Scouting the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
FAYETTEVILLE — A week away from conference play, the Diamond Hogs are gearing up for the beginning of a grueling 30-game slate with arguably their toughest non-conference opponent yet.
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are repaying Arkansas for a 2021 three-game set in Ruston, Louisiana, with one at Baum-Walker Stadium, according to Razorback head coach Dave Van Horn.
The Bulldogs, who are off to an 8-4 start, are fresh off a sweep over a winless Northwestern, which featured an 11-inning victory sandwiched by a pair of blowouts. They did not play a midweek game.
Arkansas is not the first SEC opponent on Louisiana Tech's schedule. The Bulldogs played a pair at Ole Miss earlier in the year, winning the first and losing the second after their 5-4 lead was nullified during a lightning delay.
"We’re really leery of them because they’re older and played an SEC school on the road, and we’re a little thin on the mound," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said Monday.
The Louisiana Tech starting rotation consists of redshirt senior left-hander Jonathan Fincher, sophomore right-hander Rawley Hector and junior righty Reed Smith. All three have logged three starts apiece, and they started in that order last weekend.
Fincher boasts the trio's best individual stats with the most innings pitched — 19. With a 2.84 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP, the southpaw struck out eight Wildcats in seven innings last weekend, surrendering two earned runs on five hits to earn his second win. He has fanned 19 batters on the year and issued just three walks, and opponents are batting just .225 against him.
Hector's numbers three weeks into the season indicate he is not quite the ace material Fincher is. In 14 1/3 innings, he has managed a 4.40 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and .317 BAA, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is much closer to 1 than that of his left-handed teammate. Northwestern tagged him for a pair of earned runs last weekend, chasing him before the game was four innings old.
The one question mark is Smith, who left Sunday's game after 1/3 of an inning with some swelling in his finger, Louisiana Tech head coach Lane Burroughs said in a press conference Tuesday. He is expected to be ready for his outing against Arkansas, however, and he will carry a 6.75 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and .256 BAA into it.
Other pitcher names to know are senior right-hander Landon Tomkins, who has surrendered just one earned run in 12 2/3 innings, and former Razorback Ethan Bates, who doubles as the closer and the third baseman. The righty has yet to allow an earned run and leads the Bulldogs with two saves.
"We talked to him about pitching, because he pitched in high school," Van Horn said. "He wasn’t ready to pitch here yet. He wanted to try to hit, thought he was more of a pro prospect as a hitter. Just glad to see he’s found a home that’s not too far from his home and he’s getting to enjoy a college career."
Bates has seen success in the batter's box as well over the course of the young season, hitting better than .300 with an on-base-plus-slugging percentage north of 1.000. The only other Bulldog who shares those distinctions is designated hitter Walker Burchfield, who leads the team in both departments at .360 and 1.115, respectively.
Two other qualified hitters enter Fayetteville with averages above .300: outfielder Adarius Myers at .353 and infielder Dalton Davis at .319. Neither is slugging above .500, but both have reached base in at least 40% of their plate appearances.
Senior Philip Matulia has supplied the bulk of the power for Louisiana Tech, having belted six homers and driven in 16 runs — both team-leading marks. His 1.101 OPS trails only Burchfield.
"They're a regional-type team, play in a really good conference," Van Horn said Tuesday after the Hogs' win over Army. "They're always at the top — one, two or three — and they've been close to getting to super regionals."
The series is set to begin at 3 p.m. Friday, roll on at 2 p.m. Saturday and conclude with a 1 p.m. first pitch Sunday. The opener will not be broadcast on television, but the other two will stream live on SEC Network Plus, accessible through the ESPN app.