A quick trip to Central Arkansas served as a warm up for the Diamond Hogs before making an SEC road trip to Kentucky. The Hogs played up to their potential on a beautiful night in North Little Rock, and got it done against Grambling State. The Razorback bats continued to be effective after a great weekend against Tennessee, registering 15 hits to beat the Tigers to the tune of 17 to 3.

Arkansas showed up, and the fans obliged, turning out in droves with a final attendance count announced as 10,463 at Dickey-Stephens Park. Arkansas will now head into Lexington 35-11 and 15-6 in conference play.

Hitter of the (Mid)Week

Casey Martin had another big night, going 3-4 with an inside the park home run and 4 RBIs. That’s his tenth home run of the year, and his fourth game this year with four or more RBIs. He’s having these nights with such frequency that it’s easy to forget how special of an athlete he is. However, perhaps having the best hitting night on the team was Trevor Ezell, who went 3-3 and had 2 RBIs. Ezell has now had eight three hit games and sixteen games with at least two hits. Perhaps his busiest time though was had running the bases, as he tied a school record by crossing the plate 6 times. That kind of danger at the top of a lineup can only bode well for the Razorbacks down the stretch.

Pitcher of the (Mid)Week

Midweek games can always be a little wonky, as managers don’t want to burn through their lineups ahead of busy weekends. This game was handled with the weekend in mind, as starter Kole Ramage only had to go four innings before being followed by Marshall Denton, Elijah Trest, Collin Taylor and Jacob Burton. Ramage played well after a dodgy start, reaching a career high of seven strikeouts. The fearsome foursome after him managed eight combined, only allowing one hit for the rest of the game. The three day rotation is starting to take shape with the rise of Connor Noland, and giving guys who are usually deep in the bullpen more work will hopefully provide depth as we get into tournament time.

Looking Ahead

Kentucky comes into the series off of an away series loss to Florida last weekend. It’s been a rough go for the Wildcats this year, as they’ve languished in the basement of the SEC, posting a 22-22 record. Their home record is better than their dismal away record, though still hovers just above .500. Arkansas will come in flying high after winning their last 7 conference games in a row. This series should see the Hogs extend that streak, though we all know crazier things have happened in SEC baseball history. If the team plays to their potential though, things should be looking good heading into a potentially electric final regular season home stand against LSU.

Bonus

Kentucky seems to be having some fun promos this weekend, if you happen to be in Lexington. Friday night is a jersey tote giveaway (doubt they’re making Arkansas ones though), Sunday night is Cinco de Mayo, and Saturday is a “May the Fourth Be With You” Star Wars night. Rumor has it that Jar Jar Binks will be throwing out the opening pitch that evening.