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Four Razorbacks have been recognized by the SEC with postseason accolades, the league announced Monday.
Pitchers Brady Tygart and Hagen Smith landed on the SEC All-Freshman Team, while second baseman Robert Moore and pitcher Connor Noland made the All-Defensive Team.
Despite finishing third overall in the conference, Arkansas was one of two schools — with the other being Alabama — not to have a single player selected to either of the All-SEC teams. It’s the first time that’s happened since 2016, when the Razorbacks finished last and missed the postseason with a sub-.500 record.
As for the players who were honored, Tygart and Smith came to Arkansas as heralded recruits and lived up to their top-75 rankings from Perfect Game.
Smith, a left-hander from Bullard, Texas, earned a spot in the starting rotation on Opening Weekend and held it until the final week of the regular season, when he came out of the bullpen. Even with recent struggles, he went 6-2 with a 4.93 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings.
Tygart, a right-hander from Hernando, Miss., took a little bit longer to assert his role on the team, but he eventually emerged as the Razorbacks’ closer. In 19 appearances, he is 2-8 with eight saves and a 2.12 ERA. He also has 47 strikeouts and is holding opponents to a minuscule .191 batting average in 34 innings.
Defensively, Arkansas is once again on track to break the single-season school record for fielding percentage, sitting at .982 entering the SEC Tournament. That’s two points higher than last year’s record-setting .980 mark.
A major reason for the Razorbacks’ success in the field has been their double-play duo of Moore and shortstop Jalen Battles. Kentucky’s Ryan Ritter got the nod over Battles on the SEC’s All-Defensive Team, but Moore was the selection at second base for a second year in a row.
Moore’s struggles at the plate will keep him from earning the All-SEC and All-American accolades he received in the preseason, but he was sensational with the glove. In addition to all of his dazzling plays, he made just one error in 204 chances, giving him an impressive .995 fielding percentage.
Noland was Arkansas’ ace this season and lived up to the billing until a recent stretch of tough starts, but he has been very good defensively, as well. Pitcher’s don’t get nearly the same number of plays as position players, but he was perfect on his 12 chances this year and showcased the athleticism that helped him also play quarterback in the SEC as a freshman.
2022 SEC Baseball Awards
Co-Player of the Year: Dylan Crews, LSU
Co-Player of the Year: Sonny DiChiara, Auburn
Pitcher of the Year: Chase Dollander, Tennessee
Freshman of the Year: Drew Beam, Tennessee
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ben Anderson, Georgia
Coach of the Year: Tony Vitello, Tennessee
First Team All-SEC
C: BT Riopelle, Florida
1B: Sonny DiChiara, Auburn
2B: RJ Yeager, Mississippi State
3B: Trey Lipscomb, Tennessee
SS: Jacob Gonzalez, Ole Miss
OF: Enrique Bradfield Jr., Vanderbilt
OF: Dylan Crews, LSU
OF: Drew Gilbert, Tennessee
SP: Chase Dollander, Tennessee
SP: Jonathan Cannon, Georgia
RP: Tyler Guilfoil, Kentucky
DH/UT: Dominic Keegan, Vanderbilt
Second Team All-SEC
C: Logan Tanner, Mississippi State
1B: Tim Elko, Ole Miss
2B: Ryan Targac, Texas A&M
3B: Jacob Berry, LSU
SS: Josh Day, Missouri
OF: Wyatt Langford, Florida
OF: Spencer Jones, Vanderbilt
OF: Dylan Rock, Texas A&M
SP: Chase Burns, Tennessee
SP: Drew Beam, Tennessee
RP: Blake Burkhalter, Auburn
DH/UT: Brandt Belk, South Carolina*
DH/UT: Austin Bost, Texas A&M*
Freshman All-SEC Team
Chase Burns, SP, Tennessee
Drew Beam, SP, Tennessee
Brady Tygart, RP, Arkansas
Hunter Elliott, SP, Ole Miss
Hagen Smith, SP, Arkansas
Carter Holton, SP, Vanderbilt
Hunter Hines, INF/OF, Mississippi State
Blake Burke, 1B/OF, Tennessee
Brandon Neely, P, Florida
Devin Futrell, SP, Vanderbilt
Michael Braswell, INF/P, South Carolina
Dylan Ray, RP, Alabama*
Chris Cortez, RP, Texas A&M*
SEC All-Defensive Team
C: Logan Tanner, Mississippi State
1B: Tre' Morgan, LSU
2B: Robert Moore, Arkansas
3B: Blake Rambusch, Auburn
SS: Ryan Ritter, Kentucky
OF: Enrique Bradfield, Jr., Vanderbilt
OF: Dylan Crews, LSU
OF: Drew Gilbert, Tennessee
P: Connor Noland, Arkansas
*Ties (Ties are not broken)
