Arkansas continues its spring break road trip with a three-game series at Alabama this week. Here is a preview of the matchup…

Schedule (TV)

Friday, March 22 - 6 p.m. CT (SECN+)

Saturday, March 23 - 2 p.m. CT (SECN+)

Sunday, March 24 - 1 p.m. CT (SECN+)

All three games will be streamed on SEC Network-plus, meaning they can be watched online on ESPN3.com or on the WatchESPN app.

Weather Report

It should be a beautiful weekend for baseball in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with Friday night being the coldest of all the game times and it’ll be in the 60s, according to the Weather Channel. The temperature is expected to get up to 70 on Saturday and 74 on Sunday.

Rain shouldn’t be a factor - although there is a slight chance later Sunday - and neither should the wind.

Arkansas’ Starting Pitchers (season stats)

Friday - R-Jr. RHP Isaiah Campbell (5 games/5 starts, 4-0, 2.37 ERA, 44 K/4 BB, 30 1/3 IP)

Saturday - Fr. RHP Connor Noland (5 games/5 starts, 0-0, 3.80 ERA, 17 K/6 BB, 21 1/3 IP)

Sunday - R-Jr. RHP Cody Scroggins (5 games/4 starts, 1-0, 3.32 ERA, 33 K/7 BB, 19 IP)

After it combined for 22 strikeouts and one earned run allowed on nine hits and four walks in 16 2/3 innings against Missouri, head coach Dave Van Horn will use the same starting rotation this weekend.

Campbell has gone at least six innings and struck out at least 10 batters in each of his last three starts and is coming off of an 11-strikeout performance in seven scoreless innings.

Although he still has no decisions, Noland was one out shy of the minimum required innings to pick up his first collegiate victory last week. He has typically gotten off to solid starts, but hits a wall in the fifth inning. Scroggins has knocked down that wall in his last two outings, throwing 11 scoreless innings and striking out 18.

In the Polls

Arkansas is a consensus top-15 team in the various college baseball rankings and checked in at No. 10 in the latest HawgBeat Composite Poll. Alabama is unranked, but was No. 26 in Collegiate Baseball’s top-30 poll before losing two of three games to Ole Miss last weekend.

Scouting the Opponent

Alabama’s starting pitchers (season stats)

Friday - Sr. RHP Sam Finnerty (5 games/5 starts, 4-1, 2.03 ERA, 23 K/3 BB, 31 IP)

Saturday - R-Jr. RHP Brock Love (6 games/4 starts, 2-0, 2.50 ERA, 28 K/7 BB, 18 IP)

Sunday - Jr. RHP Wil Freeman (7 games/4 starts, 2-1, 3.20 ERA, 12 K/4 BB, 19 2/3 IP)

On paper, Alabama doesn’t seem to be the same team that finished dead last in the SEC last season and was picked to finish there again in the preseason poll.

Led by second-year head coach Brad Bohannon, the Crimson Tide are 18-4 and lost their conference opener to Ole Miss 1-0 or they would have won that series.

“They really, really have made a jump,” Van Horn said. “Offensively they’re a lot better, they pitch it a lot better and they play to win. It’s going to be a tough series, it’s going to be a good series and it’s going to be a big test for us to go on the road.”

The strength of Alabama’s team seems to be its pitching, as all three weekend starters and several bullpen arms have respectable ERAs.

Finnerty leads the staff as the Friday night starter for the seconds straight year. He gave up seven earned runs on 10 hits and a walk in six innings against Arkansas last season, but has been really good in his first five starts of 2019.

The other two starters are new to Alabama’s rotation, as Love is in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery and Freeman is a JUCO transfer.

One aspect of the Crimson Tide that will be a welcome sight for Arkansas is that they don’t have too many left-handed pitchers. There are just three on their roster and only Garrett Rukes (0.71 ERA in 12 2/3 IP) - a redshirt sophomore two years removed from Tommy John - throwing more than five innings so far.

They do have quite a few right-handers with solid numbers, such as redshirt junior Davis Vainer and redshirt freshman Chase Lee, who have yet to allow an earned run in 20 combined innings. Junior Deacon Medders (1.80 ERA in 10 IP) and redshirt junior Kyle Cameron (3.97 ERA in 11 1/3 IP) lead the team with eight appearances apiece.

Alabama’s closer, right-hander Jeremy Randolph, is a graduate transfer from Wright State who already has four saves and hasn’t allowed an earned run in 12 2/3 innings. He also has 23 strikeouts and only three walks.

Offensively, the Crimson Tide have six regulars hitting above .300, led by junior shortstop Kolby Robinson’s .415 batting average, which ranks third in the SEC. Senior left fielder Keith Holcombe (.394) leads the team with 24 RBIs and sophomore Tyler Gentry (.316) has a team-high five home runs.

A name Arkansas fans might remember is senior center fielder Joe Breaux, as he homered against the Razorbacks twice last season. The older brother of former Arkansas signee Josh Breaux, who signed with the Yankees out of JUCO instead of making it to campus, he is hitting .301 with two home runs and 14 RBIs this season.

Stat of the Week

With six freshmen and a sophomore making his debut pitching the final six innings of Wednesday’s loss to Texas, Arkansas combined to issue 14 walks - tied for the second highest total for a single game in UA history. It managed just five strikeouts in that game.

Despite that horrible stat line, the Razorbacks still rank 10th nationally with a 3.37 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That shows just how good they have been on the mound this season when it comes to setting opponents down on strikes and limiting free passes.

Stat Comparison - Arkansas | Alabama (national rank, out of 297 teams)

Batting average: .293 (38th) | .293 (42nd)

Slugging percentage: .457 (29th) | .439 (52nd)

On-base percentage: .395 (43rd) | .416 (12th)

Home runs: 20 (t-38th) | 16 (t-74th)

Runs/game: 7.4 (33rd) | 7.0 (t-53rd)

ERA: 2.97 (20th) | 2.37 (6th)

WHIP: 1.08 (12th) | 1.09 (13th)

Strikeouts/9 innings: 11.0 (5th) | 8.9 (96th)

Strikeout-to-walk ratio: 3.37 (10th) | 3.06 (19th)

Fielding percentage: .973 (81st) | .985 (4th)

Stolen bases/game: 1.90 (t-31st) | 1.05 (t-152nd)

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