Arkansas Baseball Notebook - March 9
March 9, 2008
Week: 5-0
Overall Record: 11-1
Wednesday, March 5 (1): Arkansas 13, South Dakota State 1
Wednesday, March 5 (2): Arkansas 20, South Dakota State 4
Friday, March 7: Arkansas 14, Siena 5
Saturday, March 8: Arkansas 17, Siena 2
Sunday, March 9: Arkansas 10, Siena 4
Noting the Razorbacks
Arkansas (11-1) posted a perfect 5-0 record this week at Baum Stadium with a doubleheader sweep of South Dakota State on March 5 and a series sweep of Siena over the weekend … Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks have won six-straight games overall before their trip to top-ranked Arizona State on Tuesday and Wednesday … Arkansas batted .384 as a team in five games this week while scoring 14.8 runs per game with 17 doubles and 17 home runs … UA posted a .751 slugging percentage as a team and a .487 on-base percentage … the Hogs also tied a school record for runs in an inning with 12 runs in the seventh inning on Saturday vs. the Saints … UA hit a season-high five home runs as a team on Friday vs. Siena … the pitching staff had a 2.80 ERA with a .209 opponent batting average … senior first baseman/outfielder Aaron Murphree produced one of the most impressive offensive weeks in school history with eight home runs in five games and a .524 batting average with 15 RBI and 13 runs scored … he has homered in a school-record six-straight games, including multiple home run games vs. South Dakota State (2 HR) and Siena (3 HR) … Murphree also slugged 1.667 for the week with a .660 on-base percentage … Ben Tschepikow also turned in an outstanding week with a .526 batting average (10 for 19) with two doubles and seven RBI … Tim Smalling hit .474 with seven RBI, a .524 on-base percentage and three stolen bases … freshman Andy Wilkins hit .333 with three home runs and 10 RBI while fellow freshman Brett Eibner batted .391 with two home runs and 10 RBI … Cliff Springston won his third game of the season against Siena on Saturday with a UA team-high 6.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits … he fanned four and did not walk a batter … Eibner started the second game of the South Dakota State doubleheader Wednesday on the mound and pitched five-strong innings, allowing two runs on three hits with a career-high six strikeouts and no walks … Dallas Keuchel earned a win in two appearances out of the bullpen, pitching 4.1 innings and not surrendering an earned run while fanning six … Shaun Seibert made his best start of the season to earn his first win on Sunday, allowing just one run on two hits over four innings with five strikeouts.
Hitter of the Week Nominee
Aaron Murphree * Senior
Weatherford, Texas/Weatherford HS/Northeast Texas CC
· Aaron Murphree produced one of the most amazing weeks in Arkansas baseball history with eight home runs in six games this week.
· Murphree hit .524 (11 for 24) for the week with 15 RBI and 13 runs scored while slugging 1.667 with a .600 on-base percentage. He also stole a team-high three bases.
· He has homered in a school-record six-straight games and has 12 home runs on the season, which is halfway to Arkansas’ single-season home run record of 24.
· Murphree had two-multiple home run games this week with two home runs in the second game of a doubleheader with South Dakota State on March 5 and three against Siena on March 7.
· He was 6 for 9 with seven RBI and three home runs in a doubleheader with South Dakota State on Wednesday.
· Murphree then connected for five home runs in three games against Siena, including the three on March 7 when he also drove in four runs and scored four runs.
Pitcher of the Week Nominee
Cliff Springston * Junior
Lorena, Texas/Lorena HS/Baylor
· Cliff Springston won his team-high third game of the season with a dominating performance against Siena on Saturday, March 8.
· He pitched an Arkansas’ season-high 6.1 innings while allowing just one run on five hits.
· In his first start as a Razorback, Springston struck out four and did not walk a Siena batter.
· He retired 10 batters in a row from the second out of the second inning until surrendering a one-out single in the fifth inning.
· Springston is 3-0 on the season with a 0.96 ERA in a team-high 18.2 innings.
Freshman of the Week Nominee
Brett Eibner * Freshman
The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS
· Brett Eibner earned his second win of the season on the mound with five-strong innings in a start in the second game of a doubleheader against South Dakota State on Wednesday.
· At the plate, he hit .391 with two home runs, 10 RBI, a double and four runs scored. He posted a .696 slugging percentage while laying down a sacrifice bunt and scoring a run with a sacrifice fly.
· Eibner went 2 for 5 and started in center field in the opening game of the twinbill against SDSU on Wednesday with his first home run as a Hog and two RBI.
· He then started the second game vs. SDSU on the mound, allowing just two runs on three hits over five innings with a career-high six strikeouts. Eibner also helped himself at the plate with a career-high five hits and six RBI with a three-run home run. He finished the double header with seven hits (7 for 11) and eight RBI.
· Eibner drove in two more runs on Friday in the opening game of the Siena series with a single.
Next Week
Tuesday, March 11: Arkansas at Arizona State: 8:35 p.m. (CT)
Wednesday, March 12: Arkansas at Arizona State: 8:35 p.m. (CT)
Friday, March 14: Georgia at Arkansas, 6:35 p.m.
Saturday, March 15: Georgia at Arkansas, 12:05 p.m.
Sunday, March 16: Georgia at Arkansas, 12:05 p.m.
Download: This Week.pdf
