After a six-game road trip, Arkansas returns to Baum-Walker Stadium for a weekend series against Ole Miss. Here is a preview of those games…
Schedule (TV)
Friday, March 29 - 8 p.m. CT (ESPNU)
Saturday, March 30 - 3 p.m. CT (SECN)
Sunday, March 31 - 1:30 p.m. CT (SECN+)
For the first time this season, Arkansas will have a couple of its games on actual television (not including the Longhorn Network, which many fans don’t have in their cable package). Friday’s game is on ESPNU and Saturday’s is on the SEC Network before Sunday’s is back to only the online stream.
As always, all three games can still be watched online on ESPN3.com or on the WatchESPN app.
Weather Report
The Razorbacks could be battling the weather again this weekend, as rain is in the forecast Friday and Saturday.
According to the Weather Channel, there is a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms at 8 p.m. Friday, when Game 1 is scheduled to start, and there’s an 80 percent chance of rain on Saturday.
“I just look at it and shake my head and say we’ll do what we’ve got to do,” head coach Dave Van Horn said. “We’ll come out here and fight it and try to be smart about it.”
If it was up to him, Van Horn said he’d move the game time up because there’s a lesser chance of rain from 3-7 p.m. and it would give them wiggle room to get the game in, but the 8 p.m. start is locked in because the game is nationally televised on ESPNU. He didn’t rule out the possibility of a doubleheader either day.
The good news is that the weather looks great Sunday, with sunshine and a high of 52 degrees in the forecast. However, if the two teams have to play a doubleheader then, both games would be required to be only seven innings long because it’s a travel day.
(UPDATE: As of Friday morning, the chance of rain during Game 1 has fallen to just 20 percent and - although there will almost assuredly be thunderstorms Saturday morning - it looks like the rain will move out in time for Game 2's 3 p.m. first pitch.)
Arkansas’ Starting Rotation (season stats)
Friday - R-Jr. RHP Isaiah Campbell (6 games/6 starts, 5-0, 1.93 ERA, 51 K/5 BB, 37 1/3 IP)
Saturday - Fr. RHP Connor Noland (7 games/6 starts, 0-1, 4.50 ERA, 17 K/8 BB, 24 1/3 IP)
Sunday - R-Jr. RHP Cody Scroggins (6 games/5 starts, 2-0, 3.00 ERA, 36 K/10 BB, 24 IP)
Van Horn kept his options open by giving freshman Patrick Wicklander only two innings Tuesday against Missouri State, but he ultimately decided to keep the rotation the same with Noland as the No. 2 starter.
The two-sport athlete had been okay through his first five starts before failing to get out of the second at Alabama, allowing three earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. He did rebound with a perfect inning against the Bears in the midweek game, though.
“He’s done it already, (has) a little experience, been out there,” Van Horn said. “He threw the ball a little better on Tuesday, velocity was up. That’s probably the main reason.”
That will leave Wicklander in the bullpen, where he has struggled some this season. He has a 10.13 ERA in five relief appearances, compared to a 2.84 ERA in five starts.
“I think he would be more of a long-relief type situation guy the first two games,” Van Horn said about Wicklander’s role. “After that, it’d be like if we needed to get out a lefty or two or three, we could bring him in.”
Some speculated that the Razorbacks might move Scroggins up to Saturday and they considered it, but Van Horn said he likes having him as the starter in a potential Sunday rubber match and they haven’t lost any games that would force such a change.
“We don’t have any need to move him up right now,” Van Horn said. “If we had a different record or (it was a) different time in the season…but right now we just feel like he’s done a great job in that role and just leave him there.”
The one constant in the rotation has been Campbell, who has looked every bit the part of an SEC ace the last four weeks. Over that span, he has an 0.07 ERA, allowing just two earned runs in 27 innings.
Three of his last four starts have been seven innings and the fourth was six innings, something he struggled with last season. However, he has put on weight and gotten stronger, giving him more stamina. Van Horn knows, though, it will be difficult to maintain that level of play in the SEC.
“He’s going to run into some tough spots, but I think one thing he’s learned is how to get out of a jam,” Van Horn said. “He couldn’t do that before this year.”
In the Polls
For the second time this season, Arkansas will be playing a top-25 team this weekend. It split a pair of games at Texas last week and now welcomes No. 23 Ole Miss to Baum-Walker Stadium. The Razorbacks, on the other hand, are up to No. 8 in the HawgBeat Composite Poll.
With a road win over Missouri State on Tuesday, the Razorbacks actually dropped one spot in the RPI to No. 4, while the Rebels moved up five spots to No. 43 with a road win at Memphis.
Scouting the Opponent
Ole Miss’ starting rotation (season stats)
Friday - Jr. RHP Will Ethridge (5 games/5 starts, 4-1, 0.71 ERA, 22 K/10 BB, 25 1/3 IP)
Saturday - Fr. LHP Doug Nikhazy (9 games/3 starts, 2-2, 2.88 ERA, 23 K/9 BB, 25 IP)
Sunday - Fr. RHP Gunnar Hoglund (6 games/6 starts, 1-0, 4.09 ERA, 16 K/5 BB, 22 IP)
Now in his 19th season at the helm, Mike Bianco is the only coach in the SEC who has been at his current school longer than Van Horn. He has taken the Rebels to the postseason 15 times, including a trip to the 2014 College World Series.
They are expected to be in the mix once again this year, as the coaches picked them to finish second in the SEC West, just ahead of Arkansas. At 18-8, Ole Miss has underachieved a little, but are still a solid club.
It opened SEC play with a series win over Alabama in Oxford, Miss., before hitting the road and losing a series at Missouri, giving it a 3-3 conference mark. Those are the same two teams the Razorbacks have played and have a 5-1 record against.
Ole Miss has a powerful lineup with 10 different players combining for 30 home runs, which ranks second in the SEC and is tied for 12th nationally.
“Offensively, they have one of the more talented lineups in our league,” Van Horn said. “It’s been a little bit up and down, like a lot of us are, but they can hurt you pretty quick.”
The Rebels’ leader is center fielder Ryan Olenek, who turned down a 17th-round pick by the Giants to return for his senior year. Coming off a first-team All-SEC season, he is second in the conference with a .420 batting average. He also has only nine strikeouts in 100 at bats, making him the fifth-toughest player to strike out in the SEC.
Olenek, who has one home run, 19 RBIs and is 6 of 9 on stolen base attempts, is a versatile player for Ole Miss. Although he’s primarily been a center fielder this season, he has played both corner outfield spots, second base, third base, and shortstop, been the designated hitter and pitched some, as well.
Two different players lead the Rebels in the other Triple Crown categories, as preseason All-American left fielder Thomas Dillard has nine home runs to go along with his .337 batting average and 28 RBIs and preseason All-SEC third baseman Tyler Keenan has 40 RBIs to go along with hitting .299 and seven home runs. Dillard is actually tied for the SEC lead in home runs, while Keenan has three more RBIs than any other player in the conference.
First baseman Cole Zabowski was a preseason first-team All-SEC pick by the coaches and is hitting .284 with four home runs and 19 RBIs, while Chase Cockrell was a second-team pick and is struggling with a .236 average.
Much like Arkansas, Ole Miss has a legitimate SEC Friday night ace in Ethridge, who has a minuscule 0.71 ERA. In four career relief appearances against the Razorbacks, he’s allowed four earned runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out four in 5 2/3 innings.
“Everything he throws moves,” Van Horn said. “He’s got a really good fastball that will run in on the righties and away from the lefties. His change-up is the same way - a lot of movement and depth.”
Both of the Rebels’ other weekend starters are freshmen, including one - Hoglund - who turned down a first-round pick by the Pirates to come to school.
Despite being their most heralded freshman, Hoglund has struggled to get deep into games. His longest outing has been five innings, done against Long Beach State and Alabama, and he’s averaged just 3 2/3 innings per start.
That Alabama start was probably Hoglund’s best outing, as he struck out eight and gave up just one earned run on two hits and two walks, but he needed 86 pitches to get through five innings. He also followed it up by allowing three earned runs in 2 2/3 innings against Missouri’s weak offense last weekend.
Nikhazy didn’t have quite as many accolades coming out of high school, but he was excellent in his first weekend start against the Tigers. He took a no hitter into the seventh, eventually leaving after giving up a couple of hits in 7 2/3 scoreless innings. He threw 116 pitches in the start, way more than his previous high of 89 in a midweek start against Louisville.
The Rebels’ top two relievers seem to be a pair of right-handers. Junior Austin Miller has a couple of saves in 11 appearances, posting an impressive 1.14 ERA with 27 strikeouts and only five walks in 23 2/3 innings, while limiting opponents to a .181 batting average. Senior Connor Green has a 2.35 ERA in 15 1/3 innings across nine appearances.
When it comes to the end of games, Ole Miss turns to redshirt junior Parker Caracci. The right-hander was a preseason All-American in all major publications after earning 10 saves with a 2.25 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 48 innings last season.
His numbers are a little misleading this season, as his 5.62 ERA is inflated by back-to-back outings against Tulane and Long Beach State in which he allowed five earned runs in 2/3 of an inning. The blown save against the Green Wave came the day after he was asked to secure a five-out save that required 33 pitches.
Outside of those two games, he hasn’t allowed a run in 7 1/3 innings and is 5 for 5 on saves, including a one-inning, 24-pitch save against Memphis on Tuesday. Last season, the Rebels used him in both of their wins over Arkansas and he threw 3 2/3 innings to earn saves on consecutive days.
Arkansas Connections
While Arkansas doesn’t have any players from Mississippi on its roster, Ole Miss has dipped into the Natural State for a couple of its players.
Senior second baseman Jacob Adams is from Conway and ended up with the Rebels after a two-year stint at Crowder C.C. in Missouri. He ended last year on a high note, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team for the Oxford Regional, but has struggled to the tune of a .232 batting average so far this season.
Adams’ lone extra-base hit is a double, he has 10 RBIs and is 4 for 4 on stolen base attempts. He’ll try to turn things around in his home state this weekend, playing a team he went 1 for 8 with an RBI, one run and three walks against last season.
A name Arkansas will likely see over the next couple of seasons is Kaleb Hill, as the left-handed pitcher is just a freshman. However, he might not pitch this weekend because he’s been limited to midweek duty the last three weeks.
Hill was the No. 2 player in Arkansas for the Class of 2018, according to Perfect Game, and a 39th-round pick by the Indians. He threw two innings of Ole Miss’ seven-inning combined no-hitter against UAPB last week, but gave up two earned runs in just 1/3 of an inning against Memphis on Tuesday. That gives him a 7.56 ERA in 8 1/3 innings.
Quotable
“I didn’t expect him to go out and really tear it up offensively. What I expected out of him was basically what he’s done and that’s play really good defense and battle at the plate. He’s gotten a lot of big hits for us, he’s laid down some nice bunts, sacrifice, hit-and-run - used him a little that way. He’s just been really consistent and that’s been a big plus for us.” - head coach Dave Van Horn, on third baseman Jacob Nesbit, who is riding a 15-game hitting streak, hitting .337 and earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors Monday
Stat Comparison - Arkansas | Ole Miss (national rank, out of 297 teams)
Batting average: .295 (32nd) | .284 (62nd)
Slugging percentage: .462 (25th) | .454 (28th)
On-base percentage: .394 (44th) | .404 (22nd)
Home runs: 26 (t-21st) | 30 (t-12th)
Runs/game: 7.4 (25th) | 8.2 (10th)
ERA: 3.15 (26th) | 3.91 (74th)
WHIP: 1.12 (12th) | 1.37 (77th)
Strikeouts/9 innings: 10.5 (12th) | 9.4 (50th)
Strikeout-to-walk ratio: 3.01 (17th) | 2.67 (36th)
Fielding percentage: .973 (t-80th) | .974 (59th)
Stolen bases/game: 1.84 (38th) | 1.73 (47th)
Preview Video
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