Hogs Pick Up Another Conference Series, SEC West Rival Awaits

The Diamond Hogs closed out another SEC matchup with a series win over the Missouri Tigers over the weekend. This time, the Hogs won the series opener on Friday night before a Missouri win on Saturday forced a rubber match. A few Tiger errors transitioned to timely Razorback hits to scratch out a win for Dave Van Horn’s bunch on Sunday.

On Friday night, Razorback ace Connor Noland labored through five innings and gave up three earned runs. The middle innings were a battle between the Hogs and Tigers, but an eighth-inning blast from Braydon Webb lifted the Hogs to a 7-5 win.

Sunday proved to be a fresh start for a Razorback pitching staff that struggled during Saturday’s loss. Sophomore Jaxon Wiggins got the ball and recorded eight strikeouts through 7 1/3 innings, capping off a career performance and series victory for the Hogs.

Other notable mentions include Freshman pitcher Brady Tygart and catcher Michael Turner. Tygart entered in the late innings of each Razorback victory and recorded a save in both games. Offensively, Turner recorded multiple hits throughout the weekend, setting the tempo for the lineup.

Now, the Hogs embrace a 5-game week at Baum-Walker Stadium that includes two games against UA-Little Rock and a weekend series with Mississippi State.

This weekend will start SEC West play for the Razorbacks. However, Van Horn’s group already has a leg up. Currently, Arkansas sits at 5-1 in conference play with a two-game lead on all other competitors in the western division. That is enough fuel for this team, but the next few weeks can become increasingly interesting. The Razorbacks have won 12 consecutive conference series, dating back to last season. Just two more series wins will set a record for the Hogs and DVH. But,Mississippi State and Florida await an opportunity to spoil history.

Good luck to the Hogs as SEC baseball heats up!

Dates, times, and viewing for the Diamond Hogs this week: