Hogs’ situational hitting much improved in Oklahoma State win
ARLINGTON, Texas — The inability to move runners in scoring position kept the Hogs tight with Texas during Friday’s 3-2 win. The same issue prevented them from any hopes of a comeback in Saturday’s 18-6 loss to TCU.
After enduring that beatdown, Arkansas flipped the bad vibes on their heads and delivered them to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the victims of an 18-1 barrage in which the Razorbacks did way more right than wrong at the plate.
"What a great job by the team, bouncing back after a tough loss yesterday" Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said "You learn a lot about your team a lot of times after a bad loss.”
After beginning their College Baseball Showdown stint 3-16 with runners in scoring position, the Hogs went 5-10, including 2-5 with the bases loaded, in a rematch of the 2022 Stillwater Regional final to leave Texas with a winning record.
Shortstop John Bolton set the tone with an infield single to score Kendall Diggs in the second, and left fielder Jared Wegner doubled down with a three-run triple later in the frame. Second baseman Peyton Stovall plated a pair in the third before Wegner went deep, and first baseman Brady Slavens gapped a two-run double in the fifth.
Four of those knocks came with two outs, part of a larger 7-14 sample size in that department.
"Throughout the whole weekend, not just this game, I think we were really tough outs," Stovall said. "There was a little lineup change today, and I thought guys were really comfortable up at the plate. I just thought that guys weren’t trying to do too much up there. I thought we were just taking what we were given."
The Razorbacks also had a much higher success rate of leadoff hitters reaching base Sunday. The lone player to achieve the feat Saturday was Diggs with his home run, but four Hogs did so in the seven-inning finale, and thrice did it spark a three-run frame or better. Diggs and right fielder Jace Bohrofen ignited five-spots with singles in the second and third innings, and even freshman Reese Robinett got in on the fun with his pinch-hit knock in the seventh.
"I told him the inning before," Van Horn said. "I said, 'You're going to lead off next inning, but they went and brought in a left-handed pitcher, and I'm thinking, 'Here's this freshman, it's his first at-bat, and now he's gotta face a lefty.' And I knew what he would say, I said, 'Are you good facing this lefty?' And in his old country way, he just said, 'Yeah.' He had a really good at-bat. Laid off a pitch or two, fouled off a pitch or two, and smoked that ball in the four-hole."
Robinett was one of six newcomers to step into the batter’s box for the first time in an Arkansas uniform once the game was well out of hand. He joined fellow freshman Mason Neville and junior college transfers Peyton Holt, Ben McLaughlin, Hunter Grimes and Harold Coll. That group combined to go 4-6 with two RBIs, two runs and a walk.
"I feel like we have a little bit of depth, position-player-wise," Van Horn said. "We showed that when we got some guys off the bench. They went in there with a fearless attitude, swinging the bat."
Arkansas is scheduled to return to the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium at 3 p.m. Tuesday against Grambling State. The contest will stream live on the SEC Network Plus, available on the ESPN app.