Hogs Open 2022 Season with Weekend Series against Illinois State
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Razorback baseball is back.
No. 2 Arkansas begins its 2022 campaign – the program’s 100th season of competition – with a three-game series against Illinois State this weekend at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. First pitch in the opener is set for 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, on SEC Network+.
Game two of the series between the Razorbacks and Redbirds gets underway at noon Saturday, Feb. 19, before concluding with the finale at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20.
Schedule
3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18
Illinois State – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
Noon Saturday, Feb. 19
Illinois State – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20
Illinois State – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
Tune In
Arkansas’ season-opening series against Illinois State will stream on SEC Network+ with Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Troy Eklund (analyst) on the call for all three games. Fans can catch all the action through the ESPN app on smartphones, computers and tablets or via Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
All three contests can also be heard on the Razorback Sports Network from Learfield/IMG, including locally in Fayetteville on 92.1 FM. Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter will have the call from Baum-Walker Stadium all weekend long.
A full list of radio affiliates is available here: bit.ly/36n0Lz7.
Matchups
Friday
Arkansas RHP Connor Noland (2021: 1-0, 6.91 ERA) vs. Illinois State RHP Jordan Lussier (2021: 6-3, 4.36 ERA)
Saturday
Arkansas LHP Hagen Smith (2021: N/A) vs. Illinois State LHP Sean Sinisko (2021: 5-5, 4.44)
Sunday
Arkansas RHP Jaxon Wiggins (2021: 3-1, 5.09 ERA) vs. Illinois State RHP Derek Salata (2021: 2-4, 4.95)
Series History
Arkansas and Illinois State will meet for the eighth, ninth and 10th time in history this weekend. The Razorbacks are 5-2 overall against the Redbirds, with all seven games taking place in Fayetteville, Ark.
Illinois State, however, holds the momentum against Arkansas entering this weekend’s three-game series. The Redbirds have won two of the last three clashes with the Hogs, including a midweek contest at Baum-Walker Stadium during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
In the Polls
The Razorbacks begin the year ranked in all six major preseason polls, cracking the top 10 in five of them.
D1Baseball – No. 2
USA Today Coaches – No. 4
NCBWA – No. 4
Baseball America – No. 8
Perfect Game – No. 9
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper – No. 20
Big Hit Bob
Arkansas second baseman Robert Moore has the attention of general managers, scouts and talent evaluators across the board entering his junior season.
A consensus preseason All-American, Moore earned a spot on this year’s preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award after slashing .283/.384/.558 with a team-leading 16 home runs and 53 RBI in 2021. The Leawood, Kan., native also landed on the preseason All-SEC First Team at second base, garnering high praise from the league’s 14 coaches.
Moore has done nothing but amaze since stepping foot on campus as an early enrollee ahead of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, slashing .291/.388/.534 with 18 home runs and 70 RBI in 77 games over two seasons as a Razorback. He established himself as one of college baseball’s premier middle infielders last year, earning All-SEC, Newcomer All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive praise following his first full season at Arkansas.
It’s Wally Time
Alongside Moore in Arkansas’ infield, Cayden Wallace has big expectations ahead of the 2022 season.
The Greenbrier, Ark., native burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2021, becoming the 24th Razorback in program history to earn Freshman All-America status by slashing .279/.369/.500 with 14 homers and 44 RBI. The Hogs’ primary right fielder last season, Wallace will take over at the hot corner for Arkansas this year.
One of the Hogs’ three team captains, Wallace enters the campaign as a preseason All-SEC Second Team honoree at third base. He also joined Moore as a preseason candidate for the Golden Spikes Award as Arkansas was one of nine programs to boast a pair of student-athletes on the watch list.
100 Seasons of Arkansas Baseball
Celebrating its 100th season of play in 2022, Arkansas will embark on its 75th consecutive campaign (after eight early seasons of non-varsity sponsorship and a program discontinuation from 1930 to 1946) on the diamond. A commemorative logo has been created for fans to remember where they were in 2022.
Designed by AJ Enloe and the University of Arkansas Athletics Department team, the diamond-shaped logo features the recognizable Old English A over a large 100 Seasons callout. Also present is the date, 1897, reminding players and fans alike, how connected we all are through the love of our team. The logo will be featured on the honorary first pitch baseballs and made available on merchandise at Baum-Walker Stadium, the Hog Heaven store in the North end zone of the football stadium, the Hog Heaven store at the Northwest Arkansas Mall and online.
For more information about Arkansas’ centennial season, visit: bit.ly/3gP1N8R.
For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).
