Razorback Roundup -- March 22

BASEBALL (13-5, 1-2): The Razorbacks opened Southeastern Conference play at third-ranked LSU and took game one, 6-3, behind home runs from Brett Eibner and Andy Wilkins, and a strong outing from starter Mike Bolsinger. Eibner’s two home runs mark the third two-homer performance of his career. With his home run, Wilkins moved into a tie for seventh (with Jake Dugger, 2004-07) on UA’s all-time list with 34. Bolsinger improved to 3-0. In game two, the Hogs built a 5-1 lead, but LSU rallied in the seventh for an 8-7 win. The Tigers took the finale with a 5-1 victory Sunday. Eibner hit his third home run of the weekend. Zack Cox went 5-for-13 (.385) over the weekend to extend his career-best hitting streak to 18 games. The Hogs travel to Lake Charles, La., for a two-game midweek series at McNeese State. Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s games are at 6:30 p.m. Arkansas returns home to resume SEC play with a weekend series against Alabama. Friday’s game starts at 6:35 p.m. with games two and three set for 2:05 p.m. and 1:05 p.m., respectively. Cox Sports Television will air games one and three.MEN’S BASKETBALL (14-18, 7-9): Head coach John Pelphrey held an end-of-season press conference on Friday to discuss the 2009-10 season. Pelphrey discussed everything from next season’s roster to the details regarding his reassignment of Isaac Brown into an administrative role and his search for a new assistant coach. Spring signing day for basketball is April 14 and Pelphrey will begin speaking at various Razorback Club meetings shortly after.WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Former Arkansas star Shameka Christon earned selection to the USA Basketball Women’s National Team roster, USA Basketball announced recently. Twelve athletes, including Christon, were added to the roster, bringing the total to 20. The 2010 USA World Championship Team and, should the USA qualify, the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team, will be selected from those 20. Christon was drafted by the WNBA after graduation and played for the New York Liberty. The U.S. team is scheduled to take part in the 2010 FIBA World Championships Sept. 23-Oct. 3 in Brno, Karlovy Vary and Ostrava, Czech Republic, with the gold medal winner qualifying for the 2012 Olympics.FOOTBALL: The Razorbacks open spring football on Tuesday, March 30. The Red-White Spring Game is set for April 24. MEN’S GOLF: The Razorbacks are competing in the Oregon Duck Invitational today (Monday) and Tuesday. It is the Razorbacks’ third tournament this month and pits Arkansas against 12 other teams, mainly from the West Coast, at Shadow Hills Country Club in Junction City, Ore. The tournament is a six-man, count five, format with teams playing 36 holes on Monday and finishing with 18 on Tuesday. Senior David Lingmerth continues to lead the Razorbacks in stroke average at 71.39 and is followed by senior Jamie Marshall, 72.30, and freshman Austin Cook, 73.85.WOMEN’S GOLF: Arkansas tees it up at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga., Friday-Sunday, at the UGA Golf Course. The par 72, 6,335-yard event is one of the longest-running college golf tournaments in the country. This week’s field includes Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Denver, Duke, Florida, Furman, Georgia, Georgia State, Kent State, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Purdue, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane, UCF, Virginia and Wake Forest.GYMNASTICS (7-4-1, 2-3-1): No. 6 Arkansas dropped its final home meet of the season to No. 2 Oklahoma, but senior All-American Casey Jo Magee broke the school record in the all-around for the third time this season with a 39.675. She won four event titles, including the all-around, and tied her school record with a 9.95 on beam. She also matched the second-best UA score with a 9.95 on vault and the fifth-best floor with a 9.925. Sophomore All-American Jaime Pisani also had a 9.925 on floor to equal the fifth-best score. The Razorbacks compete at the SEC Championship in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday. SOFTBALL (18-10, 3-2): Arkansas opened Southeastern Conference play last week with a five-game road trip to South Carolina and Kentucky. The Razorbacks went 3-2. Arkansas got off on a solid note with a sweep of a doubleheader at South Carolina. A 3-for-3 performance with a home run and three RBI from Arkansas center fielder Jessica Bachkora led the Razorbacks to an 8-5 win in game one while six strong innings from junior pitcher Layne McGuirt helped Arkansas to a 3-2 win in the nightcap. In Lexington on Saturday, the Razorbacks fell twice as Kentucky pitching limited an often-potent Arkansas offense. The offense struggled, producing only two hits in a 5-0 loss in game one and two more hits in the second game, a 4-2 loss. Solo home runs by senior first baseman Sandra Smith and freshman second baseman Courtney Breault in the second game accounted for Arkansas’ runs. In the finale on Sunday, Smith’s second home run of the day, a three-run shot in the top of the sixth, helped the Razorbacks to a 9-8 win. Smith finished the day 2-for-4 with five RBI. The Razorbacks return to action Wednesday at Bogle Park with a 4 p.m. matchup against No. 8 Oklahoma before hosting Mississippi State in a three-game weekend series beginning Saturday. SWIMMING AND DIVING (6-2, 2-1): Arkansas wrapped up its season at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship this past weekend at Purdue’s Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Ind. Senior Yi-Ting Siow matched the best NCAA individual performance in school history and recorded the second-fastest 200-yard breaststroke in Southeastern Conference history, finishing fourth in her strongest event. Siow’s time (2:07.73) was just seven-hundredths of a second behind the SEC record held by 1999 NCAA champion Kristy Kowal of Georgia and broke Siow’s own school record of 2:08.41, set at last year’s NCAA championships. The senior also tied her own fourth-place finish in the same event at last year’s meet. By finishing in the top 16, Siow wrapped up her college career as a four-time All-American. Fellow senior Leah Pierce and junior Jamie Marks also competed. Arkansas finished 34th as a team with 15 total points.MEN’S TENNIS (9-8, 1-4): No. 41 Arkansas returns to Fayetteville on Sunday to host the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers at the Dills Indoor Tennis Stadium. On Sunday, Arkansas visited No. 6 Georgia and fell 6-0. The Hogs were competitive in every match and forced the Bulldogs to earn the win. Georgia gained momentum early, winning the doubles point at the No. 2 and No. 1 positions. Georgia clinched the match on court four as Bo Seal defeated Michael Ward, 7-5, 6-3. The teams played out the match on the top court where No. 49 Christopher Nott and No. 96 Nate Schnugg battled in a tightly contested match. Nott owned the early advantage, taking the first set 6-3, but Schnugg rallied back to even the score at a set apiece. Schnugg was able to break Nott to pull away with the match in the third set tiebreaker, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(6).WOMEN’S TENNIS (12-5, 2-2): No. 14 Arkansas was defeated at the hands of the Texas A&M, 4-3, on Wednesday at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station. The Hogs fell behind early by losing the doubles point, but battled back in singles to tie it up with one match remaining between No. 63 Elze Potgieter and No. 55 Anouk Tigu. Tigu suffered a tough three set loss. Arkansas got a break from competition over the weekend, but returns to the courts Friday against Georgia. The Hogs then travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the Lady Vols on Sunday. The match against Georgia is a home match at the George M. Billingsley Tennis Center. First serve is set for noon.MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD: The Razorbacks open the outdoor season Friday and Saturday. The Razorback distance runners travel to Palo Alto, Calif., for the Stanford Invitational. The remaining squad members host the Razorback Spring Invitational Saturday at John McDonnell Field.WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD: The Razorbacks picked up event wins in the 400 meters, 800, 400 hurdles, triple jump and 4×400 relay at the Central Florida Black and Gold Challenge. Freshmen Martine Borge, Gwendolyn Flowers, Regina George, Caroline McCombs and Rachel Werner, and juniors Edina Brooks and Shantel Thompson made their outdoor debuts for Arkansas. Leah Orley won the 400 hurdles (1:00.83), finished seventh in the long jump (16-6.5) and was eighth in the 100 hurdles (15.00). Thompson won the triple jump (39-1.25) and finished fourth in the long jump (17-11.75). Borge won the 800 (2:16.35). George won the 400 (55.17). Arkansas’ "A" 4×400-meter relay (Brooks, Jones, George, Thomas) won in 3:42.27. The Razorback distance runners travel to Palo Alto, Calif., for the Stanford Invitational this weekend. The remaining squad members host the Razorback Spring Invitational on Saturday at John McDonnell Field.