Arkansas
Stanford, Arkansas baseball teams look for redemption after heartbreak last season
Arkansas and Stanford, which meet in a Faculty World Collection opener Saturday, share extra in frequent than merely having pink and white as their college colours. Every group’s season resulted in heartbreaking trend final yr.
Within the CWS, the Cardinal led Vanderbilt 5-4 with two outs and the bases empty within the backside of the ninth earlier than the Commodores scored twice — with the profitable run approaching a wild pitch from Brendan Beck — to drag out a 6-5 thriller.
Returning to Charles Schwab Area in Omaha, Neb., provides the Cardinal an opportunity at redemption.
“You come again into the park and it’s the primary thought that hits your mind is the way you misplaced final yr and the way you ended up leaving that each one behind,” Stanford heart fielder Brock Jones mentioned. “So I believe that’s undoubtedly an enormous motivation.”
Mentioned pitcher Alex Williams: “There’s that thirst in our mouth from dropping final yr. It by no means left. I used to be counting down the times to get again right here.”
The Razorbacks didn’t get to Omaha final yr although they had been the No. 1 nationwide seed. They completed with a 50-13 report. Their fiftieth win was a 21-2 romp over N.C. State within the first sport of a brilliant regional in Fayetteville.
The Wolfpack answered with consecutive one-run wins, leaving Arkansas somewhat unfulfilled.
“It’s actually particular to be again right here, particularly the best way it ended final yr,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn mentioned. “Actually had an ideal season going. It was unbelievable. Gained all the pieces that was put in entrance of us. Gained each sequence on the weekend.
“After which to lose these final two video games by one run, it was robust.”
Stanford heart fielder Brock Jones is a doable first-round draft choose subsequent month. He has hit 20 dwelling runs and stolen 15 bases this season.
Jones, who’s hitting .327 with 20 homers and 15 stolen bases, mentioned he and his teammates had been “doing our walk-through (Wednesday) and we had been like, ‘It’s smaller than I keep in mind.’
“That tells me we’re proper the place we have to be. We’re not going to run from it. We’re right here to face all the pieces and we couldn’t be extra excited to be again.”
Steve Kroner is a San Francisco Chronicle employees author. E mail: skroner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveKronerSF