Stranded runners wasted an excellent pitching performance by the Hogs’ pitching staff and cost Arkansas in its 2-1,14-inning loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday night at Globe Life Field.
A scoreless six-inning start by RHP Brady Tygart was all-for-not, as the Razorbacks finished the game 2-24 with runners on base and 8-52 overall.
“Yeah, I canât talk about the zone too much, but you saw what I saw and everybody else saw it. It was pretty good size, especially to the outer half,” head coach Dave Van Horn said after the game. “You know, you just get two strikes on you, you got to go out there and â donât let him make that last call on you. If itâs close, youâre going to have to take a swing at it.”
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Five Arkansas hitters recorded a hit and three went 0-for-5 or worse at the plate throughout the game. Designated hitter Hudson White, short-stop Wehiwa Aloy, catcher Ryder Helfrick and left fielder Jayson Jones were a combined 0-24 against the Cowboys.
The lone bright spot for Arkansas was third baseman Jared Sprague-Lott and right fielder Kendall Diggs, who each recorded clutch base hits. The duo combined for five knocks with only two strikeouts. Van Horn thinks thinks the team needs to make adjustments.
“Probably other teamâs pitching is pretty good, and weâve got to make some adjustments that we didnât make tonight,” Van Horn said. But I donât want to get into it.”
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Despite the strong showing by Arkansas’ deep bullpen, the Hogs coudn’t overcome offensive ineptitude as the game went deeper into the night. The Razorbacks ended up using six total pitchers in the outing and broke the program record for strikeouts in a matchup with 25
“Just a great job by the pitching staff,” Van Horn said. “You know, put some freshmen out in some really, really tough situations, and they answered the bell. Gained a lot of really good experience tonight. It was a tough loss, but give their pitching staff credit. They just kept getting us to roll over balls. We hit a lot of ground balls to the pull side. We had a lot of shots for a hit to grab the lead, but we never got it. Just a super job by our pitching staff.”
In the 14th inning, Oklahoma State finally broke through with a single and an error that advanced the runners to second and third. The Cowboys walked the game off with a squeeze on a bunt single. Even after the heartbreak, Van Horn wanted his team to be able to move on.
“Well, like I said, weâre not going to spend a lot of time out here talking,” Van Horn said. “We have another one tomorrow, so the message would be to go get some rest.
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Up next, No. 2 Arkansas (5-1) will take on the Michigan Wolverines (2-4) on Sunday afternoon at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. CT and will stream on FloSports.
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FAYETTEVILLE — The signing of two kickers out of the NCAA transfer portal by the University of Arkansas on Sunday came into clearer focus late that night when highly touted freshman Scott Starzyk announced via social media he was entering the portal.
Starzyk was joined on Monday by defensive tackle Kevin Oatis as the considerable exodus continued for first-year Coach Ryan Silverfield.
The Razorbacks have as many as 30 scholarship players in the portal, and a small handful have already announced their destinations.
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The portal period opened on Friday and it will stay open through Jan. 16. The most recent announcements came from receivers Kam Shanks and Krosse Johnson and defensive back Quentavius Scandrett on Saturday, then long snapper Ashton Ngo, defensive back Ahkhari Johnson and Starzyk on Sunday.
“I’m officially in the NCAA transfer portal,” Starzyk posted to X late Sunday. “Thank you to all the fans at Arkansas for a great year. And thank you to the staff who have supported me during my time at the university.”
Arkansas landed Tennessee transfer Max Gilbert out of the portal on Sunday as well as Braeden McAlister, a kickoff specialist, from Georgia State.
Gilbert, a rising junior from Memphis, made 14 of 19 field goals (73.7%) this season, with a long of 53 yards. He has made 34 of 45 (75.6%) through two years as a starter.
Starzyk, the No. 1 kicker of the 2025 class by Kohl’s Kicking, had a strong freshman season while leading Arkansas with 89 points. The 5-10, 172-pounder from The Woodlands, Texas, made 14 of 18 field goals (77.8%) and converted all 47 of his extra-point tries. He was 2 of 3 from 50-plus yards, including a make from 53 yards on his first career field goal in the opener against Alabama A&M.
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With senior punter Devin Bale out of eligibility, the Razorbacks will lose a large chunk of their key special teams performers. Bale and Blake Ford, who is also in the portal, shared kickoff duties. Starzyk did all the place kicking and Ngo all the snapping, while Shanks was the Hogs’ top punt returner and running back Rodney Hill the lead kickoff returner.
Razorback transfers with known commitments are offensive line starter E’Marion Harris, a former standout at Joe T. Robinson who is expected to sign with Oklahoma, defensive end Justus Boone (Wisconsin), defensive tackle Ian Geffrard (Texas) and linebacker Tavion Wallace (Kentucky).
Brett Barrouquere is a staff writer with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. A reporter and editor for more than 30 years, he’s worked a little bit of everywhere, mainly in the South. His most recent stop before Arkansas was in Baltimore, Maryland, as a night and breaking news editor. He’s a New Orleans native and has two daughters.
