Hogs Set To Face Loaded Field At Frisco Classic
FRISCO, Texas – 20th-ranked Arkansas remains on the road this weekend as it will face a stacked field at the inaugural Frisco College Classic at Dr. Pepper Ballpark, the home of the Texas Double-A affiliate Frisco Roughriders. The Razorbacks will face No. 5 Arizona out of the Pac-12 on Friday at 4 p.m., followed by Nebraska on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. They will then finish the weekend against No. 14 Oklahoma State on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
Follow Live
All three games will be available regionally on Cox Sports Television (CST) with Alex Perlman (PXP) and Troy Eklund (Analyst) on the call. For those not in the Cox Television footprint, the games will be available on WatchESPN. To see the full Cox Television coverage map, CLICK HERE. Scott Inman and Phil Elson will call all three games for the Razorback Sports Network on the radio.
Probable Starters
Fri. | 4 p.m. | (ARK) RHP Blaine Knight vs. (ARIZ) LHP J.C. Cloney
Sat. | 7:30 p.m. | (ARK) RHP Trevor Stephan vs. (NEB) RHP Jake Hohensee
Sun. | 3:30 p.m. | (ARK) TBA vs. (OSU) TBA
Hogs Score Major Comeback At Louisiana Tech
Arkansas had what is believed to be the biggest comeback in the Dave Van Horn era Wednesday at Louisiana Tech. Down 10-1 after two innings, the Hogs chipped away at the lead, hitting five home runs and scoring 13 unanswered runs to give the Bulldogs their first loss of the season. The five long balls was the most in a single game since 2010, when the Hogs launched nine against Grambling State in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. Freshman Jordan McFarland hit the go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning, while sophomore Barrett Loseke shutdown the La. Tech offense on the mound, throwing four scoreless innings and striking out a career-high seven batters.
Loseke and Alberius Shine On The Mound
Lost in the major offensive outburt in Wednesday’s comeback at Louisiana Tech, redshirt senior Josh Alberius and sophomore Barrett Loseke shined on the mound over the two-game stretch. Starting his first collegiate game on Tuesday, Alberius pitched a career-high 5.1 innings and struck out a career-high seven batters. Alberius was near untouchable into the sixth inning, but was saddled with the loss after an error allowed two unearned runs home. As for Loseke, the Tulsa, Oklahoma native stifled the La. Tech bats for 4.0 innings, striking out seven batters, also a career-high. So far this season, there have been seven outings by Hog pitchers where they have tallied five or more strikeouts.
Runs A Plenty
After dispatching Bryant in three games last week and splitting the midweek series at Louisiana Tech, the Hogs moved to 7-1 on the year and have done so by scoring in bunches. In each of its three games with Bryant, Arkansas scored 10 or more runs, and have scored 10 or more runs in five of the last six games dating back to its series finale with Miami (Ohio). Through eight games this year, the Razorbacks have touched the plate 79 times. It’s the second most through eight games in the last 12 seasons. Against Bryant, alone, Arkansas hit .292 as a team with 31 hits, 10 for extra bases, including four home runs, and a staggering 21 walks. The 79 runs scored is the third-highest among all SEC teams and 16th-highest in the nation.
The Return Of The Long Ball
The home run ball has been friendly to the Razorback early on this season. Through eight games, the Hogs have hit 14 home runs, five coming in Wednesday’s nine-run comeback against Louisiana Tech. Sophomore catcher Grant Koch leads the team with three home runs, while freshman Dominic Fletcher, senior Jake Arledge, and redshirt junior Carson Shaddy each have two. Koch’s three long balls already surpasses his total from a year ago and ties for third in the SEC. The team’s 15 home runs is good for tops in the league and eighth-most in the nation.
Arkansas Against The Frisco Classic Field
The Hogs will face a stacked field at the Frisco Classic this weekend. On Friday, Arkansas will face fifth-ranked Arizona, and Big 10 foe Nebraska on Saturday. It will close the weekend against No. 14 Oklahoma State, a team Arkansas faced twice, splitting its two midweek games. Arkansas has only faced Arizona 11 times with the Wildcats owning the 8-3 series advantage. Two of those wins came in 2009, when the Wildcats visited for a two-game midweek series in Fayetteville. Against Nebraska, the Hogs are 9-11, while against Oklahoma State, Arkansas is 18-24.
Hello Old Friend
For the first time since 2014, head coach Dave Van Horn will be facing Nebraska, his previous coaching stop before arriving at Arkansas in 2003. Van Horn was 214-92 with the Cornhuskers during his five-year tenure and reached the College World Series in 2001 and 2002. This will be the fourth season that Van Horn has faced his old club since taking over for Arkansas. In those eight games, the Hogs are 3-5 with two wins in Fayetteville and one win in Lincoln.
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