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WHO: No. 7 Arkansas (28-13, 10-8) vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (32-9, 10-5)
WHERE: Baum Stadium, Fayetteville (Ark.)
WHEN: Tuesday 6:30 pm (CDT), Wednesday 6:00 pm (CDT)
TV: SEC Network+ on Tuesday, SEC Network on Wednesday
Following a subpar weekend, Arkansas looks to bounce back quickly in a two-game midweek series against the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders in Baum Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Razorbacks (28-13) went 1-3 last week against Missouri State and Mississippi State. They fell behind early, 7-3, against the Bears on Tuesday but used 8 unanswered runs to win 11-7. Freshman sensations Heston Kjerstad and Casey Martin combined to go 5 for 7 with 8 RBIs and 2 monster home runs. The weekend series with the Bulldogs, however, didn’t go so swimmingly. Arkansas was swept in Starkville, including a pair of two-run losses in Saturday’s doubleheader. The Razorbacks lost all three games by a combined 5 runs and stranded 26 total baserunners. Arkansas is still in a tie for first place in the SEC West with Ole Miss at 10-8.
The Red Raiders (32-9) are having a banner year in the Big 12. They’re coming off a 3-1 week against New Mexico and then No. 14 Oklahoma. Tech went yard four times in the 20-9 midweek victory over the Lobos. They won two of three at home home against the Sooners over the weekend, winning the first two games 5-4 and 12-6, respectively. Texas Tech lost the finale 12-5. They’re 10-7 away from home this season.
Freshman Jackson Rutledge (3-0, 2.08 ERA) is expected to make his second start of the season on Tuesday against fellow freshman Ryan Sublette (0-1, 8.62 ERA). Both Wednesday starters have yet to be announced.
Here are three things to know about the Red Raiders:
Texas Tech has posted some staggering offensive stats.
It’s rare that Arkansas meets a lineup that matches up with them, but they seem to have found that match in TTU. Infielders Grant Little and Josh Jung lead the team in batting average at an impressive .404. Little is tied for the team-high in home runs at 9 and has tallied 51 RBIs. Jung, named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday, has 8 home runs and a team-best 57 RBIs. As a team, they have 58 long bombs through 41 games, only 5 fewer than Arkansas. They’ve scored double-digit runs 16 times and 20-plus runs five different times. Tech hits .318 as a team, best in the conference and fourth in the nation.
Tuesday’s starter has faced one other SEC opponent.
The Red Raiders will send out freshman Ryan Sublette to throw to the Hogs on Tuesday. Sublette is 0-1 on the year with an 8.62 ERA in his eight appearances. On March 11, he faced Kentucky on the road, pitching two and one-third innings and giving up 2 runs on 2 hits while striking out one and walking one. His best and longest outing of the season came against New Mexico State in early April when he surrendered only 1 run on 6 hits in three and two-thirds innings on the bump. Sublette typically lasts approximately one to three innings.
Josh Jung is coming off a spectacular week.
The 6-2 sophomore was named Big 12 Player of the Week following his accomplishments against New Mexico and Oklahoma. Jung went 5 for 5 on Tuesday, hitting for the cycle for only the sixth time in program history. He homered twice, walked once and racked up 8 RBIs at the plate. He added 5 more hits over the weekend, earning him the conference honors for the second time this year. The infielder from San Antonio (Tex.) was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year last season and has only added on to his legacy this year, leading the team in hits (67), RBIs (57) and runs scored (50).