Arkansas Fight: All Posts by Stephen Spanel

Hogs lose 6-5 to NC State. Forces winner-take-all game on Sunday.

2021-06-12T18:25:56-05:00

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

It never was going to be easy

The No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks lost the second game of the Fayetteville super regional versus the NC State Wolfpack in a 6-5 defeat on Saturday. Sam Highfill held the Hogs to just two runs over the first six innings as Arkansas only had four total hits in the game, and a trifecta of home runs in the fourth inning by the Wolfpack forced a game three in the series.

The Hogs took an early 2-0 lead on another home run by Charlie Welch, but NC State would score the game’s next six runs as the bats finally came alive for them after Dave Van Horn chose to pull Lael Lockhart after only two innings. The Razorbacks would rally in the later innings but came up just short. Thus, everything comes down to Sunday night as the two sides meet again to determine who will move on to the College World Series.

Arkansas would not waste much time getting on the board again as they appeared to carry over the momentum from yesterday. Once again, it would be Charlie Welch who hit a two-run homer on a hanging curve ball to put the Hogs up early.

It is your world, @charliewelch_4.

ESPNews pic.twitter.com/UY59pj2cMs
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 12, 2021

The legend of Charlie Welch just keeps growing as he hit his third home run in three straight games. Incredibly, it was his eighth home run in only 61 at-bats on the season, meaning that he has hit one in about 13% of his plate appearances.

It was a rocky start for NC State pitcher Sam Highfill who was making his 15^th start of the season and had a 3.95 ERA coming into the game. The freshman right-hander put together a good performance against Louisiana Tech in the regional, but with the season on the line on a sweltering day in front of the packed crowd at Baum-Walker, he would not only atone for his error but completely control the game.

It was a methodical and mercurial performance over 6.1 innings with only two hits and two walks surrendered along with five strikeouts. Arkansas could never get going as batters got behind in the count against Highfill, and the Wolfpack used defensive shifts to get outs on balls that were put into play. After the home run against Welch, Highfill retired the next 16 batters in a row that he faced.

As for Arkansas, Lael Lockhart got the nod in game two but wouldn’t last long on the mound. In the third, he would give up a pair of singles, followed by a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, and apparently, Dave Van Horn had seen enough. Ryan Costeiu came in to replace him after only throwing for just 2.1 innings and allowing two hits. DVH is known to keep pitchers on a short leash, but unless he was looking for an excuse to speed up an appearance by Kevin Kopps, it was a curious decision.

NC State got one back on a groundout to cut the deficit to 2-1 at the end of the third, but the next inning would be the turning point in the game. It started off when Jose Torres lasered a pitch to the left field fence just beyond the reach of Cayden Wallace for his second home run of the regional to give the Wolfpack the 3-2 lead. Luca Tresh followed with a second consecutive homer over the left field fence. He took a breaking ball for his 15^th long shot of the season. After a ground out, Vojtech Mensik hit the third home run in the inning, and with that, Costeiu finally was done. Despite NC State’s potent hitters in the top of the order, the lower half of the lineup powered the team today. In came Caden Monke, but NC State was ahead 5-2.

They would add a crucial insurance run in the sixth. After a single and a walk, Mensik hit a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners. The Hogs brought the infield in, but on a short grounder to Jalen Battles by JT Jarrett, Battles would elect to get the out at first which drove in the runner at third.

However, the rallying Razorbacks were sure not to go quietly. Brady Slavens announced that he was fully back with a homer on a fastball to finally break Highfall’s streak for only the Hogs’ second hit of the game.

And then there was life!@brady_slavens is definitely back.

ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/ikXdvidJCG
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 12, 2021

That would prompt the introduction of Evan Justice who had been a bit of a mixed bag in relief this season. Casey Opitz would score Welch from third on an infield chopper after the throw to first was thrown off first base. Battles then worked the pitch count to get a hit that he delivered right back up the middle to get within 6-5. Up stepped Christian Franklin, who was making a return after being held out yesterday with strep throat. Unfortunately, Franklin would strike out and end the rally.

Kevin Kopps would come in and do his thing by holding the Wolfpack scoreless over the final two innings, but the Hogs still needed one more run.

They would never get it as Justice retired the final seven batters that he faced and ended the Hogs’ hopes of an early Saturday celebration.

Highfill got the win. Costeiu got the loss. Arkansas is now 50-12 overall.

Once again, it all comes down to a winner-take-all game on Sunday at 5 pm.

With Caleb Bolden out, expect to see Jaxon Wiggins start and Kopps to finish the game. Might we see a performance similar to what Kopps did against Nebraska? I wouldn’t count it out since he only threw 21 pitches today. At the smallest sign of trouble, I wouldn’t be surprised if whoever is starting will be pulled in favor of him even though the rest of our bullpen should still be pretty fresh after today’s game.

As for the offense, the lack of production after yesterday just goes to show that nothing is guaranteed in baseball. If Robert Moore and Charlie Welch can keep it going or if someone like Cayden Wallace can suddenly find their form again, the Hogs should be planning another trip to Omaha after tomorrow night.

Hogs roll over NC State 21-2. One win away from CWS.

2021-06-11T22:13:51-05:00

Stop, Stop! He’s already dead!

The No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks won the first game of the Fayetteville super regional against the NC State Wolfpack by destroying them 21-2 on Friday night. The bats finally woke up for the Hogs after struggling against Nebraska in the regional as they recorded 17 hits and four home runs to run the visitors out of the building.

Arkansas went down 1-0 in the second inning, but they would explode for 21 consecutive runs over the course of the evening and put the game out of reach by about the sixth to cruise to victory. Robert Moore led the team with four hits, five RBIs, and two home runs. The Razorbacks are now just one game away from making it back to Omaha in the College World Series.

The game certainly got off to a weird start. After a scoreless first, the second inning was briefly paused when a groundhog (not a beaver as some reported) ran across the field. The woodland creature is renowned for its seasonal prognostication skills, but when it comes to baseball, whether it would turn out to be a good or bad omen remained to be seen.

Things you don’t normally see at a baseball game:

-Groundhogs running across the field between innings. pic.twitter.com/6K0ta9FtC1
— Lizzie Hattrich (@LizzieHattrich) June 11, 2021

Initially, it appeared to bring bad luck as Jose Torres would blast a solo home run on the following at-bat to put NC State ahead 1-0.

However, the groundhog works in mysterious ways, and Arkansas’s fortunes would quickly turn in the bottom of the frame. Charlie Welch, who was placed in the lineup as the DH today, doubled down the line for the first hit of the game for the Hogs to get things started. Up would step Robert Moore, and Big Game Bob followed with a home run off of NC State starter Reid Johnston on an 0-2 pitch to give the Hogs the lead.

No-doubter @__robertmoore_

https://t.co/FemylAvWfA pic.twitter.com/ev40ZeUDcv
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 11, 2021

It was the same pitch that Johnston had been throwing, and Moore waited for it to land right in his wheelhouse for his 15^th home run of the season.

After getting on base with a single, Casey Opitz would steal second to put himself in scoring position. Jalen Battles brought him home on the next at-bat by hammering another slider to take the 3-1 lead to end the inning.

However, the Hogs were just getting warmed up. A single, followed by a hit by pitch and a walk would load the bases and bring Cullen Smith to the plate. Smith worked the count against Johnston and took an inside fastball to go yard for a grand slam as Arkansas blew the game wide open 7-1 over a stunned NC State side.

Beer hats remain undefeated.

https://t.co/FemylAvWfA pic.twitter.com/drJZ7AOjwN
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 11, 2021

Meanwhile, Wicklander did not bring his best stuff early tonight, but he still managed to hold the Wolfpack scoreless for the remainder of his appearance. He would give up three hits in the fourth to load the bases, but luckily, Tyler McDonough would fly out on the warning track to end the inning. He would last until the seventh while only giving up six total hits and two walks. He had six strikeouts and retired the last seven batters he faced.

NC State decided to make a pitching change after Johnston had already thrown 76 pitches in just three innings, and in came little-used Garrett Payne. It was an interesting choice of reliever, but he initially managed to strike out the order to at least attempt to keep his team in the game. However, the Razorbacks are one of the best teams in the country at making adjustments, and after noticing Payne throwing away off the plate, the Hogs would make him pay.

The legend of Charlie Welch would continue to grow with a two-run homer on a 2-0 count to score himself and Cayden Wallace in the fifth to put the Hogs up 9-1.

Do not pitch to @charliewelch_4.

@ESPNU pic.twitter.com/yhGdnZ4P8j
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 11, 2021

Moore then doubled to center field, and Opitz would beat the shift to bring him home on a single to pad the lead to 10-1.

The bottom of the sixth would be huge for the Hogs as they added six more runs. Brady Slavens finally broke his slump by taking a fastball to score a pair of runners on a double down the right-field line. Slavens, who only recently came off an ankle injury, was only 5-of-30 in his last eight games. Welch would then score Slavens on his third hit of the game. Two more singles would load the bases for Casey Opitz as the Hogs recorded six consecutive hits at this point. Really everything was falling apart for NC State because Opitz would be walked to bring in a run, followed by another walk by Braydon Webb on only four pitches, and another by Matt Goodheart to make it 16-1. NC State used four different pitchers in the sixth, and none of them were part of their usual rotation as they were basically playing for Saturday at this point.

However, the Hogs weren’t done just yet. They would score five more runs in the eighth. After the bases were loaded, Welch would be walked on four pitches for his fourth RBI of the evening, and a wild pitch would score Wallace. Big Game Bob Moore would then hit another home run for his sixteenth of the year and the Hogs’ 106^th of the season which now leads the nation to put the cherry on top 21-1.

Three touchdowns.

https://t.co/FemylAvWfA pic.twitter.com/cGFyscKi1w
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 12, 2021

Heston Tole and Kole Ramage would see out the game for Arkansas. Combined, they only gave up one hit even though NC State would tack one on late to complete the score at 21-2. Most importantly, Kevin Kopps did not have to pitch tonight so he can be saved for tomorrow or Sunday if necessary.

Wicklander is credited as the winning pitcher, but it was the bats that came through tonight for the Hogs. The middle of the order was huge as Welch went 3-for-4, Moore went 4-for-5, and Smith went 2-for-6. They combined for nine hits and 13 RBIs.

However, maybe it’s no coincidence that the hits kept coming on repeat as Friday, June 11 is now Groundhog Day in Arkansas.

Shoutout to our MVG

(Most Valuable Groundhog) pic.twitter.com/bzhcuHrtxZ
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 12, 2021

The Oma(ground)hogs are now 50-11 overall. They’ll take on NC State again tomorrow at 2 pm with a chance to go to the College World Series if they win.

Dave Van Horn on the offensive explosion against NC State, Christian Franklin's status and this team's incredible depth. pic.twitter.com/ERKYfWe0lJ
— Russell Schaap™️ (@77Testarossa) June 12, 2021

Hogs win an instant classic 6-2 vs Nebraska. Advance to super regional.

2021-06-08T04:41:03-05:00

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Wow!

The No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks won the deciding game of the Fayetteville regional versus the Nebraska Cornhuskers by coming back to win 6-2 on Monday night. Despite falling behind 2-0 after the first three innings, the Hogs were able to put together six runs on six hits including three home runs to rally against the Huskers in a winner-take-all game.

An early appearance by Kevin Kopps in the third held the Huskers scoreless for the remainder of the game, and a huge eighth inning gave the Hogs the lead on a wild pitch followed by a three-run homer by Charlie Welch. The Hogs advance to take on NC State in the super regional later in the week.

After the starting pitcher had been the subject of some debate going into the final game of the regional, Dave Van Horn went with Jaxon Wiggins. The freshman with a 4.71 ERA made his fourth start of the year and first of the regional. Van Horn chose him over Caleb Bolden who had pitched only 1.1 innings in a win on Friday.

Wiggins started off well with only an 11-pitch first inning, but Luke Roskam belted a solo home run off the new athletic facility in right field for the early 1-0 lead. It was Roskam’s 10th homer of the season.

After giving up two walks in the third, his day would be done, and DVH wasted no time calling Kevin Kopps out of the bullpen. Kopps had thrown 95 pitches this weekend, and it would be the earliest the closer has ever entered a game this year.

Nebraska would add another run, however. Some small ball by Joe Acker and Jozon Hallmark brought villain Mojo Hagge home. The crowd at Baum-Walker was engulfed in nervous silence as the Hogs were unable to generate any offense in response.

Nebraska went with their ace Cade Povich who had pitched earlier in the regional but was still fresh enough to go. The left-fielder held the Hogs scoreless through the first four innings.

The Hog bats were silent as they had only managed nine total hits over the last two games against the Cornhuskers. Christian Franklin continued to struggle, going hitless for the ninth time in the last 12 games. He’s had trouble with low inside pitches as he went 0-for-3 on the evening. At least he made another great play defensively.

Put a cape on him.

ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/LDPk9jqYAT
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 7, 2021

Brady Slavens also went 0-for-3 with multiple strikeouts on some overeager swings after coming back from his ankle injury.

However, despite only one hit heading into the fifth for Arkansas, Casy Optiz would finally get the Hogs on the board by blasting a fastball for a solo home run. It was only his second of the season.

Turn us up, @CaseyOpitz!

ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/1NqhcloaQu
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 8, 2021

For the first time, the tension was broken as the Hogs looked to keep on the pressure. After a Jalen Battles double and a walk, Povich would be relieved. Cam Wynne came in and finished the inning.

Wynne wouldn’t last long though. In the sixth, Big Game Bob Moore took a slider right in his wheelhouse for a home run to tie the game 2-2. Moore now leads the team with 14 homers.

King of Clutch @__robertmoore_

ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/WcxsEzOKAL
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 8, 2021

Meanwhile, Kopps continued to hold the Huskers through the middle innings and just kept going. He sat down the order in the sixth, in the seventh, and in the eighth.

Leading off the bottom of the eighth, Cayden Wallace struck out, and Slavens grounded out to bring up Franklin once again. Despite struggling with his timing, Franklin battled Nebraska reliever Koty Frank to draw a walk after 10 pitches. After another walk was issued to Moore, Nebraska coach Will Bolt seemed hesitant to make a change with Jake Bunz remaining in the bullpen. Bunz had struggled to throw strikes the last time he faced the Hogs, but after using up most of their pitching over the last four games, Bolt called him to the mound. Bunz walked Opitz and up stepped Charlie Welch to pinch hit. A wild pitch would score Franklin, and Arkansas finally had the lead.

Then on the next pitch, Welch rocketed the ball all the way to Dickson and sent the packed crowd into delirium.

.@charliewelch_4 is the greatest pinch hitter of all-time.

ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/ohZ4toXixu
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 8, 2021

The Hogs broke the game wide open with a 6-2 lead on the biggest swing of Welch’s life.

Charlie Welch describes what it was like to round the bases after the "Shot Heard 'Round The Regionals"#OmaHogs pic.twitter.com/Yj8YNYfKoA
— Russell Schaap™️ (@77Testarossa) June 8, 2021

Credit to DVH for waiting to use him at the exact right moment as Welch has always been most effective as a pinch hitter instead of the designated hitter in the lineup.

Look at DVH on Welch’s homer!! @THV11 pic.twitter.com/yVza4ZnI0J
— Hayden Balgavy (@HaydenBalgavy) June 8, 2021

With the game in hand, Kopps finished what he started by striking out the first two batters in the ninth before getting the final out on a pop-up to seal the victory in an instant classic.

In the end, what we witnessed last night from Kevin Kopps was one of the greatest individual performances in Razorback history. Few expected him to appear for more than two or three innings. Instead, Kopps put in a Herculean effort with 90 more pitches to bring his total to 185 thrown over 13.2 innings and four days with only a day’s rest in between. On Monday, over seven innings, he gave up only three hits with zero walks and had eight strikeouts. He sat 12 straight batters at one point and only got stronger as the game progressed. His record is now 12-0 with 11 saves and an ERA of 0.68 as he did not allow a single run in the regional. Nobody in the country is close to these types of numbers.

This team does not win without Kopps. In today’s era of pitch counts and “load management,” Kopps is a throwback to over 40 years ago when major league pitchers used to throw over 300 innings in a season. Compared to other sports, you can put this effort up there with Darren McFadden’s 321 yards against South Carolina in 2007 and any of Todd Day or Mason Jones’s performances on the court. We might never see an effort like this again.

Arkansas is now 49-11 overall and will play NC State in the super regional at a time to be announced later in the week.

Dave Van Horn on Christian Franklin's AB in the 8th, Welch's cultch and how Kevin Kopps refused to come out of the game.#OmaHogs pic.twitter.com/14mrFR1bky
— Russell Schaap™️ (@77Testarossa) June 8, 2021

Hogs lose 5-3 to Nebraska. Forces winner-take-all game on Monday night.

2021-06-07T06:35:49-05:00

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Schwellenbach foils Arkansas

The No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks lost their first game of the Fayetteville regional versus the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a 5-3 defeat on Sunday night. The game went back and forth through the first several innings, but after the Huskers were able to retake the lead, the arrival of the reigning Big Ten player of the year, Spencer Schwellenbach, to the mound in the fifth inning sealed the game for Nebraska as the Hogs could only generate four total hits in the game and committed three errors.

Thus, everything comes down to Monday night as the two sides meet again to determine who will move on to the super regional.

Nebraska jumped out to an early lead this time on only their second at-bat of the game. Jaxon Hallmark hit a solo home run off of Arkansas starting pitcher Lael Lockhart to deep center field punctuated by a stamp at home plate.

The lead would be short-lived. After going through the lineup once, the Hogs started to make adjustments to Nebraska pitcher Kyle Perry. Perry was a bit of a surprise start given he had only pitched six total innings all season and was coming off of Tommy John surgery. However, he did make a few appearances towards the end of the year.

Nonetheless, Jalen Battles drew a walk, and Matt Goodheart advanced him to third with a single. Freshman Cayden Wallace followed with a line drive off a fastball to tie the game. After he advanced to second on a fielding error, Arkansas would take a 3-1 lead on a wild pitch by Perry that scored him and Goodheart. The speedy Wallace flew around the bases and reached home on a throwing error by the catcher.

Huskers can't handle the heat.

ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/L5nSzVDMcB
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 7, 2021

The Huskers would get one back in the bottom of the third. Hallmark delivered another RBI, and this time it was a sacrifice fly to score a runner on third to cut the score to a 3-2 deficit.

The Hogs were able to get out of the inning on an alert play by Lockhart who covered third and tagged out Spencer Schwellenbach after the attempt to Brady Slavens at first was late.

However, Schwellenbach would get Lockhart back in the fifth. He would take advantage of a breaking ball to tie the game and score Joe Acker. With that, Ryan Costeiu entered the game with two in scoring position. Lockhart finished after giving up eight hits and four earned runs and had five strikeouts.

Griffin Everitt followed with a hit just beyond the reach of Robert Moore to give the Huskers the lead again with a 2-RBI single, and Arkansas trailed 5-3.

* KNOCK * KNOCK * DELIVERY

GRIFF'S AT THE DOOR

⚡️ & HE'S GOT A TWO-RUN LEAD FOR THE BIG RED pic.twitter.com/oTrEFjdnTb
— Nebraska Baseball (@Husker_Baseball) June 7, 2021

Schwellenbach then moved from shortstop to reliever for the final four innings, and he put on a Kevin Kopps-like performance to close out the game. He would retire 11 out of 12 batters at one point and hold the Hogs scoreless. Schwellenbach would only allow one hit and two walks along with recording four strikeouts.

The Hogs were able to hold the Huskers with Costeiu and Connor Noland in the later innings, but they still trailed heading into the ninth.

Christian Franklin tried to start a rally with a leadoff walk and would eventually advance to third. Cullen Smith walked to put the tying run on first, but a pop-up by Jalen Battles ended the Hogs’ hopes of a Sunday celebration.

Schwellenbach got the win. Lockhart got the loss. Arkansas is now 48-11 overall.

Now it all comes down to Monday at 6 pm.

The question is who will be pitching for both teams? Schwellenbach threw 65 pitches and has 94 total on the weekend. Kevin Kopps was not used on Sunday but has thrown 95 total pitches since Friday. Kopps is unlike almost any other pitcher in the country and even though he has thrown almost as many pitches as a starter on a good day, he still has enough juice to probably put in a few innings of work on a day’s rest.

Meanwhile, who should get the start? Caleb Bolden only threw for 1.1 innings on Friday in a rocky performance, but he is still fresh. Jaxon Wiggins also has been a name that has been thrown around. Honestly, could we even consider starting Kopps? Dave Van Horn has previously admitted that he could be used as a starter but that he is much more effective as a reliever.

Only one thing is certain- the Hogs will need him in some capacity if they want to advance and keep their season alive in a winner-take-all game on Monday.

Hogs halt Huskers 5-1. Move on to regional final.

2021-06-06T00:41:20-05:00

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Wicklander and Kopps get it done again.

The No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks won the second game of the Fayetteville regional versus the Nebraska Cornhuskers by controlling them in a 5-1 victory on Saturday night. Patrick Wicklander put in another solid performance for the Hogs by pitching for five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, and Kevin Kopps came in for the final four innings to once again seal the victory.

Arkansas would take a 3-0 lead in the first couple of innings but never could break the game open with only five total hits on the evening. Still, 10 walks and two errors were enough to get men on base which created runs and propelled the Razorbacks to Sunday night where they await the winner of the elimination game between Nebraska and NJIT.

The Hogs wasted no time getting on the board on Saturday night. Matt Goodheart led off the order with a solo home run that he deposited into the Hog Pen for Arkansas’s 99th homer of the season, which is a new school record.

.@matt_goodheart got this party started with an absolute banger.

https://t.co/rw7LUxrZx1 pic.twitter.com/maE1ytrWkq
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 6, 2021

The Hogs would add two more in the next inning off of Nebraska starting pitcher and Rollie Fingers impersonator Chance Hroch. After Charlie Welch and Jalen Battles got on base, Braydon Webb delivered again with a big hit to right field to bring one home. Another came in following a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Cayden Wallace, and Arkansas took an early 3-0 lead after two innings.

Meanwhile, Patrick Wicklander got the call for the second game of the regional, and the Hogs’ ace on the mound delivered. The fastball was working for him as he was able to get several batters to chase it. He actually became better as the game progressed, and at one point, he had retired seven in a row.

He would also receive some help from Jalen Battles along the way.

.@CruzJalen went up!

https://t.co/rw7LUxrZx1 pic.twitter.com/Ao4kzfkVFJ
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 6, 2021

However, Hroch would match Wicklander’s streak of retired batters as the Hogs struggled to get hits in the later innings. Nebraska made a pitching change to get out of a pinch with runners on the corners in the fourth. They would make another change in the fifth to get out of a situation with a runner in scoring position again as the Huskers limited the damage.

Still, the lack of much offense meant that time was running out for Nebraska. After 92 pitches, Wicklander was pulled, and in came Kevin Kopps again after making an appearance on Friday. Wicklander went five innings and gave up two hits, two walks, and had seven strikeouts. His ERA is now 2.17 on the year.

Big mood. pic.twitter.com/cl2tBeIjVI
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 6, 2021

The Huskers finally got on the board after an RBI single by Luke Raskam scored a man on second, but that would be it for them.

Arkansas added to its lead in the sixth to make it 5-1 despite not recording a single hit in the inning. An error and two walks loaded the bases for Nebraska’s fourth pitcher Jake Bunz, and he would gift the Hogs a run by walking Christian Franklin. A second would score after the ball got away from the catcher. Bunz threw eight straight balls and would be pulled soon after.

As for Kopps, he would see out the remainder of the game despite a rising pitch count against Nebraska’s hitters. He would finish with 71 pitches and now has 95 total over the first two games of the regional. The Sheriff gave up three hits and had six strikeouts over the final four innings as he now owns an ERA of 0.70.

Could we see Kopps again on Sunday? It’s possible, but I can’t see him pitching more than an inning or two at most. Still, Dave Van Horn will take the guaranteed wins whenever he can get them in a sport as unpredictable as baseball.

Wicklander got the win. Kopps got the save. Arkansas is now 48-10 overall.

Up next, Arkansas plays either Nebraska or NJIT on Sunday at 8 pm with a chance to move on to the super regional.

Hogs open regional with 13-8 win vs. NJIT

2021-06-04T19:29:09-05:00

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Never in doubt- right, guys?

The No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks won the opening game of the Fayetteville regional versus the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 13-8 slugfest on Friday. Despite using seven different pitchers during the game, the Hogs were able to collect 13 hits and five home runs to take the lead and hold on against a scrappy NJIT side who was playing in their first NCAA tournament.

Arkansas fell behind 3-0 after three innings and three different pitchers. However, an early appearance by Kevin Kopps helped to settle the game, and the Hogs would score 10 straight runs to take control as they managed to keep the Highlanders at arm’s length for the remainder of the day. The Hogs now await the winner of Nebraska vs Northeastern later tonight.

The starting pitcher had been the subject of speculation going into the regional, and Dave Van Horn opted to go with Caleb Bolden. The right-hander was chosen since most of NJIT’s lineup is right-handed, and Bolden had held down the fort admirably in his last outing against Ole Miss in the SEC tournament. Van Horn chose him over ace Patrick Wicklander who is Arkansas’s one guarantee on the mound.

Bolden wouldn’t last long, however. He struggled in only 1.1 innings pitched by giving up an opening home run and allowing several NJIT players to get on base. Connor Noland would be brought in, but a ground ball to Jalen Battles would sneak under his glove, scoring a second run for NJIT. Noland would commit an error of his own in the third, resulting in a bases-loaded jam, and DVH went to his bullpen again. This time it was Ryan Costeiu.

Another run would be brought in after Costeiu issued a walk, and NJIT had stunned the fans inside Baum-Walker with a 3-0 lead in the third. It was a dream start for the 64th team in the tournament as nerves appeared to get the best of the No. 1 team in the nation early.

However, the Hogs began to show signs of life. After Battles reached first, prodigal son Braydon Webb hit a two-run homer to pull Arkansas within one by keeping his hands inside to keep the ball fair, and the Razorback faithful packed inside the stadium were ignited.

Reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated.

https://t.co/AYa0ZhpXLX pic.twitter.com/e6xzI454Ii
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 4, 2021

Meanwhile, DVH decided it was time to call the Kopps, and the national player of the year entered the game in the fourth. It was an early cameo when many did not even anticipate him appearing at all, but despite the opponent, game one of the regional is too important to take any risks as no one in the country is more reliable than the “Sheriff.” Luckily, he would receive some help from Christian Franklin who made a trademark web gem on a deep fly ball to center field.

We don’t deserve Christian Franklin.

He did this to end the frame + save runs.

Then tied it with a solo homer leading off the bottom of the inning

Top 50 draft prospect: https://t.co/18ugc09Hdj pic.twitter.com/83T1Kx0HUI
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) June 4, 2021

He probably saved two more runs with that catch.

This was the turning point as Franklin followed it up with a solo home run on an off-speed pitch to lead off the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 3-3. It was his 13th homer of the season which is tied for the team lead. Franklin would finish with three hits on the day.

.@CF13_ is elite at everything.

https://t.co/AYa0ZhpXLX pic.twitter.com/jFQpz1l8oM
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 4, 2021

The Hogs were just getting started though.

They would load the bases, and NJIT starting pitcher Tyler Stafflinger’s day would be done. The next man up would walk Webb to gift the Razorbacks the lead, and following a sacrifice fly by Matt Goodheart, Arkansas was up 5-3. Cayden Wallace broke the game wide open on the next at-bat by smashing a three-run homer, and the rout appeared to be on. Cullen Smith would hit his 10th home run of the season over the left-field fence, and just like that, the Hogs exploded with nine unanswered for a 9-3 lead after four innings.

Got it rocking real quick ⚡ pic.twitter.com/zbCB4SBFuL
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 4, 2021

Battles would tack on another with a solo shot in the fifth by blasting Arkansas’s fifth home run of the game and the 98th homer of the season.

Told y'all... @CruzJalen don't miss!

https://t.co/AYa0ZhpXLX pic.twitter.com/cAQR8cA3g4
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 4, 2021

With a comfortable lead, Kopps was retired after two innings and only 24 pitches. He gave up zero hits, zero runs, and zero walks.

Heston Tole came in, but he would allow the bases to be loaded, and two more runs would score.

The Hogs would get two back after Jacob Nesbit delivered with a bases-loaded single to extend the lead to 12-5. Nesbit was 0-for-16 prior to what would be his only plate appearance of the game.

Still, NJIT never completely went away, especially when Kopps was not on the mound. With Kole Ramage in for Arkansas, they scored three more runs in the eighth. In total, the Razorbacks used seven different pitchers with none who lasted more than basically two innings.

Franklin would score the game’s final run on a wild pitch, and the Hogs won the first game of the regional 13-8.

Kopps got the win. Arkansas is now 47-10 overall.

Up next, the Hogs take on either Nebraska or Northeastern on Saturday with the game scheduled for 8 pm.

Around the Van Horn: May 10

2021-05-10T19:43:03-05:00

Photo by John Bunch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Pilot episode: Call the Kopps

Welcome to Around the Van Horn, a possibly weekly series where I play Monday Morning Pitcher and tie up whatever odds and ends concerning the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team that I did not cover in the game recaps.

Because I have to write the summaries as soon as the games finish, I often don’t have the time or space to cover every storyline about what happened over the weekend, but now that we are approaching the most important part of the season, I suppose it is as good a time as ever to throw out a few thoughts after having covered the team for a while. This will be a bit of a casual freeform blog of watercooler talk, and based on my schedule, posts will be sporadic. However, in an effort to cover the best college baseball team in the country here at SB Nation, I feel it’s necessary to give these guys at least a little bit of the extra coverage that they deserve.

The Razorbacks won another SEC series this past weekend against the Georgia Bulldogs as they still have not lost a three-game series all season. It was another hard-fought victory against a side desperate for some wins, but the No. 1 team in the country continues to prove why they are in the top spot in all of the polls this Monday.

The Hogs managed to outlast the Bulldogs on Friday night in a 3-0 victory behind Patrick Wicklander and Kevin Kopps. However, they would lose game two in a frustrating affair that saw their bullpen get outplayed by Georgia’s relievers in a 7-3 loss. Despite the loss, Sunday’s game three would go to the Hogs in comeback victory as Kevin Kopps shut down Georgia, and the Razorbacks scored the game’s final five runs.

With that in mind, what did we learn?

Georgia is a really good team

I was very impressed with the Bulldogs this weekend. Even though they were unranked and only 10-11 in the SEC coming into the series, they were still a very dangerous team who pushed us harder than most opponents this season. Keep in mind, Georgia only fell out of the Top 25 of the USA Today Baseball Coaches Poll last week, and they had won two out of three on the road against Vanderbilt a few weeks ago.

Against the Hogs, they proved to be a smart, scrappy side who were fighting for a spot in the postseason. The Bulldogs hung around through most of game one due to the pitching of freshman Liam Sullivan who made the first start of his career on Friday, although you wouldn’t have known it based on his performance. They also made some spectacular plays defensively to beat the Hogs in game two on Saturday including this gem:

HOW DID HE CATCH THIS? @BaseballUGA #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/O3un4r2Cm6
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) May 9, 2021

The Bulldogs attempted to take game three of the series by saving their ace Ryan Webb for Sunday while the Hogs did not name a starter until the day before the game. Arkansas hitters have struggled against left-handers, and Webb held down our offense until we were finally able to get going in the fifth and rally for the victory. Still, teams should watch out for the Bulldogs if they make the postseason.

Make no mistake, this was a big series win for Arkansas.

Too much Kopps?

We can all agree that everybody loves Kevin Kopps (except the batters he faces), and we saw a lot of him this weekend once again. The Sheriff appeared in for two out of three games including pitching the final four innings of yesterday’s game for the victory. In total, he went 7.1 innings and only allowed six hits with no runs and had eight strikeouts. He is making a case for the national player of the year at his position.

Still, is it possible to have too much of a good thing? Kopps threw over 100 pitches this weekend, which is as much as a starter might throw on a good day, and with the postseason and potentially Omaha on the horizon, the Hogs will need his arm down the stretch.

Dave Van Horn addressed that the other day after the game saying that he views Kopps not necessarily as a closer but more of a “finisher.” He also believes that he could start if he wasn’t already so effective out of the bullpen.

Kopps is not really a guy who tries to blow guys away, and he has a good mix of pitches other than his cutter which he displayed this week that resulted in a very efficient outing despite playing more innings than is usually expected of a closer. Who am I to question Van Horn in this instance? As long as Kopps can keep his pitch count relatively low and keep racking up Ks, then the number of innings really doesn’t matter as much as it might appear.

Sunday pitching remains an issue

The Hogs still haven’t settled upon a third starting pitching option despite doing a little experimentation on Sunday.

Caleb Bolden got the nod yesterday over the likes of Lael Lockhart and Zebulon Vermillion after appearing in a few games this season and putting together a good performance a couple of weeks ago against South Carolina. He would do... ok. Bolden lasted for only 2.1 innings, gave up three hits, threw three strikeouts, and was credited with three earned runs. The early exit should not be seen as a failure, however. While Dave Van Horn would love to have a guy other than Wicklander and Pallette give us at least five innings, he was content to let the bullpen take over for the rest of the game, especially with Kopps as the closer.

I don’t think DVH would mind if he has to use three to five guys in a game if necessary as long as it gets us the win and whoever is starting can give the Hogs a couple of scoreless innings.

More surprising was that after being touted as a potential starting option, Jaxon Wiggins did not make an appearance at all this weekend. Wiggins has not started a game all year for the Hogs after being used exclusively in relief, and with the series on the line in game three, Van Horn decided to go with Bolden who made his seventh start of the season on Sunday. However, the Wiggins talk is more than just a rumor, so I would certainly expect him to be featured in the Hogs’ last midweek game of the regular season tomorrow against Arkansas State.

I would also like to see Connor Noland get more work on Tuesday if possible. He had a rough outing previously against LSU in his first appearance in almost two months after coming off an injury, and he needs the reps. Certainly, some of the midweek cancellations lately have not helped matters. If he has any chance of getting up to speed, tomorrow night and the SEC tournament (which let’s admit- is rather meaningless) are his best opportunities. I think the ship has already sailed on him being considered for a Sunday spot, but we can always use another option out of the bullpen.

Lineup questions

The Hogs have seven guys who feature regularly in the lineup with over 100 at-bats on the season, which means there are a handful of players competing for the final two spots in the batting order. Among those, Zack Gregory, Jacob Nesbit, and Cullen Smith were inserted into the starting lineups this past weekend. Smith only appeared once while Nesbit started twice, and Gregory played all three games. Gregory went 2-for-9 overall as the leadoff batter with no RBIs while Nesbit struggled with eight at-bats and five strikeouts as his average slumped to .197 on the year.

Personally, I’d like to see Charlie Welch get more playing time. Welch pinch-hit in a couple of spots this weekend and delivered a nice hit on Friday night. He actually owns the highest batting average on the team at .364 and has the highest slugging percentage at .848.

The only issue is that he plays catcher which is occupied by Casey Opitz, but perhaps DVH might consider moving him to third base which has been a revolving door between Nesbit and Smith. However, maybe that’s just wishful thinking based on the fact that I used to play third base a long time ago and thought that’s where they stuck guys like me.

Hogs continue historic season

With the victory over Georgia, the Hogs won a program-record eighth straight SEC series and are on the verge of the most series wins in a season. The fewest number of series losses in a year was two back in 2004 which was Van Horn’s second season in charge.

The Hogs also find themselves close to the most SEC wins under DVH after recording 20 in 2019. Currently, they have 17 with six games to go.

By the way, the most wins in a season under DVH was 48 in 2018, and the Hogs have 36.

Hogs come back to defeat Georgia 5-3. Take series.

2021-05-09T19:00:58-05:00

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Razorbacks rally to score the game’s final five runs

After splitting the first two games, the No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks came back to win game three of the series against Georgia by coming back to win 5-3 on Sunday afternoon.

Starting pitching on Sunday remains an issue after the Hogs fell behind 3-0 with Caleb Bolden on the mound, and the offense was stifled through the first four innings. However, Kevin Kopps would come in to shut down the Bulldogs while the Hogs would score five unanswered runs behind a pair of home runs by Matt Goodheart and Jalen Battles to claim the rubber match.

As a result, the Razorbacks should maintain their status as the No. 1 team in the country in all of the polls on Monday morning.

Neither team would score in the first couple of innings with Caleb Bolden for Arkansas and Ryan Webb for Georgia.

The Hogs have been searching for the third guy in their starting rotation and Dave Van Horn settled upon Bolden who made his seventh start of the season. Bolden had a good performance a couple of weeks ago against South Carolina in a 6-1 victory. Van Horn chose him over Lael Lockhart who was pulled after less than one inning last week against LSU, and Jaxon Wiggins who was floated around as a potential starter but who had only pitched in relief this year.

Bolden wouldn’t last long however. He would give up a handful of singles including the game’s first RBI to Ben Anderson, and DVH would elect to bring in Caden Monke with two on in the third. Bolden finished by giving up three hits, one walk, and three strikeouts. Monke would get the next batter out, but Connor Tate, who is Georgia’s best hitter, would make him pay on a pitch he liked for a 2-RBI singe to make it 3-0.

Georgia had saved their ace Ryan Webb for game three on Sunday to try to capture the series. Webb reportedly had been held out to give him some rest following back spasms, but a bit of gamesmanship might be attributed to the decision. Nonetheless, for the first four innings, Arkansas could not get going against their starter. He would retire the side in the second and third, and his mix of pitches would keep the Hogs off balance.

However, the game and the series would turn in the fifth inning.

Matt Goodheart would start the rally with a double followed by a Casey Opitz single. Jalen Battles would then score both with a single as the Hogs recorded two runs on four hits in the frame.

One-run game @CruzJalen

https://t.co/tROYij1Dnj pic.twitter.com/BghXBizA2M
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 9, 2021

Meanwhile, Van Horn would call upon his reliever Kevin Kopps to make an early appearance in an effort to lock down the pitching and hope the Razorback offense could make up the difference.

The timing was right as the Hogs would tie the game in the sixth on a solo home run blast by Goodheart that traveled about 460 feet. It was his 12th of the season, which leads the team.

Mr. Clutch @matt_goodheart

https://t.co/tROYij1Dnj pic.twitter.com/v1k3vIkBm2
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 9, 2021

In the seventh, Battles would step up again with a go-ahead solo shot of his own to dead center field to give the Hogs the 4-3 advantage. The home run was Battles’s first SEC homer of the year and the Razorbacks’ 78th overall, which still leads the nation.

Go Ahead, @CruzJalen!

https://t.co/tROYij1Dnj pic.twitter.com/r9nbk6HRpp
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 9, 2021

Webb would leave the game after that, but the Hogs weren’t done yet. Christian Franklin would single to center to score another as Arkansas came back with five unanswered to lead 5-3.

Kopps would continue to pitch efficiently over the final four innings to close the game. He would diffuse a situation in the eighth with two runners on base by striking out the next two batters, and he sat the 1-2-3 order in the ninth.

This is @KevinKopps.

https://t.co/tROYij1Dnj pic.twitter.com/nuMhn1yEWq
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 9, 2021

Kopps only gave up three hits and had five strikeouts on 57 pitches. In the process, he lowered his ERA to 0.67 on the season and has allowed only four runs in almost the last 50 innings pitched.

Kopps got the win. Arkansas is now 36-9 overall and 17-7 in the SEC. With results elsewhere, Arkansas is tied with Tennessee for the lead in the conference.

Up next, the Hogs take on Arkansas State on Tuesday and then travel to Knoxville to determine who will be first in the league.

Hogs outplayed by Dawgs 7-3

2021-05-09T02:01:28-05:00

Photo by Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It was long. It was strange. But mostly it was frustrating.

Following a 3-0 win on Friday, the No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks fell in game two of their series at home against the Georgia Bulldogs by sputtering to a 7-3 loss on Saturday night. Peyton Pallette would get the start and see the Hogs through the first 4.2 innings by allowing seven hits and administering eight strikeouts. Both teams traded runs throughout the game with the two sides tied at 3-3 heading to the seventh inning. However, the bullpen proved to be the difference as Arkansas used a total of six different pitchers in the game while Georgia only used three. Holding the Hogs to just six hits, the Bulldogs would pull away late to win and set up a pivotal game three on Sunday to determine the series.

Peyton Pallette has established himself as a reliable Saturday pitcher in his last few outings, but he would give up a home run to only the second batter he faced in Josh McAllister to give Georgia the early 1-0 lead. Despite the rocky start, he would settle into the game and hold the Bulldogs scoreless until the fifth.

The Hogs wouldn’t have to wait long to get on the board themselves in the second inning to tie the game 1-1. After Christian Franklin hit a double to advance Brady Slavens to third, Robert Moore would hit a sacrifice fly off of Georgia’s starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon to bring him home.

Arkansas soon would grab the lead in the next inning. Jalen Battles and Zack Gregory would get on base, setting up Matt Goodheart to hit an RBI double to left field.

.@matt_goodheart delivers

@SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/jhwPWXGSXV
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 8, 2021

Slavens would ground out to force a second run, and the Hogs were up 3-1 over Georgia.

Meanwhile, Robert Moore would get in on the action with a nifty defensive play.

Wizardry ‍♂️ @__robertmoore_ https://t.co/1hYeoyAHgA pic.twitter.com/xNjZz9sHUQ
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 9, 2021

However, the Bulldogs would even the game in a bizarre fifth inning. They would lead off the frame with two on base and no outs. After the Razorbacks turned a double play, McAllister would hit a bunt single to score the runner on third, but a pair of wild throws straight out of something like you would see in Little League would be enough to bring him home all the way from first. The score was 3-3 as Georgia managed two runs on two hits and two errors. Pallette’s night would effectively be done after that. He allowed seven hits with two earned runs along with eight strikeouts.

In the seventh, Zack Morris would enter the game, but Ben Anderson promptly hammered the first pitch that he saw for a two-run homer as the Bulldogs would retake the lead 5-3.

Unfortunately, the Hogs could not get anything going on offense in the later innings. Jaden Woods would pitch for four scoreless innings in relief as the Razorbacks had a streak of eight consecutive batters retired at one point. They would threaten with the bases loaded in the seventh, but Franklin would strike out to end the inning. The Hogs were 1-of-10 with runners in scoring position on the night.

Georgia would add two more runs before the end of the game. Fernando Gonzalez would hit a clever single up the middle after initially squaring up to bunt, which vacated the center of the field for the ball to travel. Not long afterward, new pitcher Heston Tole would hit a batter with the bases loaded, and Georgia won game two of the series 7-3.

Woods was credited with the win for the Bulldogs. Ryan Costeiu got the loss for Arkansas. The Razorbacks are now 35-9 overall and 16-7 in the SEC. Currently, they are in a four-way tie for the lead in the conference.

The rubber match will be on Sunday starting at 2 pm.

Hogs outduel Georgia 3-0

2021-05-08T05:00:00-05:00

Bulldogs were good, but the Hogs were better

Following a 1.5 hour rain delay, the No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks took game one of their series at home versus the Georgia Bulldogs by outlasting them 3-0 on Friday night. Patrick Wicklander put in another solid performance for the Hogs by pitching for 5.2 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts, and Kevin Kopps came in for the final three innings once again to seal the victory.

While Liam Sullivan for Georgia would keep the Bulldogs within a run through the first seven innings in a fantastic starting debut, Arkansas would get just enough through Casey Opitz and Robert Moore who had the only RBIs of the game.

Game one turned out to be a surprising pitchers’ duel between Wicklander and the freshman Sullivan.

Wicklander had established himself as a reliable Friday night starter in recent weeks after pitching for almost 14 innings in his last two outings and only giving up one run. He would put in another dominant performance on Friday night. Georgia was able to get six hits off of Wicklander, but they could never get going largely due to the nine strikeouts he administered on the evening. For the third start in a row, he also avoided walking any batters. Wicklander’s ERA is now at 1.69 on the season.

Meanwhile, Sullivan was making his first career start on Friday for Georgia. It was a curious move considering teams usually put their ace on the mound for game one of the series, but Georgia instead elected to save their best regular starter for Sunday. With no pitcher listed for the Hogs on that day, Georgia appeared to be willing to sacrifice game one while looking to at least steal game three.

However, Sullivan did not look like a pitcher making his first collegiate start. At first, he would give up three hits over the first two innings, including an RBI double to Casey Optiz that scored Robert Moore.

Captain @CaseyOpitz

https://t.co/BYOSWqUNQ8 pic.twitter.com/q9dgXSIkGH
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 8, 2021

Nonetheless, that would be it for the next four innings as the Hogs could not manage to get a hit off of any of Sullivan’s fastballs. The freshman would finish with 11 strikeouts and only one walk on 83 pitches.

However, in the seventh, Georgia would have to bring in a new pitcher in Jack Gowen. The Razorbacks would quickly load the bases, but they could not convert any runs. After two infield pop-ups, Christian Franklin was thrown out at home following a wild pitch as the Hogs missed a big opportunity to break the game open.

Collin Caldwell would replace Gowen in the next inning, and again the Hogs would load the bases. Facing two outs, Arkansas appeared like they might have to hold on to a 1-0 lead heading into the ninth, but Moore would add a pair of insurance runs on a hit that he simply poked at to put into play.

Kevin Kopps would be brought in for the final three innings, and although he would give up a few hits uncharacteristically by his standards, he would see the game through to its conclusion.

Never a doubt @KevinKopps

https://t.co/BYOSWqUNQ8 pic.twitter.com/E8iJ536HbT
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 8, 2021

The NCBWA national pitcher of the month continues to lead the nation in ERA and lowered it to 0.74 after Friday night.

Kopps got the save. Wicklander got the win. Arkansas is now 35-8 overall and 16-6 in the SEC. The Hogs still maintain a one-game lead over the next closest teams in the conference.

Up next, the Hogs take on Georgia on Saturday at 6 pm.