Razorbacks Ready For Tough Test Against Louisiana Tech
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Taking a five-game winning streak and an undefeated home record into the fourth weekend of the 2019 season, the 10th-ranked Razorback Baseball team will get its toughest test of the year so far starting on Friday when it takes on Louisiana Tech at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Friday’s game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start, while Saturday and Sunday’s games will both start at 1 p.m. All games will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
The Razorbacks (10-1) won their 23rd-straight home game dating back to last season on Wednesday when they beat Charlotte, 9-2, on the backs of a strong pitching performance by freshman Patrick Wicklander and a near-cycle by freshman Christian Franklin. Franklin has been on of the Hogs’ best bats as he has six hits over his last two games and is currently second on the team with an even .400 average and five stolen bases.
Louisiana Tech (9-3) saw its four-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday, falling to Northwestern State, 8-4. Tech is led, offensively by Mason Robinson, who leads the team with a .373 average and 19 hits. The outfielder is slugging .569, good for second-best on the team and has a .407 on-base percentage.
This weekend’s matchup will also showcase the ever-growing coaching tree of Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn. Louisiana Tech head coach Lane Burroughs was hired by Van Horn to be an assistant coach at Northwestern State just a few months prior to Van Horn takin the Nebraska head job. Burroughs will be the first of four former assistants Van Horn will face in at least one game this season. Van Horn will also take on Chris Curry (Little Rock – April 2), Tony Vitello (Tennessee – April 26-28) and Rob Childress (Texas A&M – May 16-18).
Follow Live
This weekend’s series will be available on SEC Network+ via the Watch ESPN app and WatchESPN.com. Brett Dolan (PxP) and Troy Eklund (Analyst) will call the action. Phil Elson (PxP) and Bubba Carpenter (Analyst) will have the radio call 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 (3-0, 3.12 ERA, 23 K, 3 BB) vs. (LATECH) RHP Matt Miller (1-0, 5.68 ERA, 17 K, 4 BB)
Sat. : (ARK) RHP Connor Noland (0-0, 3.86 ERA, 10 K, 4 BB) vs. (LATECH) LHP Logan Robbins (0-0, 8.03 ERA, 11 K, 8 BB)
Sun. : (ARK) RHP Cody Scroggins (0-0, 7.88 ERA, 15 K, 4 BB) vs. (LATECH) LHP Logan Bailey (1-1, 9.42 ERA, 18 K, 5 BB)
Last We Met…
It’s been two years since Arkansas and Louisiana Tech met on the diamond. The last meeting came in a two-game midweek series at Love Field in Ruston, Louisiana. Arkansas lost the first game, 4-3, and found itself down 10-1 after two innings of play in game two before scoring 12 unanswered runs. Then-freshman Jordan McFarland provided the go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning, one of five home runs hit as a team in the game and Barrett Loseke finished the game on the mound with four near-perfect innings, giving up no runs, one hit, and totaling a career-high seven strikeouts to garner the 13-10 victory.
Campbell Turns In Career Day Against Stony Brook
For the first time since 2017, a Razorback pitcher struck out 12 or more batters in a game when Isaiah Campbell struck out a career-high 13 Stony Brook batters over seven innings on Friday. It was the most strikeouts in a game since Trevor Stephan struck out 13 against Rhode Island on March 10, 2017. Campbell’s strikeout today made him only the second Razorback pitcher since 2010 to strike out 11 or more and the second since 2007 to strike out 13 or more.
“I Knew It Was There; It Was Just A Matter Of Time.” – Jack Kenley
Junior Jack Kenley has never been seen as a power hitter since arriving on campus in 2017. In his previous 84 at-bats prior to this year, kenley only had 16 hits, three for extra bases and no home runs. This year, Kenley already had five extra-base hits and three home runs. The three long balls leads the teams and ranks in the top-10 of the league.
Hogs Crack Top 10 After Hot Start
With a 9-1 start to the season and a perfect 7-0 home record, the Razorback cracked the top-10 of the USA Today/Coaches’ National Poll this week, one of five SEC teams in top 10. Arkansas is ranked in the top-20 of every national poll and has not dropped out of the top-25 since the original preseason rankings came out.
Up Next
Arkansas goes into the final week of its longest homestand of the year as it will face Western Illinois in two midweek games starting on Tuesday at Baum-Walker Stadium. Game one between the Leathernecks and Razorbacks is set for 6:30 p.m., while game two on Wednesday is set for 3 p.m.
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