Posts Tagged ‘Arkansas Razorbacks’

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Diamond Hogs bring drama to Little Rock

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

By Harold McIlvain II

FAYETTEVILLE – It might have been 24 years since the Razorback baseball team played in central Arkansas, but the game might have been well worth the wait for fans from the area.

Junior first baseman Andy Wilkins used a walk-off single to give the No. 12 Razorbacks a 5-4 come-from-behind win in the 10th inning over Louisiana Tech at Dickey-Stephens Park in what should be considered a positive night for the program.

In front of a sold-out crowd and ballpark record of 9,426 fans, Arkansas baseball returned to Little Rock for the first time since 1986 when the Razorbacks beat Memphis in the 10th inning. The excitement and buzz that was created down in the area displayed how much Razorback sports means to the region—and how much the Diamond Hogs were missed.

The central region of the state has always been important to the Arkansas program, and it shows with football still playing two games a year in Little Rock while basketball schedules a game every season.

Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said the Razorbacks (37-11) were excited to play a game in Arkansas outside of Fayetteville and to get an opportunity to play in a pro ballpark.

But with the popularity and the attention that the Louisiana Tech game was able to draw, it won’t be the last time. The Razorbacks hope to plan a game there every year and already have a game worked out with Memphis which will be played at Dickey-Stephens Park.

The game was able to attract fans who usually might not be able to see the Diamond Hogs play, including recruits who didn’t have to drive extra miles to get an opportunity to watch the Razorbacks play.

“It seemed like a good fit because we are recruiting kids from all around down south,” Van Horn said. “A lot of the kids I know are going to the game. It’s a chance for their parents to get to a game and be around the Razorbacks in spirit. They can get an idea of how strong our fan base is.”

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Bolsinger picks up SEC Pitcher of the Week award

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

By Harold McIlvain II

Arkansas senior pitcher Mike Bolsinger could have had his best performance during a 7-0 series clinching win over Ole Miss on Sunday. And in addition to picking up the win, the McKinney, Texas, native later added the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week award.

He pitched a career-high eight shutout innings against the Rebels while striking out 11 and allowing just two hits during the critical game that secured a one game lead in the Western Division for the No. 12 Razorbacks (37-11).

Bolsinger was making his first start since April 4 when he lasted just 2.1 innings while allowing seven earned runs against Kentucky in a 12-8 loss. The senior started the year as the top starter for Arkansas but was moved to the bullpen after the performance against the Wildcats.

The right-hander was used primarily as a reliever last year, making 30 appearances while allowing opponents to only hit .201 against him in 69.1 innings.

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Inside the series: Razorbacks take care of Rebels

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

By Harold McIlvain II

There was no question how big this series was for the No. 14 Arkansas Razorback baseball team (37-11, 16-8 SEC) against No. 11 Ole Miss (34-15, 15-9 SEC) with the two tied atop the Western Division standings. Arkansas was coming off two SEC series losses while Ole Miss had won seven straight conference games. But the Razorbacks pulled away with two of the three games and now lead the West by a game.

Below are some notes and newsworthy items that happened over the weekend for the Diamond Hogs:

Rotation help is on the way: Van Horn has admitted that constant success from Saturday and Sunday starters has been an issue for the team recently. The Razorbacks have yet to have the same rotation in an SEC series this year, starting five different combination of pitchers.

But senior Mike Bolsinger stepped up for the Razorbacks and pitched a gem Sunday during the 7-0 win to clinch the series. The McKinney, Texas, native and former ace pitched eight scoreless innings while striking out 11 and allowing only two hits.

And senior TJ Forest, who started 11 games last year, pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless relief Saturday after DJ Baxendale was pulled in the second inning and allowed three earned runs. With the performance, Forest could be in the mix for a conference start perhaps.

Wilkins breaks out of slump: The Broken Arrow, Okla., native showed Sunday that he could still hit, as he led the Razorbacks at the plate going 3-for-4 with two runs, a home run and three RBIs. Entering the day hitless in the series, the junior hasn’t found much success at the plate recently, as he was 4-for-31 in the last three conference series and dropped his average to below .260. With a long ball today, Wilkins now has the fourth most home runs in program history with 40.

Kuhn continues to get hit…again: The Razorback lead-off man has taken a couple pitches for the team this year at a record pass. The outfielder was hit by a pitch Sunday for the 23rd time this year, which is now a school record.

New closer shows promise in role: With Baxendale in the rotation this weekend, junior Jordan Pratt was moved to the closer role and picked up a save Friday night while striking out four in 1.2 scoreless innings. Pratt came back Sunday to pitch the ninth, lowering his ERA to 3.40 and now has 39 strike outs in 29.1 innings this season.

Cox is still really, really good: It wasn’t a surprise to see Cox to keep producing this weekend at the plate. The sophomore third baseman finished 3-for-3 on Friday with two runs scored, including hits off one of the best pitchers in the nation in Drew Pomeranz. He then went 2-for-4 with a run, home run and RBI during the Saturday loss before not getting a hit Sunday, which was the second time for that to happen all season.

Friday Night not a problem: Arkansas picked up another win to start the conference series. But it isn’t a surprise despite playing a talented Ole Miss team. The Razorbacks have won 11 of 12 Friday night games this year, only dropping a 12-8 game against Kentucky when Bolsinger pitched his last Friday night start, allowing seven earned in 2.1 innings. Starter Drew Smyly took over the ace role since then and has picked up six straight wins.

Tom still terrific: It might not have been a walk-off hit, but the home run by Tom Hauskey during the ninth inning of a 3-2 Saturday loss just goes to show how clutch the Springdale, Ark., native has been this year when given an opportunity. The senior has already produced with two game winning hits this season for the Razorbacks.

What’s next: The Diamond Hogs will travel to North Little Rock, Ark., to take on Louisiana Tech this Tuesday. With a 9-3 loss on Sunday to Kentucky, No. 6 South Carolina dropped the series and will be the next opponent for Arkansas at home next weekend. The Razorbacks are now one game back of the overall SEC lead.

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Red-White Recap: Defense

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

FAYETTEVILLE — Until the Arkansas Razorbacks prove their defense can be effective in SEC play, it will be questioned and it will be considered a weakness by most college football pundits and prognosticators. That’s the price the program pays for having one of the SEC’s most porous if not the most porous defense the past two seasons.

But what commentators — particularly ones who aren’t on hand covering the team — believe about a team going into a season doesn’t have to end up being true.

And after watching the Hogs’ spring practice, I believe the Hogs are going to be considerably better on defense this fall than they have been the past two seasons. The Razorbacks were better at the start of spring than they were a year ago, and all they did was improve over the course of 15 practices.

Arkansas’ Red-White scrimmage was a hard-hitting affair, and even without blitzes, the defense held its own against a talent array of offensive performers. The Hogs played faster, hit harder and were more sure of themselves than at any point in the Bobby Petrino era.

Granted that’s not saying a lot, but it is improvement. The Razorbacks are two deep with players who have SEC experience. That’s an advantage the Razorbacks have earned the last two seasons when Petrino and defensive coordinator Willy Robinson had to thrust players into the fray before they were ready. But that experience should pay dividends this season.

Now, with all that said, don’t expect the Razorbacks to be a dominating defense in SEC play. Arkansas does not have the athletic talent to be a dominating defense in the SEC. They don’t have the overall size for that although the Hogs should be a fairly fast defense, but no faster than the larger defenses Alabama. Florida and LSU will deploy.

But, Petrino does not specialize in coaching teams to win 13-10. He’s planning on his Razorbacks’ offense to average scoring two touchdowns a quarter.

I guess the big question is whether or not the Hogs’ defense is good enough to allow the team to challenge the likes of Alabama. Florid and LSU for an SEC championship.

Considering Arkansas’ favorable schedule, it’s possible, but if I were handicapping teams, I would still have to give Alabama, Florida and LSU the nod over Arkansas because their overall defensive talent is better. But Arkansas is closing the gap, and the Hogs’ offense, which was the most explosive in the SEC last season, might be enough to push them to the SEC Championship Game if things fall into place.

Honestly, I doubt Petrino is sweating his defense after the spring. It made progress and even more progress can be made from now until August and from August until the season opener.

But Petrino does have a problem that has to be fixed with place-kicking and punting. If those weakness aren’t corrected or improved to a great degree, the Hogs will not win a SEC Championship. In fact, if the Hogs place-kicking and punting does not improve, they will be susceptible to losing to any SEC team on their docket.

A team can only dodge so many bullets in a season when its kicking game is mediocre to poor, and one SEC loss could take the Hogs out of contention for a Western Division title this season.

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Hogs don’t need to test the scales too often

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

FAYETTEVILLE — When Tom Hauskey stepped up to the plate with two outs and Arkansas trailing by a run with Andy Wilkins and Brett Eibner in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, the same question ran through every Hog fans’ mind in attendance: Can he do it again?

Twice earlier in the season in one-run victories over New Mexico and Alabama, Hauskey stared down the pressure and came through for his teammates with game-winning hits. Asking the walk-on from Springdale to do it again, proved to be to much.

Hauskey struck out on a check swing and Auburn defeated the Razorbacks 8-7 thanks to an eight-run fifth inning when the Tigers tallied four home runs.

The Razorbacks can’t complain, though. The Hogs have counted on the big inning all season to carry them to the top of the SEC West. The Razorbacks retained their lead in the West Saturday, but lost a chance to move a half game ahead of South Carolina, which lost to Alabama.

The Razorbacks, who have lost three of their last five games, are a fine baseball team, one that no team would look forward to running into in the postseason, but they aren’t invulnerable. And they don’t always fall over bad calls like they did last Sunday at Florida.

Auburn outslugged the Hogs and earned the victory Saturday, and if the Hogs don’t respond with their best effort of the weekend, the Razorbacks might find themselves on the wrong end of the stick again in Sunday’s 1:05 p.m. matchup. The Hogs have played many games close to the edge this season and won the majority of them. Some, like today’s, will get away. Arkansas just need to make sure they aren’t playing by the law of averages because the scales could begin to even out.

The Razorbacks do have the advantage of throwing Eibner on Sunday. He is one of the SEC’s most dynamic players, and he has come through for the Hogs on the mound and at the plate very consistently all season. Given the circumstances, the ball probably couldn’t be in a better player’s hand. But even the most clutch player aren’t going to find success in every outing. The game is weighted against them.

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Red-White Recap Part 5: Receivers

Friday, April 30th, 2010

FAYETEVILLE — It’s not secret that the Arkansas Razorbacks are well stocked at the receiver position. In fact, when all is said and done for the upcoming football season, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Hogs’ receiving corps doesn’t turn out to be the best the SEC has to offer.

But it seemed to be a fairly uneventful spring at the position, which in a way was good. No one receiver truly stood out, but none regressed either as new receivers coach Kris Cinkovich took over the reins from Paul Petrino.

Jarius Wright seemed to have the most consistent spring and probably not coincidentally he had the best night in the Hogs spring game, catching seven passes for 118 yards for the White squad.

Fellow junior Greg Childs also had a good spring, and he truly stands out physically at 6-3, 215 pounds. He is a proven deep threat and it showed in the Hogs’ April 24 Red-White game when he hauled in a 69-yard pass from Tyler Wilson.

Joe Adams missed nearly a week of spring work for an undisclosed reason, but on the days he was in practice, he usually made and eye-popping catch. Sophomores Cobi Hamilton and Lance Ray both have excellent size and speed that give the Hogs two more players with game-breaking potential.

All that being said there is room for a freshman or two to earn playing time at the spot since Bobby Petrino likes to platoon his receivers and often uses three at a time.

Hamilton, who had one catch for a 44-yard touchdown in the Red-White game, posted today on his Facebook page that he had surgery to repair a broken thumb. The UA has yet to confirm the injury, but one would believe with three full months until preseason camp, he should be recovered.

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Red-White Recap Part 4: Tight Ends

Friday, April 30th, 2010

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino was up front and honest about why Arkansas’ production at tight end was down during the 2009 season.

“I didn’t do a good enough job of creating a relationship between [quarterback] Ryan [Mallett] and [tight end] D.J. [Williams,]” Petrino said following the Hogs’ Red-White scrimmage April 24. “We’re going to fix that.”

That had to be music to Williams’ ears whose receptions dropped from 62 in 2008 to 31 in 2009.

Petrino explained that the focus last year for Williams was to improve as a blocker, but that he did not want the 6-2, 250-pound senior-to-be’s production to drop like it did.

“Certainly, it had something to do with the way defenses played D.J. last year, but there were times when our offense would have been much more efficient if Ryan had of followed his progression and thrown to D.J. and our other tight ends.”

Williams not only has excellent hands but he is also a fine runner after the catch. In the Red-White game, he made four catches for 49 yards, with a stand-out 21-yard run.

Williams isn’t the only target at tight end for Mallet and the other Razorback quarterbacks to look at in the fall. Chris Gragg had a solid spring coming off an ankle injury last fall and senior Ben Cleveland showed his toughness by returning to play in the Red-White game less than two weeks after having an emergency appendectomy. Austin Tate is also a promising prospect at the position.

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McGee: Obama with a whistle

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

FAYETTEVILLE — Some things just can’t be denied. When you see it, you just know it, and what I know is that someday in the near future Garrick McGee is going to make some university very proud that he is its head football coach.

This isn’t a great revelation. Anyone who has been around McGee much at all — and my access has been limited as has all members of the media who covers the Razorbacks has — comes away impressed by him. But watching him coordinate the Hogs practices this spring and listening to him address the media both on national football signing day as well as several times following spring practice, it became crystal that the Oklahoma grad is destined to successfully guide his own program one day.

Oddly enough, I got the same feeling back in 2004 when I watched the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention by a freshman senator from Illinois. While I had never heard of that senator before, he had an undeniable stature and charisma that made me think this guy is something else. Of course, we now call that senator Mr. President.

To me, McGee is Barack Obama with a whistle in terms of poise, charisma and stature. You can see him rising to do great things. Now, this is not meant as any type of political commentary one way or the other. It’s just an analogy that when talent is there it is often apparaent.

The Razorbacks are poised to have an outstanding offense, and while the lion’s share of the coaching credit for that necessarily and rightly is bestowed upon Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, McGee should earn some credit, too.

When Petrino’s brother, Paul, opted to leave his brother’s staff, there is little doubt that Bobby had many coaches willing to come to Arkansas and take the title of offensive coordinator. Working under Petrino on the offensive side of the ball is good for anyone’s knowledge base and resume. Plus with the stable of talented receivers, running backs and quarterbacks returning, it would have made the coordinator’sjob that much more enticing. It says a great deal for McGee that Petrino stayed in house with the promotion.

If the Hogs have the type of season fan’s are dreaming about, McGee will have options in December. Here’s hoping he elects to remain a Razorback.

Here’s food for thought, though. If well-placed scuttlebutt is true, Petrino was about two falling dominoes away from getting a call from Florida to take over the Gators program last December when Urban Meyer waffled over whether he wanted to be Florida’s coach or not.

Should Petrino be poached from the Ozarks in the near or distant future, McGee wouldn’t be a bad coach to consider as his replacement.

Yes, I know all the hubbub about hiring needing to hire a proven head coach. I also know that the perfect replacement for Nolan Richardson is now coaching the Missouri Tigers, and the Hogs could have had him for a song back in 2002.

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Van Horn’s Hogs keep things interesting

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

FAYETTEVILLE — While Hog fans are anticipating what should be a very exciting football season and possibly dreading what will be the 2010-11 basketball season, Dave Van Horn’s No. 7 Razorbacks baseball team continues to craft what could be an outstanding season.

It’s already been pretty good.

The Hogs are 34-8 after Tuesday’s 5-4 gut-check victory over Missouri State. They lead the SEC West by two games at 13-5and are just one game back of South Carolina, the SEC’s overall and Eastern Division leader at 14-4 in SEC play and 32-8 overall.

The Razorbacks are a shoo-in to host a Regional — season ticket holders go their order forms this week — and if they finish SEC play as strong as they have performed up until now, they will be in the hunt to be a national seed to the NCAA Tournament,which would give them right to host a Super Regional if they make it that far.

While there is a long way to go, this Razorback squad is stacking up to be one of the best if not the best in the Dave Van Horn era. It has just the right combination of power and consistency at the plate and pitching and fielding on defense.

No matter how you size the Hogs up or with whom you match them, they will be a hard out of tournament play. Yes, the Razorbacks have lost two key road series at LSU and Florida, but each and everyone of those games were close, and could have been victories had a play or two or a call at the gone their way.

There have been Razorbacks teams in the past that would have wilted after such setbacks, but this Hog baseball team keeps plugging away. There is a quiet confidence about them that doesn’t let them get shook up. They know they are good and they don’t let a loss or an atrocious anticipated call knock them off their stride.

That’s a great quality to have in a sport like baseball in which no one game or no one performance during the regular season can make or break a team.

This Razorback team, too, is mature enough to not get caught up in the trivialities of the game. A 5-4 victory over a squad like Missouri State could worry a less confident team coming off back-to-back losses to Florida.

It might make another team tighten up for a pivotal series like the one the Razorbacks have with Auburn (28-14, 10-8 SEC) this weekend. But don’t expect that to be the case when the Tigers invade Baum Stadium. The Hogs fully understand midweek games this late in the season are just meant to be survived. It’s a good opportunity to work the bullpen and avoid a day of practice.

In the end, whether the Hogs run a midweek opponent out of the stadium or clip them by a single run, a victory is still a victory. The main thing is to stay healthy for the weekend.

The Hogs accomplished that Tuesday night with no muss and very little fuss.

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Red-White Game Recap Part 3: Offensive line

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

FAYETTEVILLE — Judging Arkansas’ offensive line from the Red-White scrimmage is an unfair proposition. Offensive lines are coached to work as a unit, and by dividing the teams up evenly, Bobby Petrino knowingly broke the cohesion of the group.

The mixing and matching linemen no doubt feed into the assignment mistakes that had the Hogs yield a combined 11 sacks in the scrimmage on April 24, which the Whites won 31-21.

Arkansas stands to have a solid if not strong offensive line for the 2010 season, and while I’m stepping out on a limb here since Petrino has not released a post-spring depth chart as of yet, I’m guessing it will be different than the pre-spring depth chart, and I would also hazard a guess that the offensive line depth chart for Arkansas’ opener against Tennessee Tech will be different from the post-spring chart, too.

Why?

Because at three of the five offensive-line positions, there is a great deal of competition, more than Arkansas has had since I first covered the team in 1989.

Senior tackle De’Marcus Love (6-5, 315) and junior center Seth Oxner (6-4, 315) will be hard to dislodge from their starting posts. Love has matured into a big-time tackle, while Oxner most experienced back-up would be Wade Grayson (6-4, 302), who started at guard last year but will have to fight of competition to hold that spot in 2010.

The guard spot is where most of the heat will be in August. Alvin Bailey (6-5, 323) moved into the starting lineup when Grayson suffered an injury and did not give the spot up in the spring. And the emergence of Anthony Oden (6-8, 328) at the tackle opposite Love allowed first-year offensive line coach Chris Klenakis to move starting tackle Ray Dominguez (6-4, 329) inside to guard.

Klenakis said the Dominguez/Oden experiment was an attempt to get the most physical and best lineman in camp on on five-man squad. But don’t think that Grayson and Grant Cook (6-4, 322) aren’t going to fight to regain their starting spots. August should be very competitive up front.

Grant Freeman (6-7, 298) is currently working behind Love at tackle, and Travis Swenson (6-5, 305) shows promise behind Oxner.

Once the dust settles, the Razorbacks ought to have an offensive line capable of rolling up big numbers whether protecting for the pass or knocking holes open for the run.

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