Series Preview: Hogs and Horns go head to head in midweek series
VIDEO: Razorbacks in action on Monday | 3.12.18
Observations from Monday's practice, Day 6
WHO: No. 5 Arkansas (11-4) vs. Texas (9-7)
WHERE: Baum Stadium, Fayetteville, Ark.
WHEN: Tuesday 7 p.m. (CST), Wednesday 4 p.m. (CST)
TV: Tuesday - SEC Network, Wednesday - SEC Network+
Arkansas and Texas go to battle for the first time since 2012 in a two-game midweek series starting Tuesday at 7 p.m. Since the Razorbacks joined the SEC, the two teams have only played five times with four of those coming in the NCAA Tournament.
The Razorbacks (11-4) have won four straight series and recently took two of three from Kent State, including an 11-4 offensive showcase on Sunday. A pair of freshman, Casey Martin (.415, 4 HRs, 15 RBIs) and Heston Kjerstad (.380, 2 HRs, 16 RBIs), lead the Hogs in hitting. Arkansas' pitching rotation has a team ERA of 2.17 with Blaine Knight (3-0, 0.78 ERA, 21 K's) at the helm.
The Longhorns (9-7) recently dropped out of the Top 25 from No. 23 after losing three of four to No. 7 Stanford. Texas is a tested team, having played Stanford and No. 23 LSU. They're traveling to Fayetteville following a nine-game home stand.
On Tuesday, Arkansas will send out Kacey Murphy (1-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound for his third start of the year against Beau Ridgeway (1-0, 8.31 ERA). The Hogs have yet to announce who will face the Longhorns' Nico O'Donnell (1-0, 2.13 ERA) in game two.
Here are three things to know about the former Southwest Conference foe:
A pair of infielders bring the power on offense.
Junior infielder Kody Clemens and infielder Zach Zubia, who also pitches, lead the Longhorns with 7 combined home runs. Clemens is hitting a team-high .385 with 4 home runs and 15 RBIs, similar to Casey Martin. Zubia, a 6-4, 240-pound redshirt freshman, is batting .308 with 3 homers and a team-high 19 RBIs. Texas has three players hitting over .300 with double-digit RBI numbers.
Ridgeway is making his first start against the Hogs.
Tuesday's projected starter, Beau Ridgeway, has appeared in eight of Texas' 16 games, but has yet to make a start this season. In fact, one inning is the longest Ridgeway has stayed in a game this year. The 6-0 junior has given up 9 hits and 9 runs with 3 strikeouts and 3 walks in 8.2 innings of work.
The Longhorns are no strangers to stolen bases.
While the Razorbacks have quality arms at catcher and in the outfield, don't be surprised to see Texas test them some. Through sixteen games, the Horns have 23 stolen bases as a team, nine more than Arkansas. Sophomore David Hamilton (9) and junior Masen Hibbeler (6) have the most on the team. The Hogs have only allowed eight stolen bases this season, so this area should be interesting to watch.