Arkansas Baseball Update
Arkansas Baseball Update
March 5, 2007
Week: 1-2
Overall Record: 10-5
Friday, March 2: #16 Ole Miss 6, #5 Arkansas 5
Sunday, March 4: #5 Arkansas 5, Minnesota 1
Sunday, March 25: Minnesota 10, #5 Arkansas 5
Noting the Razorbacks
No. 5 Arkansas went 1-2 this past weekend at the Dairy Queen Classic … the Razorbacks let a 5-3 lead slip away on Friday in a 6-5 non-conference loss to SEC foe Ole Miss and then split a doubleheader with host Minnesota on Sunday … the Hogs were originally scheduled to play The Citadel on Saturday, but heavy snow in Minneapolis cancelled their flight and other travel arrangements were unable to be made … the Golden Gophers also split a doubleheader with Ole Miss on Saturday … Arkansas is 10-5 headed into this coming weekend’s series with Kansas at Baum Stadium … the Razorbacks are averaging 9.5 runs per game and hitting .299 as a team … the Hog bats are even better with runners in scoring position boasting a .313 average led by Ben Tschepikow at .476 with Casey Coon close behind at .474 and Jake Dugger at .417 … on the mound the UA pitching staff has a 4.36 ERA and is striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings … but walks have been costly, averaging 4.6 per nine innings … All-America left-hander Nick Schmidt has been his usual dominant self with a 3-0 record and a 1.50 ERA in 2007 … he has allowed just one run over his last 20 innings … he set a season-high with 11 strikeouts in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday at Minnesota … the junior also hurled his first complete game of the season and the fourth of his career … his 260 career strikeouts are just one shy of third-place Scott Tabor on Arkansas all time chart … at the plate the top of the order has provided the punch in the lineup … leadoff hitter Jake Dugger is batting .340 with a team-best .492 on-base percentage … in the No. 2 hole in the lineup, Ben Tschepikow is batting .348 with a .441 on-base percentage to go along with his .476 RISP … Casey Coon has done nothing but produce in the three-hole in the lineup with a team-high .389 batting average and a SEC-best 26 RBI … he hit .455 at the Dairy Queen Classic with two doubles and six RBI … True freshman shortstop Tim Smalling is third on the team with a .349 batting average … Shaun Seibert made his first start in three weeks against Ole Miss on Friday and looked to regain his form from a year ago, pitching five innings and allowing just one run on three hits … he fanned four and walked two.
Pitcher of the Week Nominee
Nick Schmidt
Junior
St. Louis, Mo./Vianney High School
· Nick Schmidt improved to 3-0 on the season with a complete-game win at Minnesota
· It was his first complete game of the season and the fourth of his career
· Schmidt struck out a season-high 11 for his 10th career double-digit strikeout game
· He allowed just five hits and has help opponents to a .155 batting average this season
· Schmidt has lowered his ERA to 1.50 on the season and has only allowed one earned run in his last 20 innings on the mound
· His 230 career strikeouts rank fourth all time at Arkansas and just one shy of Scott Tabor’s third-place mark of 261
Hitter of the Week Nominee
Casey Coon
Junior
Las Vegas, Nev./Silverado/CC of Southern Nevada
· Casey Coon hit .455 at the Dairy Queen Classic, making two starts at third base and one a designated hitter
· Coon drove in a team-high six runs to give him an SEC-best 26 for the season
· He also had two doubles and posted a slugging percentage of .636
· Coon has upped his average to a team-best .389
Next Week
Arkansas returns home for a three game set with Kansas this Friday at 12:35 p.m. Saturday’s game will be played at 12:05 p.m. so it will not conflict with the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships going on inside the Randal Tyson Track Center. Sunday’s game is set for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch
Friday, March 9: Kansas at Arkansas, 12:35 p.m.
Saturday, March 10: Kansas at Arkansas, 12:05 p.m.
Sunday, March 11, Kansas at Arkansas, 1:05 p.m.
