVP.

But, in the regional-clinching game, an unlikely hero came at a time when his squad needed him to step up the most, and he delivered.

In the top of the 8th inning of Arkansas’ 7-3 win over Oklahoma State, freshman [autotag]Hagen Smith[/autotag] got the call to step on the rubber and hold the Razorbacks’ lead.

Smith, who was chased from his start after 1.1 innings in Saturday’s 20-12 win over the Cowboys, had not seen significant time on the mound since the  April 30 game against Ole Miss. Early on, he showed signs of distress as he allowed the first three batters that he faced to reach base. However, his first recorded out was a three-pitch strikeout to Chase Adkison, and that seemed to light the fire that Smith had been missing for a few weeks.

In the next at-bat, Smith went toe-to-toe with the Oklahoma State freshman who has played the role of villain in the regional, Roc Riggio. In an at-bat that lasted five pitches, Smith forced Riggio to swing and miss, ending the Cowboys’ bases-loaded threat.

Using the momentum built in the 8th inning, as well as a two-run double by Turner in the top of the 9th to provide more cushion, Smith was able to sit down the Cowboys in order to close the game, and to solidify the Razorbacks’ victory.

The confidence that Smith showed on the mound in Monday’s win stems from late Sunday night, following Arkansas’ 14-10 loss to Oklahoma State. Head Coach Dave Van Horn shared why he trusted Smith to get the job done in the 8th inning during his postgame press conference:

I asked the pitchers to text me last night. “If you got anything, tell me what you got. Hagen Smith was the first text on my phone. He said “my arm feels awesome. I want the ball in any situation.” That meant something to me. I felt like he really wanted the ball. He has all the ability in the world. He didn’t have a good outing the day before last. To get out those good hitters, we needed that kind of stuff on the mound. Once he got it together, and he struck out the nine-hole and the one-hole, our team was jacked.

Hagen Smith and Arkansas will now prepare to face North Carolina this weekend in the Chapel Hill Super Regional. The dates and times for this weekend will be released at a later time.

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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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Oklahoma State smacks Missouri State, sets up regional final with Arkansas

The rematch between the Hogs and the Pokes is set for 6:16 p.m. CDT and can be seen online with ESPN+

Who is ready for an encore?

The host of the Stillwater Regional, Oklahoma State, battled with Missouri State in an elimination game early Sunday evening for five hours of total game time. When the dust finally settled, the Cowboys came out on top, 29-15, eliminating the Bears and setting up a rematch with Arkansas.

Oklahoma State had the same luck that unfortunately went against them Saturday night against Arkansas. The Cowboys trailed Missouri State, 12-0 heading to the 4th inning. However, the ‘Pokes would go on to outscore the Bears, 17-2 over the next three innings to jump out to a 17-14 lead going to the 7th inning.

For safe measure, the Cowboys scored 12 runs in the final two innings to close the game.

The Razorbacks will face Oklahoma State in a rematch from Saturday night. The Cowboys led 10-5 before Arkansas scored 15 runs over the final three innings to secure the 20-12 win.

In the game, Arkansas hit seven home runs, headlined by a two-home run game by [autotag]Robert Moore[/autotag] and a grand slam by [autotag]Jalen Battles[/autotag].

Arkansas goes for the Stillwater Regional championship Sunday night against Oklahoma State. First pitch is set for 6:16 p.m. CDT, and can be seen online with ESPN+.

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Razorbacks hang 20 in outstanding comeback win over Oklahoma State

The Hogs never gave up on Saturday night, and now they are one win away from moving onto the Super Regionals

In a game that lasted four hours and 53 minutes, every second of Saturday’s winner’s bracket game between Arkansas and Oklahoma State was just as exciting as it was important.

Through six innings of the game, Oklahoma State seemed to have complete control with a 10-5 lead. However, Arkansas would score 15 runs over the final three frames to grab a 20-12 win over the host Cowboys, and to move one step closer to the Super Regional round.

The Cowboys added to their comfortable lead in the bottom of the 6th inning by scoring three runs. Two on RBI singles, and one run scoring from third base on a ground out, to give them the 10-5 advantage.

Arkansas began chipping away in the top of the 7th inning. The Razorbacks began the inning with two quick outs, but a solo home run by [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag] would keep Arkansas in the inning, trimming down the Oklahoma State lead to 10-6. That home run was enough to give the Razorbacks a spark, as [autotag]Chris Lanzilli[/autotag] would double in the next at-bat, then came home on a two-run home run by[autotag] Robert Moore[/autotag], cutting the Cowboy lead to 10-8.

Momentum stayed with Arkansas into the 8th inning, as the Razorbacks took the lead by scoring eight runs on three hits. The first three batters of the game reached, which set up four runs on three bases-loaded walks, and a hit by pitch.

Once Arkansas grabbed the lead, they would pour on four more runs with one swing of the bat. [autotag]Jalen Battles[/autotag] stepped to the plate, and with full confidence, smashed the first pitch of the at-bat over the left field fence to blow the game open for Arkansas.

Oklahoma State grabbed two runs in the bottom of the 8th, but Arkansas never waivered. To add insurance, Arkansas added four more runs in the top of the 9th inning. With one down and two on, Lanzilli clubbed a three-run shot down the left field line.

The home run would be Lanzilli’s 50th of his career, and it would extend Arkansas’ lead to 19-12. The final run of the game came on an infield single by [autotag]Peyton Stovall[/autotag] that involved a throwing error, scoring Moore and to seal the game.

Five Razorbacks grabbed multiple hits in the game, with Chris Lanzilli, Robert Moore, Michael Turner, and Jalen Battles all sending four runs across the plate.

In a game that saw seven pitchers used, freshman [autotag]Brady Tygart[/autotag] would get the win for Arkansas. Tygart allowed one hit and two earned runs in 1.2 innings of work. Starter [autotag]Hagen Smith[/autotag] went just 1.1 innings, allowing two hits, two earned runs and issuing four walks in his first start since May 14 vs. Vanderbilt at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Arkansas is just one win away from winning the Stillwater Regional. The only thing standing in their way is the winner of Oklahoma State/Missouri State game that will begin at noon CDT. The Razorbacks will meet the winner of that game on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. CDT.

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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.