Series Preview: Razorbacks head back to Baum to battle ULM
Razorbacks' rally falls short, 11-10
Diamond Hogs drop contested game two to Ole Miss, 5-4
Quarterback battle to continue into August
Arkansas Finding Solutions in Secondary
WHO: No. 5 Arkansas (19-9, 5-4) vs. Lousiana-Monroe (15-12, 4-5)
WHERE: Baum Stadium, Fayetteville (Ark.)
WHEN: Tuesday 6:30 pm (CDT), Wednesday 3 pm (CDT)
TV: SEC Network+, WatchESPN
Following a lengthy road trip, Arkansas heads back home for most of April, starting with a two-game midweek series against the ULM Warhawks on Tuesday and Wednesday at Baum Stadium.
The Razorbacks (19-9) dropped their second straight SEC series on the road against a top-five opponent, losing two of three to No. 4 Ole Miss in Oxford. In game one, Arkansas looked confident and in control behind the arm of Blaine Knight, winning 6-4. In the next two, the Razorbacks struggled with the same things that have given them fits all season - untimely errors, hitting in scoring opportunities and pitching depth - losing, 5-4, in game two and dropping game three, 11-10, after an impressive comeback fell short.
The Warhawks (15-12) lost their second of three Sun Belt series over the weekend, falling in two out of three games to UT-Arlington in Texas. The Warhawk bats struggled, only compiling 4 runs in all three games combined, but the defense managed to hold the Mavericks to 10 runs total and 0 in game three. ULM’s only series victory in conference came at the hands of Arkansas State.
Big freshman Jackson Rutledge (2-0, 0.00 ERA) will get the starting nod for Arkansas on Tuesday against ULM’s Stephen Morrison (2-0, 3.77 ERA). Neither squad has named a starting pitcher for game two on Wednesday.
Here are three things to know about the Warhawks:
On paper, ULM isn’t near as explosive offensively as Arkansas.
Unlike Arkansas who boasts multiple players throughout the lineup with a .300 batting average or better, the Warhawks only claim one player accomplishing that so far. Senior infielder Johnny DeLaCruz leads the team in average (.307) and hits (31). For reference, he’d have the fifth-most hits and around the eighth or ninth-best batting average on Arkansas. ULM has 17 total home runs compared to the Razorbacks’ 53. Junior infielder Peyton Lacoste has 26 RBIs and 3 homers, both team highs. The Warhawks won’t just go down in order every inning, but they certainly don’t seem to pose the same threat as some of the opponents Arkansas has faced.
The Warhawks’ Tuesday starter hasn’t been a strikeout guy.
ULM will send out righty Stephen Morrison to the mound on Tuesday night in just his second start of the season. Morrison is 2-0 on the year but typically enters in relief, appearing in six games so far. Morrison only has 7 strikeouts and 6 walks in 14 1/3 innings on the mound. He’s also given up 9 runs on 17 hits and has a 3.77 ERA. His longest outing of the season was five innings against Jackson State, but he’s been pulled three different times after pitching an inning or less.
ULM won’t be afraid to test Arkansas’ catchers.
Freshman Casey Opitz is slated to start behind the plate for Arkansas on Tuesday, and primary catcher Grant Koch will also see plenty of playing time this week. Both guys will have to be prepared for the Warhawks to test their arms by stealing bases. While the Hogs have only stolen 19 bases on 24 attempts, ULM has recorded 43 stolen bases on 53 tries, including a season-high 8 bags taken against Southern Illinois. Infielders Joey Jordan and Braedon Barrett have 22 combined stolen bases with 11 apiece. Ten different Warhawks have stolen a base this season.