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Kentucky Wildcats whip Arkansas Razorbacks; rubber match set for Sunday | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

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Kentucky Wildcats whip Arkansas Razorbacks; rubber match set for Sunday | Arkansas Democrat Gazette


The University of Arkansas baseball team’s series at Kentucky is even, but the games have been one-sided.

The No. 8 Wildcats bounced back with an 11-3 victory over the No. 2 Razorbacks on Saturday at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington, Ky., after Arkansas won Friday night’s opener 10-3.

Arkansas (40-8, 17-6 SEC) allowed its most runs in a game this season Saturday after scoring its highest SEC total Friday night.

The previous high-scoring game for a Razorbacks’ opponent had been Florida’s 9-5 victory at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville last Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader.

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Kentucky (34-10, 17-6) tied Arkansas for the best overall SEC record as each team continues to lead its division.

“Obviously we didn’t play our best game,” Razorbacks Coach Dave Van Horn said. “We still have an opportunity to win the series, so hopefully we’ll play a little better.”

Van Horn said junior left-hander Mason Molina (3-1, 3.47 ERA) is ready to start Sunday after he missed last weekend’s series against Florida because of a right ankle injury.

“Just to go out and attack, make them earn everything, throw his fastball for a strike,” Van Horn said of what he wants to see from Molina. “If he does that, he’ll be in good shape.”

Arkansas starting pitcher Brady Tygart, who had gone 6 innings in his previous two starts, went 3 innings Saturday and allowed 5 runs, 6 hits and 3 walks with 2 strikeouts. The junior right-hander threw 37 strikes on 66 pitches.

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“Probably when you talk about Brady, the issue would have been he just didn’t throw his fastball for a strike,” Van Horn said. “Didn’t throw it where he wanted it and it made it very difficult to pitch, because they just started sitting on off-speed pitches.”

Kentucky went 6 for 12 with runners in scoring position and scored seven runs with two outs. Eight runs were scored on five doubles.

“The at-bats were there, the tough at-bats with two strikes, bunting, doubles, balls in play,” Wildcats Coach Nick Mingione said. “That was Kentucky baseball. We were a team today.”

Arkansas was 3 for 19 with runners on base.

“Hit some balls hard,” Van Horn said. “Didn’t have much luck.”

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Arkansas catcher Hudson White hit a two-run home run in the second inning on a 3-1 pitch from Kentucky starter Dominic Niman — with Nolan Souza on base after a walk — to give the Razorbacks a 2-0 lead.

It was White’s first home run since Feb. 16 when the Razorbacks opened the season with a 6-4 victory over James Madison.

“It felt good,” White said. “I’ve been making a few adjustments and just trying to stick with my approach and put a good swing on it.”

The Razorbacks had seven other hits, all singles.

Niman went 5 1/3 innings and held Arkansas to 2 runs, 5 hits and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts.

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“It starts with the guy on the mound and I thought Dom was sensational,” Mingione said.

“[Niman] did a good job of getting ahead, but we got ourselves in good positions to drive in runs and we weren’t able to do it,” said Arkansas second baseman Peyton Stovall, who went 2 for 5 and had an RBI groundout in the ninth inning. “I think if we just go out there [Sunday], play hard and keep putting ourselves in good positions to score runs, hopefully we’ll be able to do it.”

Niman stranded four base runners the first three innings.

“We had a couple opportunities to hit and drive in some runs early, and give him credit,” Van Horn said. “He got out of a couple of jams.”

Kentucky went ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the second inning when Emilien Pitre hit a two-run double and Devin Burks had an RBI double.

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Arkansas left fielder Ross Lovich had a chance to catch Pitre’s deep drive, but he misplayed it after backing into the fence.

“I just think that he thought the ball wasn’t going to go as far as it did,” Van Horn said. “The wind was blowing to left field, especially early in the game.

“The ball got up in the air and it was hit a little better than you think on the swing. He just drifted back and back. About the time he was ready to catch the ball, he hit the fence. It ended up being a mistake and it was a tough one.”

Pitre had another two-run double in the fourth inning when the Wildcats pushed their lead to 7-2.

“We were playing uphill pretty much the whole game because we got behind so far,” Van Horn said.

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Kentucky scored four more runs in the eighth inning when Nick Lopez had a three-run double.

Gage Wood pitched a career-long 4 1/3 innings for Arkansas in relief of Tygart and allowed 3 runs, 3 hits and 3 walks with 6 strikeouts. He gave up two hits and a walk in the fourth inning, but then settled down and pitched three scoreless innings before being lifted with one out in the eighth after hitting Gant Smith with a pitch.

Koty Frank got the final two outs for the Razorbacks in the eighth inning and allowed 3 runs and 2 hits.

Arkansas has lost back-to-back games only once this season, at Alabama three weeks ago.

“We’ll play hard, I know that,” Van Horn said of the Kentucky series finale. “We show up every day and get after it.

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“Just a matter of if things go our way a little bit, but most of the time you have to make your own breaks. You have to do it and not expect the other team to fall apart.

“You’ve got to throw strikes, you’ve got to field the ball and you’ve got to take advantage of some pitches that are left in the zone.

“You’ve got to square them up and hopefully they don’t catch them. We’ll see how it goes.”

Stovall said the Razorbacks are excited to play again.

“We always want to win as many games as we can,” Stovall said. “I think that if we just go out there and play hard, the rest will take care of itself.

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“Kentucky’s got a good team. Rubber match.

“It’s what you live for in college baseball and the SEC. So it’s going to be fun and we’re looking forward to it.”



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Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet

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Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet


Arkansans can now present their driver’s licenses and state identification cards on mobile devices using Apple Wallet, state finance officials announced Wednesday.

The Department of Finance and Administration said Arkansans can use Apple Wallet to present their license or ID in person, online and in apps at select organizations, including at more than 250 Transportation Security



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Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone

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Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone


IDEMIA Public Security North America and the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles have launched Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet, allowing residents to securely store and use their credentials on an iPhone or Apple Watch.

The new feature gives Arkansans the ability to present their identification at participating businesses and venues, at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in more than 250 airports, and online or within apps when age or identity verification is required.

The launch builds on Arkansas’ ongoing efforts to expand digital identification options. In March 2025, the state introduced the Arkansas Mobile ID app, and officials say adding IDs to Apple Wallet offers residents another secure and convenient way to access their credentials.

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“We’re proud to build on our partnership with the Arkansas DFA’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles, expanding on the launch of the Arkansas Mobile ID app in March 2025. The launch of ID in Apple Wallet in the state provides Arkansas residents a new, secure way to store and present their digital credentials, with transparency and control over how their information is shared at the forefront,” said Rob Gardner, CEO, IDEMIA Civil Identity.

To add an Arkansas driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet, users can tap the plus sign at the top of the Wallet app on their iPhone, select “Driver’s License or State ID,” and follow the verification process.

Officials say privacy and security were central considerations in the rollout. Information stored in Apple Wallet is encrypted on a user’s device, and users control when and how their information is shared. When presenting an ID, only the information necessary to verify age or identity is provided.

Apple and the Arkansas Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles also do not receive information about when or where residents use their digital IDs.

The technology is also designed to make verification easier for businesses. Participating businesses can use IDEMIA’s Mobile ID Verify app to accept and verify mobile IDs directly from an iPhone without requiring customers to hand over their devices or use additional hardware.

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The launch marks another step toward broader adoption of digital credentials in Arkansas, giving residents a secure alternative to carrying a physical driver’s license or state ID while maintaining control over their personal information.

For information on the launch of IDs in Apple Wallet in Arkansas, click here.

READ ALSO: Adam O’Neal Stepping into Chancellor Role at UA-EACC



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Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette


New Arkansas gymnastics coach Chris Brooks announced Monday the hiring of Zan Jones to complete his first staff, as well as the promotion of assistants Kyla Ross and Catelyn Branson.

Brooks succeeded his wife, Jordyn Wieber, on April 28 after Wieber stepped down.

Jones joins the Razorback after two seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. The Pioneers won back-to-back Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational Championship titles in 2025 and 2026 with Jones on staff. He has been named a Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division II assistant coach of the year three times, including this spring.

Jones also earned Midwest Independent Conference assistant coach of the year in both of his seasons at Texas Woman’s.

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Jones served as the Pioneers’ primary vault and uneven bars coach, and the team set a program record of 49.35 on the bars in March.

An Alabama alumnus, Jones served as a student manager for the Crimson Tide gymnastics team. He served a year at Talladega (Ala.) College in its inaugural season of gymnastics and spent time as a recreational and team coach at Trussville (Ala.) Academy of Gymnastics.

Brooks also promoted both Ross and Branson to the title of associate head coach. Ross, a former UCLA gymnast and Olympic gold medalist as part of Team USA in 2012, started at Arkansas as a volunteer assistant in 2022. Ross helped Arkansas produce program records on the balance beam in back-to-back years before taking over the vault squad, which set a program high 49.675 in 2026. 

The Razorbacks ranked as high as No. 2 on the vault last season and were never lower than No. 7. Senior transfer Morgan Price landed the first 10 in school history on the vault in February.

Branson returned to the Arkansas staff ahead of the 2025 season, helping lead the floor squad. In that time, Branson has led the Gymbacks to two of their top five best floor scores ever and Arkansas has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the country on floor in the last two seasons. In 2026, over 60% of the team’s scores on floor were 9.85 or better.

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Branson served as Lindenwood’s head coach from 2022-24, where she was named 2024 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association South Central Region Coach of the Year and the Midwest Independent Conference Coach of the Year. She led the Lions to their second consecutive and fifth overall USAG national championship and seventh MIC title in 2024.

Branson had a prior stint at Arkansas from 2020 to 2022, in which time the Gymbacks ranked as high as third on beam and second on floor.



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