Razorbacks Host Bulldogs in Penultimate Home Series
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Hogs are home at last.
After back-to-back weekends on the road, No. 1 Arkansas returns to the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium to host Georgia (27-16, 10-11 SEC) in the penultimate home series of the season. This weekend’s action between the Razorbacks and Bulldogs gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 7, on SEC Network+.
The Hogs, 34-8 overall on the season, are in sole possession of first place in the SEC West with a 15-6 mark in conference play, leading second-place Mississippi State by one game. Arkansas, the unanimously top-ranked team in all of college baseball, have won a program-record seven consecutive SEC series and enter Friday night’s ballgame against Georgia as the nation’s leader in home runs (76).
Arkansas is also the SEC leader in walks (251), fielding percentage (.979), runs (347), scoring (8.3) and slugging percentage (.500).
Schedule
Friday, May 7 – 6:30 p.m. – Georgia – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
Saturday, May 8 – 6 p.m. – Georgia – SEC Network – Listen – Live Stats
Sunday, May 9 – 2 p.m. – Georgia – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
Matchups & History
Friday
Georgia LHP Liam Sullivan (1-0, 4.74 ERA) vs. Arkansas LHP Patrick Wicklander (3-1, 1.89 ERA)
Saturday
Georgia RHP Jonathan Cannon (2-2, 4.19 ERA) vs. Arkansas RHP Peyton Pallette (1-2, 4.02 ERA)
Sunday
Georgia LHP Ryan Webb (3-3, 3.04 ERA) vs. Arkansas TBA
The Razorbacks and Bulldogs will clash for the 59th, 60th and 61st time in history this weekend. Arkansas leads the series with a 34-24 record, including a 20-7 mark in games played in Fayetteville.
Arkansas swept Georgia when the two teams last clashed at Baum-Walker Stadium during the 2017 campaign. The Hogs have not lost a series to the Bulldogs in Fayetteville since the 2008 season.
Tune In
Saturday’s contest between top-ranked Arkansas and Georgia will broadcast nationally on the SEC Network with Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Todd Walker (analyst) on the call. Friday and Sunday’ ballgames, meanwhile, will air on SEC Network+ with Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Troy Eklund (analyst) on the call.
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 games 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 all weekend long.
Radio Affiliates
Conway – KASR-FM 92.7
El Dorado – KELD-AM 107.1 (FM Translator)
Fayetteville – KQSM-FM 92.1
Forrest City – KXJK-AM 950
Forrest City – KXJK-FM 106.5
Fort Smith – KERX-FM 95.3
Little Rock – KABZ-FM 103.7
Marshall – KBCN-FM 104.3
Mena – KTTG-FM 96.3
Rogers – KURM-AM 790
Rogers – KURM-FM 100.3
Stuttgart – KWAK-FM 105.5
Texarkana, TX – KKTK-AM 1400
10 Consecutive Weeks at No. 1
And still the unanimous No. 1 team.
Arkansas kept its title as the undisputed top squad in college baseball for Week 12 of the season, leading all six major polls released Monday. Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, D1Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game and USA Today each put the Razorbacks atop their respective rankings for the fourth straight week.
It is the sixth time this season that Arkansas is the unanimous No. 1 team as well as the 10th consecutive week that the Hogs maintain the top spot in at least one of the six polls.
Sooieville Sluggers
Arkansas remains college baseball’s leader in home runs.
The Razorbacks have hit 76 homers in 42 games this year, two more than any other team in the country this season. Old Dominion ranks second with 74 in 42 ballgames, while Mercer checks in at third with 71 in 44 games.
The Hogs’ astounding 1.81 homers per game is second in the country behind only Northwestern (1.93). The Wildcats have swatted 54 home runs in 28 games.
Four Razorbacks have blasted double-digit homers this season, including Matt Goodheart (11), Robert Moore (11), Christian Franklin (10) and Brady Slavens (10). Goodheart was named the National Player of the Week by both Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Perfect Game/Rawlings in April after swatting five dingers in four games against UA Pine Bluff and Texas A&M (April 14-18).
Call the Kopps
The best pitcher in all of college baseball for the month of April was an Arkansas Razorback.
Kevin Kopps was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Pitcher of the Month after a dominant April on the mound. He appeared in nine games for the unanimously top-ranked Hogs during the month, posting a 0.81 ERA and recording four saves in 22.1 innings while allowing only five walks and striking out 42.
On the year, Kopps has a 6-0 record and a 0.85 ERA, striking out 75 and walking only 12 in 42.1 innings. He has a team-high six saves, allowing only 27 hits – a .164 opponent batting average against – and surrendering just four runs this season. Five of his six saves are of the multi-inning variety, most recently nabbing a 2.1-inning save on the road at LSU last weekend.
The Sugar Land, Texas, native is also in the running for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, which is given to the top relief pitcher in the nation. Kopps leads the nation in ERA (0.85) and tops the SEC in strikeouts per nine innings (15.94).
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