Ranked Matchup With Ole Miss Up Next For Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – It’s been almost two weeks since the eighth-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks played a game at Baum-Walker Stadium, but will return to the friendly confines this weekend with a three-game series against No. 21 Ole Miss starting on Friday at 8 p.m.

Friday’s game will be televised in front of a national audience on ESPNU, Saturday’s game two, set for a 3 p.m. start, will be on the SEC Network, while Sunday’s finale will be on SEC Network+ and have first pitch at 1:30 p.m.

The Razorbacks (21-4, 5-1 SEC) are winners of 10 of their last 12 and have won 18-straight home series dating back to the 2017 season. Arkansas saw its offense come alive last week in its wins over No. 9 Texas and Alabama, scoring 10 or more runs in each of its victories and hitting .299 as a team with seven home runs and 53 hits. The bating average almost matches what the team is doing inside Baum-Walker Stadium as the Hogs are hitting .305 in 16 home games with an average of 7.6 runs per game.

Isaiah Campbell will take the mound on Friday night and is 5-0 on the year with a 1.93 ERA in 37.1 innings pitched. Last week, he went seven scoreless innings with five hits scattered, one walk and seven strikeouts. He’s never walked more than two batters in a start this year and is the only pitcher in the SEC with 14 or more innings pitched, 18 or more strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA against league opponents.

At the plate, Jacob Nesbit, Dominic Fletcher and Heston Kjerstad are a trio of Arkansas’ hottest hitters. All three are hitting .312 or higher and combine for nine of Arkansas’ 26 home runs this year. Nesbit was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday as he brings in a team-best 15-game hitting and 22-game reached base streak. Nesbit hit .421 last week and has seen his batting average ruse from .235 to .337 over the course of his hit streak.

Follow Live
This weekend’s series can be viewed on ESPNU on Friday and the SEC Network on Saturday. Both games one and two will have Sam Ravech (PxP) and Ben McDonald  (Analyst) on the call. Brett Dolan (PxP) and Troy Eklund (Analyst) will return for the series finale on Sunday for the SEC Network+ broadcast.

Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter will have the radio call all three days on the Razorback Sports Network.

Fans can listen to the radio call via the Razorback Gameday app and locally on KQSM 92.1 FM. Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes prior to first pitch. There will also be a live radio link available on ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

Important Links
Game 1 – WATCH | LIVE STATS
Game 2 – WATCH | LIVE STATS
Game 3 – WATCH | LIVE STATS

Probable Starters
FRI. : (ARK) RHP Isaiah Campbell (5-0, 1.93 ERA, 51 K, 5 BB) vs. (OM) RHP Will Etheridge (4-1, 0.71 ERA, 22 K, 10 BB)

SAT. : (ARK) RHP Connor Noland (0-1, 4.50 ERA, 18 K, 8 BB) vs. (OM) LHP Doug Nikhazy (2-2, 2.88 ERA, 23 K, 9 BB)

SUN. : (ARK) RHP Cody Scroggins (2-0, 3.00 ERA, 36 K, 10 BB) vs. (OM) RHP Gunnar Hoglund (1-0, 4.09 ERA, 16 K, 5 BB)

Hogs-Rebels In Ranked Matchup At Baum-Walker
Arkansas will be looking to win its first series over Ole Miss in four years when the Rebels come to Fayetteville this weekend. Eight of the last 12 games between the two teams has been decided by three runs or less, but the Razorbacks have only won one series against the Rebels over the last six years. This will be the second-straight year the matchup consists of two ranked teams. Last year, Arkansas was ranked No. 5 and visited Oxford and No. 4 Ole Miss, but the Rebels rallied for wins in games two and three after falling to Blaine Knight, 6-4, on Friday night.

Coming Back Swinging
Arkansas has had some of its biggest games, offensively, this season after coming off of a loss. In the four games following a defeat, the Razorbacks are averaging 10.8 runs a game and 1.5 home runs a game. The offense is hitting .315 in those four games with Heston Kjerstad leading all Razorbacks with 10 or more at-bats with a .556 average (10-for-18) and has seven RBIs.

Nesbit Wins First Sec Freshman Of The Week
Redshirt-freshman infielder Jacob Nesbit was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday after his strong weekend at the plate that helped the Razorbacks split the midweek series at No. 9 Texas and then take a crucial weekend series on the road against Alabama. The Coppell, Texas native hit .421 (8-for-19) for the week, good for the second-best average on the team and extended his team-best hitting streak to 14 games, which dates back to a March 6 victory over Charlotte. Nesbit has also reached base in 21-consecutive games, which is the longest on the team. During his 14-game hit streak, he has seen his batting average rise from .235 to .346 and has tallied five multi-hit games during that span.

Campbell Forms Into Friday Night Ace
Following the footsteps of All-American Blaine Knight, redshirt junior Isaiah Campbell has, seemingly, transformed into the Friday-night ace for the Hogs this year. Campbell moved to 5-0 on the season last week in the 12-3 win over Alabama after working seven scoreless innings with five hits scattered, one walk and seven strikeouts. Cambell has 18 strikeouts over his two SEC starts, which ties for second in the league. He also has never walked more than two batters in a start this year.

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