2020 HOGSPYs: Male Team of the Year

Razorback Communications April 30, 2020

The male team of the year award recognizes one male team who had had an impressive season, displayed academic excellence and overall team success.

This year’s nominees are:

Baseball

Finished with an 11-5 record in 2020, winning the first seven games of the year, followed by each of the last four to end the season.
Ended the season ranked in the top 15 in most of the polls.
Team was hitting .310 as a unit, with four starters above the team mark, including Heston Kjerstad with a whopping .448 batting average, which ranked second in the SEC.
Arkansas earned four weekly honors in 2020 – SEC Pitcher of the Week (Connor Noland), SEC Co-Player of the Week (Heston Kjerstad and Robert Moore) and SEC Co-Freshman of the Week (Robert Moore). Kjerstad and Moore also won national player of the week honors from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Perfect Game, respectively.

Basketball

Arkansas won 20 games in 2019-20, including one game in the SEC Tournament, prior to the season being canceled on Mar. 12.
Arkansas had a NCAA Net of 43 and were in the conversation to make the NCAA Tournament field. The team led the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage and led the SEC in fewest turnovers, free throws made, steals and turnover margin.
Mason Jones was named All-America and SEC Player of the Year. Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe were the top scoring duo in the SEC and sixth-best in the NCAA. Jimmy Whitt Jr., was the only graduate transfer to move to a Power 5 conference and average more points per game.

Men’s Golf

In 2018-19, won the program’s first SEC since 1995 and just he second SEC title in program history.
After finishing seventh in the stroke play, Arkansas defeated Vanderbilt, 3-2, in the quarterfinals; Texas A&M, 3-2, in the semifinals and top-seed Auburn, 3-1-1, in the championship.
The Razorbacks went on to compete in the NCAA Austin Regional, finishing sixth. Also won the Git-R-Done Invitational, marking the 13th straight year Arkansas has won at least one even under Brad McMakin. Overall, the team had seven top 5 finishes.
In 2019-20, Arkansas had four, top-5 finishes in its eight events. The team’s 284.4 scoring average is a school record.

Track & Field

SEC Indoor champions, won indoor conference title for first time since 2017.
- Total of 9 medalists – 2 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze.
- Ranked No. 10 nationally heading into SEC Indoor, defeated No. 2 LSU for title (106-88).
SEC Runner of the Year & Cliff Harper Trophy – Cameron Griffith.
Qualified 11 athletes in eight events for eight entries in NCAA Indoor Championships.
Head coach Chris Bucknam – SEC Indoor, USTFCCCA South Central Region Coach of the Year.

Watch the video to find out this year’s winner.