Arkansas’ Absurd Offensive Stats vs Oklahoma State Topped Only by Absurd FloSports Graphic

Only a day after a few dangerous breaks spiraled right into a blowout loss, Arkansas baseball flipped the script to complete its weekend on the Faculty Baseball Showdown on a excessive be aware Sunday afternoon.

The No. 6 Razorbacks scored as many runs as they allowed in opposition to TCU and cruised to a dominant 18-1 run-rule win over No. 11 Oklahoma State at Globe Life Area, ending the distinguished occasion in Arlington, Texas, with a 2-1 report.

Arkansas opened the season with a good 3-2 win over Texas on Friday, however was crushed soundly in an 18-6 loss to the Horned Frogs on Saturday, organising what was basically a rubber match in opposition to the Cowboys.

“You be taught so much about your workforce so much instances after a foul loss,” Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn stated. “They confirmed quite a lot of — I don’t know the phrase I’m attempting to make use of — I all the time thought we had been powerful, so I don’t actually wish to use the phrase toughness. I don’t query that one bit.”

It didn’t take lengthy for Arkansas to place this one away. Very similar to what TCU did to them an evening earlier once they couldn’t fairly flip a few vital double performs, the Razorbacks made Oklahoma State pay for errors within the area, scoring 5 runs within the second and third innings.

Within the second, Kendall Diggs and Jace Bohrofen obtained issues began with back-to-back singles, the latter of which was deflected by first baseman David Mendham and scooped up by Roc Riggio. The second baseman rapidly tossed it again and almost obtained the out, however the bang-bang play went in favor of Arkansas and stood after a replay overview.

Following a stroll by Jayson Jones that loaded the bases and a strikeout by Parker Rowland, John Bolton put the ball in play with a floor ball to first. It was an RBI all the best way, however ought to have been the second out of the inning. Nevertheless, pitcher Bayden Root didn’t cowl the bag, so Mendham needed to attempt to take it himself.

The 2 gamers collided simply after Bolton stepped on the bag first for an RBI single. That stored the bases loaded and turned Tavian Josenberger’s ensuing floor out into an RBI as an alternative of the third out. After Peyton Stovall was plunked, Jared Wegner cleared the bases with a three-run triple.

“His bottom triple with two outs and the bases loaded was a factor of magnificence,” Van Horn stated. “I might have beloved a grand slam, however apart from that, that was what I needed to see, going the opposite approach.”

Within the third, it regarded just like the Cowboys would rapidly get again within the dugout, however shortstop Marcus Brown booted a tailored 6-4-3 double-play grounder by Rowland that may have eradicated a leadoff single and ended the inning.

As a substitute, the error put runners on the corners to arrange a sacrifice fly by Bolton, which might have been the third out had Brown managed to only get the drive out at second. The Razorbacks weren’t achieved, although.

Josenberger ripped a double into the best area nook, Stovall drove in a pair of runs with a single up the center and Wegner delivered the knock-out punch with a two-run homer that made it 10-0.

Had the Cowboys made simply two performs — Root masking the bag and Brown turning the double play — they alter the complexion of the sport as a result of Arkansas doubtless scores only one run.

The 18-run outburst was a continuation of Arkansas’ dominance in opposition to Oklahoma State. Together with final 12 months’s Stillwater Regional, the Razorbacks have scored 55 runs within the final 4 video games within the collection — a mean of 13.8 per recreation. As a workforce, they’ve slashed .325/.456/.623 in opposition to the Cowboys, which supplies them a workforce OPS of 1.079.

Sturdy Debut for Hunter Hollan

After emptying the bullpen within the aforementioned ugly loss to TCU, the Razorbacks wanted a powerful begin from Hunter Hollan on Sunday and the left-hander delivered.

He constantly had runners on base, however averted giving up an enormous inning. Oklahoma State mustered only one run on three hits and two walks in Hollan’s 4 innings of labor. He struck out 5 and was credited with the win through scorer’s discretion regardless that he didn’t go 5 innings.

“I had a fastball and cutter working at the moment, nothing else,” Hollan stated. “I used to be simply displaying pitches. Actually didn’t have my finest stuff. I used to be having to battle a bit of bit, however when you have got 10 runs within the third inning, it’s fairly straightforward to only calm down and pitch and throw to the catcher.”

Dave Van Horn stated he thought Hollan obtained higher after the primary inning and that he might have come again out within the fifth inning. That was truly the plan earlier than the highest half of the body lasted a very long time, plus it turned obvious the run rule would come into play and the sport would final solely seven innings, so he needed to show issues over to the bullpen.

“We all know how good he can pitch, particularly when he’s on,” Van Horn stated. “He can throw his secondary pitches in any rely. He’s obtained command and when you have got command and you’ll management the baseball, you are able to do some injury for those who’re proper and feeling good. I feel at the moment he felt good.”

Hollan put a number of Cowboys on base in three of his 4 innings, however two of these cases had been considerably strategic as a result of they concerned four-pitch walks of Nolan McLean after Roc Riggio reached in entrance of him. He adopted up each of these by retiring clean-up hitter David Mendham.

“I wasn’t going to let Riggio and McLean beat us,” Hollan stated. “I wasn’t going to allow them to get the bats rolling. So after that, I used to be simply going to remain away and with the left-handed first baseman, I knew I might get him, so as soon as I obtained down, I wasn’t going to let their workforce get some hearth and suppose they’d an opportunity.”

Gage Wooden Bounces Again in Large Manner

The teaching workers clearly thought extremely of freshman Gage Wooden coming into the weekend, in any other case they wouldn’t have referred to as on him in a good spot Saturday evening.

Sadly for the Razorbacks, the right-hander’s collegiate debut went as poorly as anybody might have imagined. Wooden’s first pitch was hit the opposite approach for an RBI single after which he walked back-to-back batters, the latter of which got here with the bases loaded. He was pulled with out recording an out.

There was so much much less strain this time, however Arkansas obtained Wooden again on the mound within the last inning of Sunday’s win and he emphatically slammed the door. He struck out Nolan Schubart, Ian Daugherty and Jaxson Crull so as, ending his excellent outing with seven straight strikes.

“He’s thrown nothing however strikes since he’s been right here and at the moment, we needed to get him again on the market if he felt okay and he informed us he did,” Van Horn stated. “The primary hitter, he goes 3-1 and also you’re considering, ‘Oh boy,’ then he goes 3-2, strikes him out. We sort of checked out one another and stated, ‘He’s going to do nothing however throw strikes now,’ and that’s what he did.”

Van Horn Empties the Bench

By the tip of Sunday’s blowout, just one Opening Day starter remained in Arkansas’ lineup — the hot-hitting Jared Wegner. Everybody else was both a alternative or first-time starter, as freshman Jayson Jones and JUCO switch Parker Rowland obtained the nod at third base and catcher, respectively.

Jones, who homered as a late-game alternative Saturday, formally went 0 for two with a strikeout, however he drew three walks. Rowland was strong behind the plate and went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts whereas notching a pair of RBIs through a bases-loaded stroll and sacrifice fly.

Maybe extra impressively, 4 Razorbacks — Mason Neville, Peyton Holt, Reese Robinett and Hunter Grimes — got here off the bench and notched their first profession hits.

“I really feel like we have now a bit of depth place player-wise and we confirmed that once we obtained some guys off the bench,” Van Horn stated. “They went in there with a fearless perspective and swinging the bat.”

Van Horn was significantly impressed with Robinett’s at bat as a result of he by no means flinched when Oklahoma State introduced in left-handed reliever Drew Blake. The left-handed hitting freshman labored the rely full earlier than singling via the best facet.

Neville, who debuted as a ninth-inning defensive alternative in opposition to TCU, reached in each of his plate appearances. He hit a single and drew a stroll. Holt flied out to middle his first time up, however delivered an RBI single the following time he stepped into the field. Grimes singled and used his velocity to attain on a shallow fly ball.

That sacrifice fly truly got here off the bat of Harold Coll, giving him an RBI, whereas Ben McLaughlin grounded right into a fielder’s alternative in his lone plate look.

Absurd FloSports Graphic

Nobody would blame you for not paying to subscribe to FloSports this weekend and even for mentally testing of Sunday’s blowout early. These nonetheless paying consideration late within the recreation, although, might need caught a glimpse of one of many extra absurdly incorrect graphics within the historical past of baseball broadcasts.

Right here it’s in all its glory:

That’s proper. In accordance with FloSports, the Razorbacks gained the nationwide championship in 2010 after which rattled off 4 straight from 2014-17. Making that accomplishment much more spectacular, they completed runner-up — along with profitable all of it — in 2010, 2014 and 2015.

As if that wasn’t sufficient, Arkansas apparently gained the Large 12 Event in 2014, 2016 and 2021 — a powerful feat for any workforce, however particularly one within the SEC.

That’s is the sort of reporting you’ll be able to solely get from FloSports. (Let this additionally function a reminder to cancel your subscription.)

Up Subsequent for Arkansas Baseball

For the primary time since Could 15, once they dropped a seven-inning rubber match in opposition to Vanderbilt, the Razorbacks will take the sphere at Baum-Walker Stadium for an actual recreation Tuesday afternoon.

The 2023 house opener is a midweek matchup with Grambling, which went 1-2 on the HBCU Basic this weekend. Enjoying at Minute Maid Park, the Tigers misplaced shut video games to Prairie View A&M (7-5) and Southern (4-3) earlier than crushing Mississippi Valley State 14-4 on Sunday.

First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT and the sport shall be streamed on SEC Community-Plus. As of Sunday evening, Dave Van Horn stated he was uncertain who the Razorbacks would begin on the mound.

Different Arkansas Baseball Tidbits

• Arkansas has now gained no less than two of its first three video games for 22 straight seasons. That encompasses the whole Dave Van Horn period and dates again to 2001, when the Norm DeBriyn-led Razorbacks beat Missouri Southern within the opener earlier than dropping two straight to UTSA.
• Sunday was Van Horn’s 798th win because the Arkansas baseball coach. Which means he’ll virtually actually hit the 800-win milestone in subsequent weekend’s collection in opposition to Japanese Illinois.
• Creighton switch Jared Wegner capped his stellar weekend with a 2-for-4 efficiency with a triple and residential run. He additionally reached on a stroll and hit by pitch. In his first three video games with the Razorbacks, Wegner went 6 for 11 (.545) with 4 extra-base hits and eight RBIs.
• Oklahoma State shortstop Marcus Brown is definitely from Arkansas and went to Shiloh Christian in Springdale. He notched the Cowboys’ lone RBI with a sacrifice fly, however struck out in his different at bat and in addition dedicated the error that led to 5 unearned runs.

Arkansas vs Oklahoma State Postgame Interview

Arkansas vs Oklahoma State Field Rating

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