February 16, 2004
Hogs wrap up impressive weekend
Charlie Shields
SEBaseball.com Staff Writer
It's a whole new ballgame.
When the Razorbacks took the field on Friday the 13th for the first of a three game set against Louisiana Tech, there was brand new grass on the field, a brand new scoreboard beyond the left center wall, brand new skyboxes and a slew of new Razorbacks in uniform.
By the end of the weekend, more than 4,000 fans would watch the Hogs sweep the Tech Bulldogs in impressive fashion, including seeing the Arkansas pitching staff put up a collective 1.33 ERA and 13 straight scoreless innings to start the season. The Razorbacks got off to a slow start offensively, held in check by Tech ace Clayton Meyer, but broke out on Saturday and Sunday, scoring 22 and 13 runs, respectively. The Hogs hit .368 for the weekend, led by true Freshman third-baseman Danny Hamblin, who hit .625 with a double and a home run.
In Dave Van Horn's second season, he has gotten a team that will be much more suited to his style, with improved running and defense as a priority. Hamblin was just one newcomer that contributed big for the Hogs this weekend. Freshmen Jake Duggar, Blake Parker, and Kern Watts all saw significant playing time, along with Junior transfers Casey Rowlett and Matt Fry. Fry hit the Hogs' first home run of the season on Friday night, a 2 run shot to left center which plated the only runs of the game. All of the newcomers will compete with returning starters Clay Goodwin, Brett Hagedorn, Scott Hode, Haas Pratt, Brady Toops and Scott Bridges for playing time.
Arkansas used 12 different pitchers on the weekend, and no pitcher appeared more than once. Jay Sawatski struck out the first five batters he faced, and pitched five scoreless innings to earn the victory on Friday night. Charley Boyce allowed just one run in five innings on Saturday to get the victory. Reliever Justin White got the win on Sunday after relieving starter Clint Brannon after 3 innings, and pitched 3 scoreless. Also seeing action for the Hogs were newcomers Ryan Lennerton, Daryl Maday, Trey Halloway, Brian McLelland, James Gilbert, Zach Butler, and Joe Skinner. Returning relief pitcher Boyd Goodner also pitched.
The Hogs are looking at sophomore transfer Zach Butler to be the closer, at least until Caton Hall becomes academically eligible, and he pitched one inning of scoreless ball in Friday's game to earn the first save of the season.
Arkansas was almost perfect on the weekend, with excellent pitching and above average defense. The Hogs committed just one error, in stark contrast with the Bulldogs' 11 errors on the weekend (including 7 on Saturday), which allowed Arkansas to put up an enormous amount of runs despite just 2 home runs (Hamblin and Fry).
The weather cooperated for the entire weekend, considering that it IS February. Temps were in the 40s for most of the weekend and more than 4,000 fans showed up (paid attendance was over 10,000). With the addition of the new skyboxes, Baum Stadium's capacity is 9,477. And even though the scoreboard isn't quite done and the grounds crew needed a few tries to get the chalk lines JUST right, it was a beautiful weekend to watch baseball, especially for the Hog fans.
The Hogs' next games are against St. Johns next weekend. Game times are 2:35 Friday, 12:05 Saturday, 1:05 Sunday.
Notes and Stats:
The Hogs broke an NCAA record on Saturday, with 7 sac flies, a mark set in 1995 by Georgia.
The 2-0 victory on Friday marked the first shutout win for the Razorbacks since blanking Alabama 10-0 on March 23, 2002. It also marked the first shutout win in a season opener in 17 years. The 1986 Razorbacks opened the season with a 10-0 blanking of North Texas on Feb. 15, in Fayetteville.
Seven Razorbacks hit over .300 for the weekend.
Nine Razorbacks with at least one inning pitched did not give up a run.
March 17, 2004
Hogs looking to move up
Charlie Shields
SEBaseball.com Staff Writer
Arkansas enters SEC play in that old familiar spot, last place in the SEC West. It seems to have been the case the past few years, and that 1999 SEC Championship keeps getting further behind us. The Hogs will travel to Florida this weekend to open SEC play against the Gators. They are 14-6 on the season.
When the Hogs left Fayetteville after an eight game home stand to open the season, there were high hopes for the team. After all, they were 8-0, and had only played two games that were even close. Then it was off to the Aggie Classic in College Station, Texas, where the Hogs went 3-3, and then on the road at Texas Pan-American, where the Hogs lost two more. In the 8 games following the initial homestand, the Hogs committed 23 errors, and have committed 8 more since returning back to Baum for 4 games prior to the start of SEC play. They committed just 9 in their first 8 games. The Hogs have a fielding percentage of .946 on the season.
One of the potential factors in the defensive downturn for Arkansas is the loss of third baseman Clay Goodwin, who broke a bone in his hand during the Aggie Classic that required surgery. Goodwin will make the trip to Florida with the team, but isn't expected to return to play until the following weekend when South Carolina comes to Fayetteville.
Goodwin leads the Razorbacks in batting, with a .477 average. Three of the other Hogs in the top 5 are true freshmen. Danny Hamblin at.393, Jake Dugger at .379 and Blake Parker at .327. Senior Haas Pratt has a team leading 22 RBIs to go with his .310 batting average and Junior Brady Toops has a team leading 6 doubles. 10 Razorbacks have hit home runs, with only Clay Goodwin (3) and Haas Pratt (2) with more than one.
The Hogs had 40 stolen bases all of last season, and already have 30 (out of 34) in 20 games this year. Devin Day (7), Casey Rowlett (6) and Scott Bridges (5) lead the Hogs in that area.
No Hog has started all 20 games this year, and only Rowlett and Pratt have played in 19. In fact, through the 20 games played so far, not very much has been decided about who will be the everyday starters or the weekend rotation. Only Charley Boyce has made a case to be a weekend starter, with both Jay Sawatski and Clint Brannon having a rough time since dominating La Tech in the first weekend.
Jay Sawatski leads the team in strikeouts, with 24 in 21 innings pitched. He also has the highest ERA on the team, at 7.29. Boyce has 25 innings pitched, which leads the team and Boyd Goodner leads the team in appearances, with 8. Just about every pitcher on the staff has gotten a chance at relief, and the closer role has yet to be decided. Caton Hall joined the team late due to academic issues, but he has made the closer position a two-man race with newcomer Zach Butler. Butler has 3 saves, leading the team.
In the field, Haas Pratt is steady at first base, but second base could be Scott Bridges or Devin Day. Day has also played shortstop, splitting time with Scott Hode (Hode missed the Hogs most recent series, a two game midweek set against Centenary, because he was sick). Third base has been manned by Casey Rowlett while Clay Goodwin is out. Rowlett, who was the starting centerfielder, will likely return to the outfield when Goodwin comes back. Also competing for time in the outfield are Kern Watts, Jake Dugger, Stephen Robison, and Blake Parker, who is also splitting time at catcher with Brady Toops, who will also play some outfield when he isn't catching. Danny Hamblin will play third base, but has been relegated to a designated hitter role due to a shoulder injury sustained early in the season. Brett Hagedorn is backing up at first and third base.
STAT UPDATES
Arkansas has a team batting average of .312 and a team ERA of 2.80. Nine of the 15 pitchers that have played have an ERA under 2.00. As a team the Hogs have grounded into 25 double plays and Casey Rowlett has 8 of those. The Hogs have only turned 18 double plays.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
The process of returning Baum Stadium at George Cole Field to the number 1 college baseball facility in the country is almost complete. Before the season, skyboxes were added, natural grass replaced the turf and a video scoreboard replaced the old scoreboard. All that was left was to add decoration to the scoreboard and the bricks are almost all up. Baum Stadium is an absolutely beautiful place to watch college baseball.
ACADEMIC CASUALTY
Junior transfer Matt Fry has been told by the coaching staff to concentrate on his grades for the rest of the season, and isn't expected to practice or play for the rest of the season.
April 8, 2004
Marathon game has Hogs weary prior
to LSU trip
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charlie Shields
SEBaseball.com Staff Writer
The Razorback football team has made a habit of playing extras
the last few years, so maybe the Diamond Hogs wanted to live up
to that. The Razorbacks came up short Tuesday night in the second
longest game in Arkansas history, a 16 inning marathon that was
4:39 by the official scorecard, but closer to 5 hours by my watch.
Scott Hode is hitting betterSouthwest
Missouri State brought three Razorbacks turned Bears into Fayetteville
for the game, including starting catcher Judd Kindle and starting
left fielder Kirk McConnell. SMS won 6-5 after tying the game
at 4 with 2 runs in the top of the ninth and getting 2 more in
the top of the 16th. In the bottom of the inning, the Hogs managed
to get one across the plate but came up just short.
The marathon was exactly the kind of exhausting game that you DON'T need before making a road trip in the SEC, especially to one of the toughest places in the country, Alex Box Stadium, to play one of the best teams in the country, LSU.
The SMS game capped an eight game home stand that included series victories over SEC foes South Carolina and Alabama and a win over top 10 Wichita State.
The Hogs kicked off SEC play with one win on the road against #12 Florida three weeks ago. They came close to getting a crucial series win on Sunday, but gave up the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Still, with 2 series wins under their belt, and sitting at 5-4 in conference (good enough for 3rd place in the West), the Hogs are at least in better shape than they've been the last few years. The Hogs have a road series coming up at LSU and then another at Vandy and it will be interesting to see if the Hogs can win on the road.
Set Lineup
Although the Sunday spot in the pitching rotation is still up for grabs (and likely to remain so), the batting lineup is basically set since the return of third baseman Clay Goodwin. The infield is anchored by returning starters, with Haas Pratt at first, Scott Hode at shortstop, Goodwin at third and Brady Toops at catcher. Newcomer Devin Day (junior transfer) has become the everyday second basemen, replacing last year's starter Scott Bridges, who is batting an anemic .195. The outfield is all newcomers, with junior transfer Casey Rowlett in center and freshmen Jake Duggar (left) and Blake Parker (right) rounding out the lineup.
The Pitching "Situation"
Charley Boyce (4-1, 3.07) and Clint Brannon (0-1, 2.70) have established themselves as weekend starters, but the Hogs have gone with several pitchers on Sunday. Even though Brannon has started 8 games, he has just one decision, probably because he's averaging just over 4 innings per start (36.2 total). Boyd Goodner (2-2, 1.55), Matt Stallings (1-2, 3.32), Trey Holloway (1-0, 1.98) and Jay Sawatski (3-2, 5.66) have been the main middle relievers for the Hogs.
Caton Hall
Since returning to the team from academic exile, Caton Hall has emerged as a valuable resource for the Hogs. Hall has taken over the closer spot from Zach Butler and has a .061 ERA and 3 saves in his 9 appearances. He has pitched 14 innings and given up just 1 earned run.
Hot Hitters
Although Clay Goodwin's average is starting to return to normal from the superhuman numbers he was putting up before his injury, he's still the best hitting Hog. Clay leads the team with a .367 average and is tied for the lead in home runs with Danny Hamblin. Both players have 4 homeruns. Hamblin has been the Hogs Designated Hitter and is hitting .366. Brett Hagedorn, Devin Day, Blake Parker, Haas Pratt, Scott Hode and Jake Duggar are all hitting over .300 for the Hogs.
Bad Numbers
Casey Rowlett has grounded into ten double plays, including one in the bottom of the 16th on Tuesday night. The 10 double plays is the most of anybody on the team. In fact, he's doubled up his nearest competition on a team that's grounded into 48, 20 more than opponents. Devin Day leads the team with 12 errors from his second base spot. The most anybody else on the team has is 7.
Good Numbers
The Hogs are 42-49 in stolen bases, led by Danny Hamblin (6-6), Devin Day (7-8), Casey Rowlett (8-9) and Scott Bridges (7-7). Catcher Brady Toops has thrown out 15 runners, and allowed 18 stolen bases.
May 5, 2004
Hogs just keep on winning
Charlie Shields
SEBaseball.com Staff Writer
Arkansas' 5-3 victory over Tennessee at Baum Stadium on Sunday
gave the Hogs their 6th consecutive SEC series victory, a first
for the University of Arkansas. The Hogs lost 2 games to Florida
in the conference opener but has steadily risen through the standings
and polls since then by winning against everybody they play.
Over 10,000 fans watched the Hogs and Vols play the three games, a crowd made even more impressive by bad weather and a 2 hour rain delay before Saturday's game.
A season high 5,143 watched the Vols take the first game of the series 9-3 on Friday night. Tennessee got surprisingly strong pitching in the game, with a complete game from Freshman Craig Cobb in his first ever SEC start. The Hogs jumped on Cobb early, scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the first. But after settling down, Cobb sat down 26 of the next 30 batters he faced, including 12 straight at one point. Clint Brannon took the loss for Arkansas, pitching five innings and giving up seven runs.
Game two of the series was in serious doubt, with heavy rains blanketing Northwest Arkansas for the second weekend in a row. The scheduled start time was 6:05 but it was after 8 before the rain stopped and play could begin. 1,167 faithful stuck around to see one of the best pitching performances of the year by a Razorback pitcher and the Hogs defeat the Vols 4-1.
Charley Boyce pitched the game for the Razorbacks. Boyce has been the stopper all year. The Hogs haven't lost back to back games since losing two at Texas Pan American in March, and Boyce is a big reason why. Arkansas dropped Friday night games to Alabama and Florida and won Saturdays of those series on the arm of Boyce.
Boyce had his best outing of the year in the game, matching Cobb's complete game. He gave up just 2 hits in the game, one of which got over the head of new right fielder Stephen Robison, who is replacing the benched Blake Parker. Charley struck out a career high 8, and allowed just 1 walk.
Thanks to Boyce's complete game, the Hogs had something they hadn't had for most of the season going into Sunday: options. Head Coach Dave Van Horn gave Senior Jay Sawatski the start for the first time since a trip to Texas A & M for the Aggie Classic in March. Sawatski pitched seven strong innings before giving the ball to Caton Hall to close out the game.
4, 871 watched the Hogs get another series victory despite being outhit 14-8 on Sunday. The fourth inning would prove to be pivotal in the game, as the Hogs scored 2 runs while stealing thanks to a throwing error by the Vols catcher. That same inning, with the Vols threatening with runners on first and third, Razorback catcher Brady Toops picked the runner off third base with a snap throw down the line, and then Sawatski picked off the runner at first, bringing the crowd to its feet. In the 6th, with a runner on, outfielder Stephen Robison hit the first home run of his career, skimming the pole in left field to put the Hogs ahead for good, 5-3. Robison started three of the four games the Hogs played last week, and had 1 home run and 5 RBI after having none in any of his previous 22 games played.
Earlier in the week, the Hogs got some payback, winning at Oral Roberts 8-4 and avenging an earlier loss to the Golden Eagle.
With the 3-1 week, the Razorbacks jumped into the top 10 of the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls for the first time since 1999, when the Razorbacks won the SEC and hosted a regional in Fayetteville. The Hogs are ranked 8th in Baseball America and 9th in Collegiate Baseball and are looking to make the postseason for the 3rd straight year. The Hogs were one game away from going to the College World Series in 2002, after winning the Wichita State regional as a 3 seed and then winning game 1 of the Clemson Super Regional (a year which Baseball America seems to have erased from memory, based on their last college baseball story). The Hogs won 1 game in last year's Austin regional. A bid has been placed for the Razorbacks to host in Fayetteville again this year. The buzz around the team this year might even be bigger than the one in 1999, and with the renovations to an already beautiful Baum Stadium, it should be a great regional. Especially if SEBaseball's projections come true and neighbors Oral Roberts and Oklahoma State come to town. This year, the Hogs will be hosting for only the second time in school history.
The Razorbacks are in first place in the SEC, one game ahead of Florida for the overall lead and 3 games up on Ole Miss and LSU in the West, with 3 series remaining. The Hogs have no mid-week games this week because of finals, but will travel to Oxford to face Ole Miss this weekend. Then it's back home for 1 against Texas Pan American on Tuesday. The Wednesday game of that series will likely be cancelled to keep the Hogs under the 56 game limit. Then the Hogs will go back to Mississippi to face the Bulldogs of MSU and then it's back home for the final SEC homestand to face Auburn. On the promotions menu are Frank Broyles bobbleheads and getting to see Coach Norm DeBriyn's #23 retired.
NUMBERS
The Hogs have stolen 74 bases in 84 attempts, second in the SEC only to Tennessee (76 in 100). They are led by second baseman Scott Bridges, who is 16 for 16, and outfielder Casey Rowlett, who is 15 for 18.
As a team, the Hogs have thwarted 26 of 56 attempted thefts, first in the SEC. Catcher Brady Toops leads the league in steals attempted (41) and runners thrown out (19). His 19 runners thrown out is five more than second place in the league.
Freshman Designated Hitter Danny Hamblin has reached base in 33 consecutive games.
Shortstop Scott Hode and Toops both had 9 game hit streaks come to an end this past weekend.
First baseman Haas Pratt has had the longest hit streaks on the team, getting 14 in a row twice this season.
The Hogs lead the SEC in walks with 225.
They also lead the SEC in errors with 84.
7 Hogs are hitting over .300
Clay Goodwin.........348
Brett Hagedorn.......339
Danny Hamblin........331
Haas Pratt...........329
Scott Hode...........321
Jake Dugger..........315
Devin Day............301
Charley Boyce is 6-1 on the season with a save, a 3.01 ERA, 55 strikeouts and 13 walks. Clint Brannon is 3-2 with a 3.97 ERA and Jay Sawatski is 7-2 with a 4.37 ERA and 3 saves. Caton Hall is 4-0, has 4 saves and a 1.08 ERA.
The Hogs are 32-14 overall, and 15-6 in the SEC. They are 13-9 against top 25 competition and the three games at Ole Miss will add to that number.
June 10, 2004
These Hogs just win!
Charlie Shields
SEBaseball.com Staff Writer
Every cliche` applies. Leave it all on the
field. Check. Never leave early. Check. Anything can happen. Check.
It ain't over till it's over. Check. Grit, heart, determination
and guts. Check.
These Razorbacks are not an offensive juggernaut. They don't have
great pitching depth, or even a third starter. But they will steal
bases. They will manufacture runs. They will take advantage of
an opponent's mistakes And so far this season, these Razorbacks
have found enough of whatever it takes to win. The Fayetteville
regional epitomized the season for the Arkansas Razorbacks. The
improbable becomes probable, comebacks become expected, and nobody
leaves early.
The Razorbacks regional started on Friday night against the LeMoyne
Dolphins out of the MAAC. I arrived at the park at 10am, which
was 4 hours before the first game and 9 hours before the Hogs
would take the field. I was excited about the first game, because
Pelfrey has great stuff and he would face the surging Missouri
Tigers. Pelfrey didn't disappoint, and pitched a gem of a game
and the Shockers won 3-0.
The Hogs had no trouble with LeMoyne, as Clint Brannon threw a
complete game and Arkansas came out on top 4-1. Haas Pratt and
Danny Hamblin hit home runs for the Razorbacks. In fact, it was
the first back to back home runs of the season for the Hogs. Brannon's
only run allowed was unearned. With the game Friday night, LeMoyne
more than doubled their total season away-ga mes attendance.
On Saturday, Missouri eliminated LeMoyne in the early game, 11-3,
to secure a place in the night game and continue play.
In the winner's bracket game, Wichita jumped out to a 3-0 lead
on the Hogs and Arkansas starter Charley Boyce. The Hogs scored
2 in the bottom of the 7th on Jake Dugger single, and another
in the game in the 8th on a Bubbs Merrill pinch hit single that
plated Clay Goodwin, who had walked to begin the inning.
The Hogs had a chance to win it in the 9th but a base running
error by Stephen Robison got him thrown out at 2nd base just before
Casey Rowlett hit a single that would have won the game. Neither
team scored in the 10th. WSU then took the lead on a Drew Moffitt
home run off of Razorback reliever Trey Halloway.
Now in the losers bracket, the Hogs had
to face Missouri in an elimination game. Jay Sawatski took the
mound for the Razorbacks. The Hogs scored early on a Blake Parker
single that scored Clay Goodwin. The Tigers tied the game in the
bottom of the first but the Hogs would build a 10-1 lead going
into the ninth. After Boyd Goodner gave up 2 hits and 2 walks,
the Hogs put in little used James Gilbert. He had just 5 innings
of work all year and hadn't pitched since mid-May. The Tigers
scored 6 times on 5 hits in the 9th, but lost 10-7.
So the Arkansas Underdogs would have to win two on Sunday to move
forward in the NCAA Tournament. The attendance numbers say that
it wasn't the largest crowd of the season for the Hogs, but there
wasn't an empty space to sit or stand in Baum Stadium, and an
overflow crowd got to witness the greatest single moment in the
history of Arkansas baseball. It was one of those moments, that,
years from now, a hundred thousand people will remember being
there and seeing it even though it was more like 8,500.
The first game was a back and forth affair the entire game. In
the bottom of the eighth inning, the Shockers took a 3 run lead
on RBI singles from Phil Napolitan, Drew Moffitt and Brandon Green
to go up 9-6.
In the top of the 9th, Haas Pratt stepped up to the plate with
two outs and runners at the corners. Pratt reached on an error,
which plated Casey Rowlett from third base. Danny Hamblin walked
to load the bases. Brady Toops stepped up and hit the first pitch
he saw from Kyle Banick over the left field wall.
It was, quite simply, the greatest sports moment I have ever experienced
in my whole life. I have never screamed so loud or hugged so many
complete strangers. The crowd went wild with a huge "Tooooooooooooooooops"
cheer.
Freshman Daryl Maday finished the game out in the bottom of the
ninth. Hogs win 11-9 to force another game.
Maday would start the second game, but only go 2 and 1/3 innings,
before the Hogs brought back Charley Boyce.
Shocker shortstop Nick McCoola hit a 2 run home run in the 2nd
inning to give the Shox a 2-1 lead, and the Shox went up 3-1 on
a pair of doubles in the 3rd.
Wichita State pitcher Kyle Touchatt held
the Hogs hitless until the fifth inning, when Senior utility man
Bubbs Merrill hit his first home run of the seasn over the left
field wall to cut the Shocker lead to 3-2. Bubbs got his 7th start
at the year because second baseman Scott Bridges was suffering
from heat exhaustion. Jake Dugger reached on a walk and ended
up scoring on an error to tie the game at 3, the story of the
game for Wichita.
The Hogs scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 8th when
Scott Bridges pinch ran for Haas Pratt who had singled. He was
moved to second on a bunt, then moved to third on a pickoff attempt
that sailed into center. He scored when Brett Hagedorn reached
on an error.
In the top of the 9th, Bridges, now playing second base, made
a leaping catch to prevent a leadoff basehit. Charley Boyce finished
the game, earning his 9th win of the season. He retired 19 of
the last 23 batters he faced after giving up the two doubles in
the third inning.
After the game, the overflow crowd chanted "SEC!" and
then demanded curtain calls from Brady Toops, Charley Boyce, Haas
Pratt, Bubbs Merrill and finally Dave Van Horn.
The seven games at Baum Stadium drew 38,773 fans, more than any
other regional.
Up next is Florida State for the chance to go to Omaha. The Razorbacks
will do what they've done all year. Leave it all on the field.
February 23, 2005
Razorback Baseball the Rage in Arkansas
Charlie Shields
SEBaseball.com Staff Writer
For the first time since 1994, the Arkansas Razorbacks opened
the season on the road. The Hogs began the season with a four
game series hosted by Dallas Baptist University and the University
of Texas-Arlington on Feb. 13-15. The round robin style series
was organized by Arkansas Head Coach Dave Van Horn and
the Razorback fans in the Dallas area made sure that there were
a lot of Hog fans at all of their games. The Hogs then traveled
to Louisiana Tech for a three game series last weekend.The 2005
Hogs will return to Baum Stadium, arguably the top venue for college
baseball in the country, this weekend to face the Big 10 Champion
Minnesota Gophers. With a 6-1 record, a forecast full of (relatively)
nice weather, and the memories of last season's exciting postseason
still fresh in the fan's minds, the crowd for Friday afternoon's
home opener should be a great one.
Arkansas has sold over 5,000 season tickets, a number which by
my rough estimate almost doubles the number sold for last season.
Baum Stadium has 5,777 chairback seats and an official capacity
of 9,477 (though - that capacity can be stretched to over 10,000,
proven in the record-setting Super Regional game last year against
Florida State.)
There is an excitement surrounding the baseball program that longtime
fans have never seen. The annual Fan Day, held every year at Northwest
Arkansas Mall, was packed with more fans and media than ever.
Local news stations are all making the road trips and Arkansas
message boards are even getting into the baseball spirit. Even
though it has been a little annoying to have to explain to some
of the new fans that Arkansas baseball did not, in fact, spring
fully formed from Dave Van Horn's frontal lobe last June, I welcome
them all with open arms, and look forward to seeing a packed Baum
Stadium in 2005.
Van Horn chose to start the season away from Baum Stadium because
the team didn't really seem to gel until after the first road
trip last year, at the Domino's Pizza Classic at Texas A&M.
And playing the first two weekends on the road allows Arkansas
to schedule two more home weekends during the warm weather months.
The Hogs will be at home for the next three weekends, with just
a single mid-week road trip to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State
to break up the home stand.
Road Warriors
The Razorbacks fared well in their opening
weekend, getting two wins each from Dallas Baptist and Texas Arlington
and getting a good look at a surprisingly deep pitching staff
that came away from the weekend with a 0.97 ERA. For the week,
Senior second baseman Scott Bridges was named the SEC Player of
the Week and also the NCBWA Hitter of the Week.
This past weekend, the Hogs won 2 of 3 games from La Tech. So
many Arkansas fans traveled for the games that it seemed like
more of a neutral site than a real away game. Arkansas won 5-2
Friday on the shoulders of another strong pitching performance
by Freshman Nick Schmidt and the bats of Clint Arnold
and Casey Rowlett, who each went 3-5 with an RBI.
Schmidt moved to 2-0 on the season and has an ERA of 0.90. On
Saturday the Hogs dropped their first game of the season as the
Bulldogs jumped on the usually reliable Junior Charley Boyce
for six runs in his two innings. The Bulldogs won the game 10-8
as the Arkansas rally fell short. On Sunday Sophomore lefthander
James Gilbert got his second start of the season and picked
up his first win with five strong innings as the Hogs beat the
Bulldogs in the rubber match 9-2. The Razorbacks stole 10 bases
in the game, 4 by Scott Bridges, and Blake Parker
led the Hogs at the plate, going 3-4 with a home run, 2 doubles
and 4 RBI.
Pitching
Despite a rough outing for Boyce on Saturday,
the pitching staff put together by Van Horn and pitching coach
Dave Jorn looks to be even better than last season. Josh
Smith and Lee Land both missed last season with Tommy
John surgery, and both have looked good in their first outings
as Razorbacks. They each pitched three scoreless innings of relief
after Boyce was knocked out of the game Saturday against La Tech.
Sophomore Daryl Maday and Senior Trey Holloway have
stepped into a go-to pitcher role. Holloway has three appearances
without allowing a run, and Maday has pitched twice in relief
without allowing an earned run. The losses of top relievers Jay
Sawatski and Boyd Goodner and starter Clint Brannon,
left the Hogs looking for dependable arms for this season but
Maday, Holloway, Smith, Land, Schmidt and Gilbert have answered
the call.
At The Plate
Freshman catcher/outfielder Arnold and senior outfielder Rowlett have both hit safely in each of the Razorbacks' first seven games. Arnold is batting .393 while Rowlett is batting .500. Parker leads the team in home runs and RBIs, with 2 and 9 respectively. Bridges is batting .524 to lead the team, and that hot hitting along with 5 walks and 1 HBP, has allowed him to steal 8 bases.
The Streak
Bridges is 8-8 in stolen bases on the season, including 4 in the Sunday game against La Tech. Bridges' 4 swipes on Sunday ties the school record for stolen bases in a game, a feat which has been accomplished five times, the last time by former Major Leaguer Scott Pose in 1988. Bridges has said he wants to steal 50 bases on the season, a mark that would shatter the school record of 42.
Parker's Power
After being recruited out of Fayetteville High School (just down the road from the University of Arkansas), where he hit 28 home runs, Blake Parker was touted as the next big power hitter for the Razorbacks. Incredibly, he went his entire freshmen season without a home run despite being in the starting lineup for much of the season. The streak was broken in the Razorback's first game of the 2005 season when he hit a grand slam against Dallas Baptist University. Parker added his second home run as a Razorback this past Sunday against La Tech, a three run shot in the first inning.
Injuries
Pitcher Justin White, who had several appearances for the Razorbacks last season, and one this year, will miss the rest of the season to have Tommy John surgery. Senior infielder Clay Goodwin missed his first start of the season on Sunday to nurse a sore back. Junior outfielder Chris Hollensworth is nursing a knee injury but played this past weekend. Junior transfer Craig Gentry got his first start as a Razorback on Sunday after a good week of practice but didn't even get to bat as he crashed into the outfield wall making a circus catch for the first out in the bottom of the first inning.
Around the Horn
The Razorbacks are trying several players at different positions this year. The Hogs are deep all the way around and trying to get everybody playing time has been a challenge for Van Horn. Freshmen Brian Walker and Arnold have done most of the catching, with Parker getting a little time behind the plate as well. Parker has spent most of his time at first base. Seniors Bridges and Scott Hode anchor the infield in the middle and Goodwin has played mostly at third base, but has moved over to first base also. Junior transfer John Henry Marquardt has played some at third and will also likely see some time at shortstop. Sophomore Danny Hamblin hurt his shoulder early last year and spent the rest of the season at designated hitter, but the hope is that sometime this year he will return to the field to play either third or first.
The outfield will be Sophomore Jake Dugger in left or right and Rowlett in centerfield. Sophomore Stephen Robison, Arnold, and Gentry will also play in the outfield.
Expectations
While there are very little expectations around the league and around the country for this Arkansas team, expectations among Razorback fans have never been higher.
March 16, 2005
Hogs riding high heading into SEC play
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Charlie Shields
SEBaseball.com Staff Writer
The Arkansas Razorbacks are riding high on an 11 game win streak as they begin defense of their 2004 SEC Championship this weekend against South Carolina in Columbia. The 16-1 Razorbacks are ranked as high as 7th and the 15-1 Gamecocks are ranked as high as 2nd. The Hogs took 2 of 3 from South Carolina last season when the two teams met in Fayetteville.
Up To This Point
Arkansas has been perfect at home, with
series sweeps over Minnesota, Illinois-Chicago and Eastern Illinois.
The Hogs also have a victory over Oklahoma State in Stillwater
and are riding an 11 game win streak as they head into SEC play.
The hot-hitting Hogs scored a total of 46 runs in their four games
last week. They started with an 11-7 victory over Oklahoma State
on Tuesday night in Stillwater, chasing Cowboy ace Brae Wright
after 3.2 innings. Sophomore James Gilbert (2-0) started for Arkansas
and went 4.1 strong innings before being relieved by Sophomore
Daryl Maday (2-0), who got the win. The Hogs returned home for
a weekend set against Eastern Illinois, winning the three games
with scores of 17-2, 12-1 and 6-0. Freshmen Nick Schmidt (3-0)
and Shaun Seibert (2-0) got the Friday and Sunday starts, and
both picked up victories. Junior ace Charley Boyce returned to
top form on Saturday, allowing just one run in 8 innings to move
to 3-1 on the season.
Rowlett led the way for the Hogs offensively last week, hitting
.583, stealing six bases, and knocking in seven runs. Other big
producers for the Hogs were sophomore DH/infielder Danny Hamblin
hit .467, with a home run and five RBI, and sophomore outfielder
Jake Dugger, who hit .357 with two home runs and eight RBI.
The Pitchers
The shutout on Sunday was the first of the season for the Razorbacks, whose team ERA now sits at 2.41 (1.66 for the week). The Razorback bullpen is even better, with an ERA of just 1.89, led by senior Trey Holloway who has a 1.32 ERA in his eight appearances. He has three wins and three saves. Holloway was also able to rebound from a rocky appearance at OSU in which he allowed his first runs of the season. When freshman pitcher Lee Land loaded the bases with just one out in the ninth, the Hogs called on Holloway to close the door and he did just that, striking out the final two batters with seven pitches.
The Hitters
The Hogs are batting .344 as a team, and hit .366 in their four games last week. Senior outfielder Casey Rowlett has a 16 game hit streak, but sat out Sunday's game with the flu. Senior second basemen Scott Bridges had his 9 game hit streak snapped when he went 0-4 on Sunday. Rowlett leads the SEC in batting, with a .508 average and Bridges is 4th in the SEC, hitting .471.
The Runners
Arkansas is running the baseball version of 40 Minutes of Hell, giving opposing pitchers fits with aggressive baserunning. The Razorbacks stole 21 bases in the weekend series against Eastern Illinois, including 11 on Sunday, just one off the team record. It was the second time of the season that the Hogs have swiped ten or more bases, the first coming at La Tech. Arkansas leads the SEC in stolen bases, with 55 (Tennessee is second with 38) and Bridges and Rowlett are 1-2 in the conference in that stat, with 18 and 14, respectively.
The Fans
Arkansas set a new team non-conference regular season attendance record when 7,932 fans watched the Hogs beat up on Eastern Illinois 12-1 on a beautiful 75- degree Saturday in Fayetteville. In total, 42,512 fans have seen the Razorbacks play at home this season, an average of 4,723 (actual).
Up Next
The Hogs will likely go with the same starting
rotation for the weekend series in Columbia: Schmidt, Boyce and
Seibert. Seibert earned a spot in the starting rotation against
Eastern Illinois after a good relief appearance two weeks ago
against Illinois-Chicago, and was good enough in his first career
start to stay there.
The excitement surrounding the Razorback baseball program is amazing.
With basketball officially over, Arkansas fans are turning their
full attention to the Diamond Hogs, and have already come out
to the park in record numbers. Dave Van Horn and the baseball
Hogs have lit a fire under the Razorback faithful, and Hog baseball
is now the hottest ticket in town.
Arkansas will play two games at Centenary next week before retuning
home to host Mississippi State in their first conference home
games.
May 12, 2005
The State of the Hogs
Charlie Shields
SEBaseball.com Staff Writer
The 2004 Arkansas Razorbacks spent a whole
season defying expectations. The 2005 team, on the other hand,
has spent most of this year desperately trying to live up to them.
Even though the coaches picked Arkansas to finish 3rd in the SEC
West, the fans had much greater hopes. They showed that with a
55% increase in season ticket sales, with multiple sell out crowds,
with enormous enthusiasm for a sport forever relegated to lower
tier in the minds of fans.
A fairy tale SEC Championship season will do that. A dramatic
ninth inning grand slam will do that. A super regional sweep over
college baseball elite will do that. A trip to the College World
Series for the first time in fifteen years will do that. A coach,
an Arkansas boy (if not by birth, by choice) that bleeds Razorback
red with the charisma to ignite a fanbase, will do that.
So coming into the 2005 season, Arkansas fans had high hopes,
and even greater expectations. But veteran Arkansas baseball fans
and indeed all college baseball fans could have warned them. This
game is different. This game can be a punch in the gut on a Friday
night and you still have to be there on Saturday. This is not
like football or basketball, where you can live and die with every
game. And this game can shred your dreams into little bits because
baseball eats your hopes for breakfast. There is no predicting
this game, and especially not in this league, where parity makes
the line between the best and the worst almost invisible.
The psyche of a baseball fan is an interesting thing. At the same
time fragile and resilient, it is able to agonize over the past
and look bright eyed and hopeful to the future. So how did Arkansas
get here, with two weeks left in the conference season, on the
outside looking in at Hoover?
For one thing, injuries. The lack of injuries were a huge factor
in the run to Omaha for the Hogs last year. This year has been
a different story. Freshman TJ Sinovich, who looked great in the
Fall World Series and was expected to compete for a weekend starting
spot, is out for the year with an arm injury having never played
a game. Sophomore Justin White will also miss the season with
Tommy John surgery after appearing in only one game. Sophomore
Brian McLelland missed the start of the season with arm troubles,
and Sophomore Daryl Maday missed a few games due to arm trouble.
And of course the biggest blow was Senior closer Trey Holloway,
who suffered a stress fracture in his throwing arm and will likely
miss the entire season and hope for a medical redshirt.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Hogs have also had some
misfortune. Freshman infielder Ben Tschepikow (spiked in the neck),
Sophomore outfielder Jake Dugger (knee injury), Junior infielder
John Henry Marquardt (arthroscopic surgery on his knee), Junior
outfielder Craig Gentry (concussion running into a wall to make
a catch), Senior infielder Clay Goodwin (back) and Junior outfielder
Chris Hollensworth (knee) have all missed playing time.
Coupled with the suspensions of Seniors Casey Rowlett and Scott
Bridges, the roster has been incredibly thin this year. The Hogs
have played with a roster of 23 since the two players were suspended,
but they only had 21 players healthy for the Florida series. And
with an NCAA Sub-Committee ruling last week that Rowlett and Bridges
would remain suspended, the Hogs will have to continue to do more
with less.
Arkansas was able to get it done last week, with a series win
over Florida before an actual crowd of 16,652 for the weekend.
Arkansas had almost 7,000 on Friday, and 7,500 on Saturday before
attendance dropped off on Sunday as the Hogs and Gators played
through steady rain.
On Friday night, the fans got to see quite a show as Freshman
Nick Schmidt pitched the first complete game of the season for
the Razorbacks as they beat the Gators 4-1. He held Florida to
just 7 hits, struck out 7 and walked just 1. Freshman Clint Arnold
and Sophomore Danny Hamblin both went 2-4 with an RBI each, and
Tschepikow was 2-3 with an RBI.
On Saturday the two teams played a ten inning thriller that the
Hogs took 3-2. Arkansas used three pitchers in the game, with
Junior Charley Boyce getting the bulk of the work in relief. He
threw 5.1 scoreless innings for the victory. Arkansas loaded the
bases with one out in the bottom of the 9th and Arnold hit a ground
ball to second. However, Florida couldn't turn the double play
and Stephen Robison scored from third.
The Sunday game looked like a rout on a rainy day, as the Gators
were up 10-1 by the top of the 6th. The Hogs would score 5 runs
in the bottom of the 6th to make it interesting though. The Gators
got one more in the 7th and were held scoreless in the final two
innings. The Hogs made a to complete a great comeback in the bottom
of the ninth, scoring 4 runs including a three run home run by
Clay Goodwin, but came up just short. The Gators escaped, 11-10.
After his performance on Friday night, Nick Schmidt was named
the SEC Pitcher of the Week, the first of his career. The freshman
lefty is 7-1 on the season and leads the team in strikeouts, with
61 in 73.1 innings. His ERA is 2.45.
Arkansas received another honor recently, as Sophomore first baseman
Danny Hamblin was selected to try out for the USA Baseball Team,
one of 13 college players that were invited to do so. Hamblin
leads the Hogs in batting average (.358), home runs (10), and
RBI (42). Arkansas Head Coach Dave Van Horn will be an assistant
coach on the team. The weekend series with the Gators put Dave
Van Horn's all time record as a head coach at 700-300.
Looking ahead at the rest of the schedule, the Hogs have just
one non-conference game left (barring a rain out this weekend),
hosting Texas Pan-American. Having some time off between games
will allow the team some much needed rest and hopefully allow
some injuries to heal. Arkansas will travel to Alabama this weekend
and host Ole Miss in the final home series of the season.
With seven games left on the schedule, the Hogs will be looking
to improve their NCAA stock and make the SEC Tournament. And although
it is much too early to begin looking towards next season, Hog
fans know that the summer will be filled with hope, regardless
of how the 2005 season turns out. With Trey Holloway getting a
medical redshirt, the entire pitching staff could return, as will
the top three home run hitters, all Sophomores (Dugger, Hamblin,
Blake Parker). The Hogs are regularly starting freshmen at catcher
(Brian Walker), second base (Tschepikow) and designated hitter
or outfield (Clint Arnold).
The last two weekends of SEC play will be exciting ones, as the
muddled league gets sorted out. As they have all season, Arkansas
fans will pack Baum Stadium for a gut-wrenching series with Ole
Miss on the last weekend of the regular season as the Hogs try
and play their way into the post-season for the fourth consecutive
season.