Arkansas makes slight change to starting rotation
FAYETTEVILLE — The top-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks will go with a slightly different starting rotation ahead of this weekend's series against the eighth-ranked LSU Tigers at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Arkansas isn't changing who will be in the starting rotation, but head coach Dave Van Horn announced Wednesday that the order will change. Junior ace Hagen Smith will start Game 1 on Thursday, as expected, but Texas Tech transfer Mason Molina will move up one game and start Friday, which moves junior Brady Tygart back to Game 3 on Saturday.
"We just want to give Brady another day to get right," Van Horn said Wednesday. "So that’s kind of the way we’re going to do it."
Understandably so, Van Horn received questions about whether or not the decision to move Tygart back had to do with potential injury concerns.
"Just let him rest a little bit," Van Horn said. "Let him get everything straightened up and feel really good. Nothing wrong with him."
Tygart missed more than eight weeks in 2023 due to a sprained UCL, and he's been a starting pitcher for the Razorbacks ever since returning. Across six starts this season, Tygart owns a 1.59 ERA with 39 strikeouts and 16 walks.
"I feel great about Brady," Van Horn said. "His stuff’s good. Competes hard. I think that he’s had a little bit of command issues with his fastball. He gets that straightened out, he’ll be good to go. So I have all the confidence in the world in him."
As for Molina moving up to Friday, there should be no issue for the junior left-hander. He owns a 3-0 record with a 2.57 ERA across 28.0 innings pitched this year. The California native has 47 strikeouts compared to just 15 walks.
The No. 8 Tigers enter the series leading the SEC in team strikeouts (312), and it all starts with ace Luke Holman (5-1, 0.78 ERA), who transferred in from SEC West rival Alabama.
"He’s got really, really good stuff, good secondary stuff," Van Horn said. "I mean, I think the batting average against him is amazing. So he’s doing everything you’re supposed to do as a No. 1. His ERA is under 1.00. He just hasn’t given up much."
Holman is expected to start Thursday night and duel Smith on the mound for Arkansas. Van Horn's ace owns 62 strikeouts compared to just 10 walks, while third-year LSU head coach Jay Johnson's ace has 56 strikeouts and eight walks on the season.
"On Hagen, I guess what we expect is him to go out and compete like he always does and hopefully get us into the game and late into the game because that’s what he’s been doing," Van Horn said. "He’s been throwing a lot of strikes and he competes hard. He just gives us an opportunity."
Arkansas and LSU will get things started with the series opener beginning at 6 p.m. CT Thursday at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.