FAYETTEVILLE — Randall Fant's arrest for suspicion of public intoxication Monday morning has jeopardized his role as a starter in the No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks' pitching rotation for this weekend's series with Georgia.
Fant was booked into the Washington County Regional Detention Center in Fayetteville at 4:14 a.m. Fant was arrested after he was stopped by police while walking on State Highway 16 and suspected of public intoxication, according to police reports. The police care had to swerve to not hit Fant.
Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn said he was still gathering information on the arrest, but said Fant, 19, would "pay the price, and he already is. He's meeting with his dad as we speak. My turn is next."
Van Horn did not immediately rule Fant out of the Hogs' starting rotation for the Bulldogs, but said the young man's role for the weekend was in doubt.
"I'm disappointed in the whole situation," Van Horn said of the pitcher, who is 3-0 on the season. "It was an immature decision. The kid needs to grow up."
Fant, a freshman left-hander from Texarkana, retired 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs and gave up just two hits in seven innings of work Sunday in the Razorbacks 13-3 victory at Starkville that gave the Hogs their first sweep of the Bulldogs in school history.
The Razorbacks are on a roll, with a six-game winning streak. Their sweep of Mississippi State left Arkansas at the top of the SEC West standings with an 18-3 overall mark and a 26-6 record overall.
"Things were going so good for him and the team," Van Horn said. "You know there are going to be bumps on the way in any season, but you just hate for them to be self-inflicted."
"It's unfortunate that he has put the team in this situation."
Van Horn said he's not going to rush to make a decision on who would start in Fant's place.
"We didn't decide until Saturday that Randall would start on Sunday," Van Horn said of the Hogs' fluid pitching situation.
The Razorbacks host New Mexico for a two-game series Tuesday and Wednesday with both games starting at 6:35 p.m. at Baum Stadium.
Arkansas also announced that the first pitch of Friday's game with Georgia has been moved up to 6 p.m. to accommodate ESPN2's broadcast of the game. The Bulldogs are 11-21 overall and 7-9 in SEC play.
