PREVIEW: Memphis led by All-American catcher

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Tuesday, March 23

First pitch: 6:30 p.m. CT

Stream: SEC Network-Plus (link)

Listen: Razorback Sports Network (click here)

Wednesday, March 24

First pitch: 3 p.m. CT

Stream: SEC Network-Plus (link)

Listen: Razorback Sports Network (click here)

Tuesday

Arkansas: R-Jr. RHP Caleb Bolden (4 games/2 starts, 0-0, 5.14 ERA, 10 K/4 BB, 7 IP)

Memphis: Fr. LHP Dalton Kendrick (4 games/0 starts, 0-0, 14.29 ERA, 7 K/8 BB, 5 2/3 IP)

Wednesday

Arkansas: TBA

Memphis: TBA

As expected, Caleb Bolden is getting a start for Arkansas. Head coach Dave Van Horn is hoping it goes better than his first two starts, when he gave up four earned runs and lasted a total of two innings against SEMO and Murray State. The right-hander has been great out of the bullpen, throwing four hitless innings against Texas and a perfect inning against Louisiana Tech - two teams ranked in the top 25 of multiple polls.

Neither team has announced a starter for the second game of the series. The Razorbacks will likely use a lot of young arms in that game.

Memphis

Record: 9-8

Head coach: Daron Schoenrock (17th season)

Series history: Arkansas leads 26-13-1 (recent: Arkansas has won six straight and 12 of 13)

Top Hitters

~Hunter Goodman: .344/.446/.705, 6 HR, 13 RBI

~Alec Trela: .286/.412/.518, 3 HR, 12 RBI

~Taylor Howell: .276/.333/.448, 2 HR, 11 RBI

~Memphis' best player, by far, is catcher Hunter Goodman. He was a preseason All-America pick by virtually every outlet and he was tabbed the Preseason AAC Player of the Year after hitting .357 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs in just 17 games during the shortened 2020 season. Goodman was also a Freshman All-American in 2019.

~In their last game, the Tigers had to score two runs in the ninth inning to force extra innings and Goodman hit a three-run home run in the 10th to keep the game going after Middle Tennessee State scored three runs in the top of the inning. Memphis eventually won 8-7 on a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 11th.

~That was Memphis' fifth win in six games. It has been a pretty streaky team this year, as it had a seven-game losing streak right before that stretch (with four losses to Baylor, one to Ole Miss and one to Vanderbilt) and opened the year by winning its first four games.

~After two weeks as the unanimous No. 1 team in college baseball (and a third as the consensus No. 1), Arkansas fell to No. 2 in the Rivals Composite Poll after going 2-2 last week. Baseball America was the only poll to keep the Razorbacks in the top spot.

~Arkansas catcher Casey Opitz was named the SEC Co-Player of the Week after going 5 for 10 with four RBIs in a series win over Alabama. One of those hits was his first home run of the season.

Van Horn, on the two-game midweek series vs. Memphis

"As far as Memphis coming to town, we’re looking forward to continuing to playing games. We’re 2, 3, 4 games behind a lot of the other schools in the SEC right now in games played. We have some guys who need to play and some pitchers who need to throw. I’m going to try to mix it up the best I can, but still try to win both games. So just looking forward to playing some more baseball games.

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