Coming off its first series win on the road since 2017, Arkansas returns to Fayetteville to begin a 14-game home stand. First up is a midweek matchup with Memphis. Here is a preview of that game…
Schedule (TV)
Wednesday, Feb. 27 - 3 p.m. CT (SECN+)
The game will be streamed on SEC Network-plus, meaning it can be watched online on ESPN3.com or on the WatchESPN app.
Arkansas’ Starting Pitcher (season stats)
Wednesday - Fr. LHP Patrick Wicklander (3 games/0 starts, 0-0, 6.23 ERA, 6 K/2 BB, 4 1/3 IP)
Head coach Dave Van Horn said after the Eastern Illinois series that Wicklander would probably be starting sooner rather than later. That time has come, as the freshman from California will get the nod against Memphis.
“He’s a tough kid and he wants the ball,” Van Horn said. “He’s used to having a lot of success. He was one of our top recruits as far as pitchers. He’s shown us what he can do.”
Wicklander could not have had a better first collegiate inning against the Panthers. He struck out the side on only 10 pitches, narrowly missing out on an “immaculate inning.”
However, he was at the complete opposite end of the spectrum in his second appearance, which came in Game 1 of the USC series. Entering the game with the bases loaded and two outs, Wicklander failed to record an out and allowed all three inherited runners to score via two walks and a hit by pitch.
Two days later, though, he was called upon in another tight spot and nearly led the Razorbacks to victory. He got them out of an eighth-inning jam and retired the side in the ninth before getting into trouble in the 10th.
Despite being credited with the loss, Wicklander’s ability to bounce back made an impression on his teammates.
“You’re never as good as your best outing and you’re never as bad as your worst outing,” closer Matt Cronin said. “I think he did a good job of proving himself when they brought him back in the next game.”
Considering he threw 29 pitches in two innings Saturday, Wicklander is expected to go only two or three innings against the Tigers. Van Horn said they’ll try to piece it together, similar to what they did last Thursday at USC.
Instead of going with veterans out of the pen, though, there is a good chance he’ll use several younger pitchers. He would like to get Zebulon Vermillion back on the mound after he faced only three batters in Los Angeles and there’s a chance he could pitch Kevin Kopps, but it’ll most likely be some freshmen.
Van Horn specifically mentioned right-hander Jacob Burton, who gave up three earned runs in two innings against Eastern Illinois, and has previously talked about left-handers Caden Monke, Evan Taylor and Liam Henry as potential contributors this season.
“We’ve got to get ready for next Tuesday and Wednesday against Charlotte after playing three this weekend, so we’ve got to get these guys out there,” Van Horn said. “If we get into trouble, we could go with one of our older guys.”
In the Polls
Arkansas moved up one spot in a couple of the college baseball polls after winning the USC series, but it wasn’t enough to move it up from No. 16 in the HawgBeat Composite Poll. Memphis is unranked.
Weather Report
Another cold afternoon of baseball awaits the Razorbacks. According to the Weather Channel, it will be 45 degrees at the time of first pitch and the temperature will slowly drop into the low 40s.
There is a 10 percent chance of rain most of the afternoon, with chances actually going up to 25 percent at 6 p.m., when the game should be close to ending. Winds will be 6-8 mph out of the north, meaning they’ll be blowing out to right field and aiding left-handed batters.
(UPDATE: As of 7:20 a.m. Wednesday, the chance of rain during the game has increased to 35 percent and temperatures are now expected to dip into the upper-30s by the end of it.)
Scouting the Opponent
Memphis’ starting pitcher (season stats)
Wednesday - Jr. LHP Danny Denz (1 game/0 starts, 0-0, 1 save, 6.75 ERA, 5 K/1 BB, 4 IP)
The weather almost gave Memphis an advantage for the midweek matchup, as rain forced the Tigers to cancel one of their weekend games. It seemed like they could hold one of their weekend starters for Wednesday’s game, but they ultimately used all three in Sunday’s doubleheader, which they split with Southern Illinois to drop to 2-4 on the season.
Instead, the Razorbacks will see a familiar face on the mound in Denz. He started last year’s game and allowed five runs - three earned - on five hits and two walks while striking out just one in 3 2/3 innings.
Van Horn described him as a “crafty lefty” who throws 87-88 mph and “likes to spin it.” It will be just his second appearance of the season and first since earning a four-inning save - despite allowing three runs - against Indiana on Opening Day 11 days ago.
“He’s going to have a fresh arm,” Van Horn said. “They’ll probably let him go as long as he can. It’s going to be up to us to do a good job against him.”
Based on the first six games of the season, Memphis has built its team around solid defense and pitching, while struggling to put runs on the board - getting shutout once and putting up one run twice.
Because two of their usual weekend starters combined to throw all nine innings of one game Sunday and their other starter went 6 1/3 innings, the Tigers will probably have move of their bullpen available Wednesday.
Offensively, second baseman Ben Brooks has been Memphis’ best player. He is hitting .348 and is now the Tigers’ leadoff man after beginning the season in the 9-hole.
Fifth-year senior Cale Hennemann was their top hitter last season with a team-high .299 batting average and had an RBI double against the Razorbacks, but has gotten off to a slow start in 2019. Even though he has the team’s only home run, he is just 4 for 23 (.174) so far this year.
The biggest power threat in Memphis’ lineup appears to be freshman designated hitter Hunter Goodhman. All but one of his six hits are doubles and he leads the team with five RBIs.
Coming off a 20-36 season, the Tigers were picked to finish last in the nine-team American Athletic Conference in the preseason coaches poll. Despite that poor record, they gave Arkansas all it could handle last season.
The Razorbacks eventually won 8-7 thanks to a two-out RBI single by Carson Shaddy in the ninth inning, so they can’t take them lightly.
“They want to play us and want to beat us, like a lot of teams do,” shortstop Casey Martin said. “We’re definitely going to have to show up and be ready to play or it might not turn out very good.”
Harris Likely to Debut
In addition to using some freshman pitchers, Van Horn said it was also likely that outfielder Trey Harris would make his collegiate debut as Arkansas’ designated hitter.
A two-sport standout at Little Rock Christian, he emerged as a potential contributor during the fall. After being the first player off the bench in the scrimmage against Wichita State, Harris actually started against UALR.
Although he needed to improve his defense, Van Horn said he was a guy who could pinch hit or even be a designated hitter. Unfortunately, he hurt his back running into the wall on the first day of spring practice and then tweaked his knee his first day back.
Harris has been able to take batting practice, though, and is close to getting back to full speed, giving Van Horn the confidence to put him in the lineup against Memphis.
“He’s been hitting the ball extremely well in practice,” Van Horn said. “We’re excited to get his bat in the lineup.”
Kjerstad’s Struggles
The most disappointing player so far this season has been preseason All-American Heston Kjerstad. Despite a big home run and walk-off single against Eastern Illinois, he is just 6 for 28 through the first six games. That gives him a team-worst .214 batting average.
One-fourth of Kjerstad’s at bats have been strikeouts, highlighted by his golden sombrero (four strikeouts) in Game 2 at USC. Van Horn said his issue has been swinging at pitches out of the zone, particularly those that are high.
“I’ve told him, ‘That’s your battle. You’ve got to learn to stay off that pitch,’” Van Horn said. “If we can get him going, it’s really going to help, and we know he’s going to get it going.”
That sentiment was also felt by Kjerstad’s teammates, including the guys directly ahead and behind him in the order.
“I saw it a couple times last year - not very many times - but he’ll figure it out,” Martin said. “He knows what he needs to work on and he’ll figure it out before we get into league play.”
“He’s had some at bats where he probably swung at some pitches that he wished he hadn’t,” infielder Trevor Ezell said. “That’s probably the big thing, but sooner rather than later it will happen.”
Timeline for Ezell
The reason Ezell is listed as an “infielder” in the quote above instead of a specific position is because he is still not playing his natural spot - second base - as his shoulder recovers from offseason surgery.
Although he’s still getting reps at second in practice, Ezell is splitting his time with first base, the position he has been working since the Monday before the season opener. It sounds like that will continue to be the case this week.
“I think for now I’m first base still but the arm is getting better and I think it will continue to get better as it warms up and it loosens up more,” Ezell said. “We’ll just have to play it by ear and really see when that strength gets back.”
Because of the way Jack Kenley has played at second base - aside from a couple of popups - and how Jacob Nesbit has done at third base so far, Van Horn likes the idea of keeping everyone where they’re at. He even kicked around the idea of moving Ezell to third base when his arm is fully healed, but it all hinges on the performance of the other two guys.
“If Nesbit keeps playing like he is and hitting, it’s been pretty good,” Van Horn said. “Right now, I have a hard time moving Kenley off of second.”
Stat of the Midweek
Van Horn talked in the preseason about being more aggressive on the base paths and that was on display in Los Angeles. The Razorbacks had 11 stolen bases in the series, including five in Game 2.
“We felt like the (USC) catcher had a good arm and a good release, but the pitchers - a few of them - were slow to the plate,” Van Horn said. “It really wasn’t a gamble.”
The five steals were the most Arkansas has had in one game since swiping six against New Orleans on Feb. 19, 2013.
It is still early in the season, but the Razorbacks have 15 stolen bases and are on pace to have 140 during the regular season. Throw in the postseason and they could challenge for the UA single-season record of 155 set in 1983.
“We’re not going to run crazy, but there are four or five guys in the lineup that can steal,” Van Horn said. “If they get a good jump, they’ve got an opportunity to get there.”
Last season, Arkansas was one of the least frequent base stealing teams in the country. It took the Razorbacks 16 games to reach 15 steals last year and they finished the season with only 39.
Stat Comparison - Arkansas | Memphis (national rank, out of 297 teams)
Batting average: .308 (37th) | .221 (t-227th)
Slugging percentage: .479 (32nd) | .323 (201st)
On-base percentage: .403 (58th) | .278 (270th)
Home runs: 6 (t-71st) | 1 (t-229th)
Runs/game: 8.0 (t-41st) | 3.5 (t-231st)
ERA: 3.46 (80th) | 3.83 (t-98th)
WHIP: 1.19 (52nd) | 1.19 (46th)
Strikeouts/9 innings: 9.1 (120th) | 12.3 (8th)
Strikeout-to-walk ratio: 3.44 (27th) | 3.52 (22nd)
Fielding percentage: .970 (t-112th) | .972 (t-94th)
Stolen bases/game: 2.50 (t-20th) | 0.17 (t-272nd)
Preview Video
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