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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will start veteran right-hander Connor Noland on Opening Day and a couple of younger pitchers the next two games, head coach Dave Van Horn announced Thursday.
Noland, a senior with 22 career starts, has been expected to move into the ace role since Peyton Pallette had Tommy John surgery and got the nod for Friday’s matchup with Illinois State.
Freshman left-hander Hagen Smith and sophomore right-hander Jaxon Wiggins are scheduled to start Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
“The first two were easy,” Van Horn said about the decision. “Then the third one with Wiggins and maybe a couple of others, you could probably go either way, but Jaxon’s got some experience.”
Although he’s got a big arm and viewed by scouts as a potential high MLB Draft pick in 2023, Wiggins has been “a little up and down” during the preseason, Van Horn said.
Last year, the 6-foot-6 right-hander was the Razorbacks’ closer before the emergence of Kevin Kopps, earning four saves, before eventually moving into the rotation and starting four games. He finished the season with a 5.09 ERA, 28 strikeouts and 14 walks in 24 inning across 17 total appearances.
Based on Van Horn’s comments Thursday, it sounds like Wiggins beat out redshirt sophomore Mark Adamiak for the final spot in the rotation.
One thing working against Adamiak was a bit of back luck. The right-hander took a Peyton Stovall line drive off the shin just two pitches into last Saturday’s scrimmage. Luckily for the Razorbacks, it doesn’t appear to be a serious injury and he’s expected to pitch this weekend.
Originally a Wichita State signee, Adamiak made two appearances in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and then redshirted last year before heading to the prestigious Cape Cod summer baseball league. He could be used in long relief as early as Friday or piggyback with one of the starters in the other two games.
“He’s pretty much been sitting 95-96 (mph) with a good breaker and a good changeup,” Van Horn said. “He’s gotten a lot better. He just needs a little more experience. He went out and pitched in the Cape Cod League. I think he gained experience there and he gained a lot of confidence. He’s just continued to get better.”
Another guy pushing for a spot in the rotation is redshirt freshman Nick Griffin. The heralded left-hander missed all of last season because of an injury. Now about 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery, the coaching staff is starting to see why he was a top-100 recruit coming out of Monticello.
Van Horn said he had previously been all over the place with his fastball in the 80s, but he’s worked his way back into touching the mid-90s. His stamina is built up where he could throw 40-50 pitches this weekend.
“I feel like it’s just getting better and better,” Van Horn said. “He’s got a really good slider. He’s got a good change-up. Obviously his fastball’s got some life. He’s a good athlete. I think he’s got a little attitude on the mound. We like what we’ve seen.”
As for the guys who did get a starting nod, Van Horn said they’ll be on pitch counts of 60-65. They could even push 70, but that’s not likely. He said it will also be dependent on how they pitch and whether or not they have easy or stressful innings.
Noland used a strong fall to secure a spot in the rotation and the injury to Pallette opened the door for him to be the Friday starter, a role he had in 2020 before the pandemic.
Based on his performance this offseason, Noland is expected to bounce back from a 2020 season in which he was never fully healthy and posted a 6.91 ERA in 14 1/3 innings across nine appearances.
“Obviously, the experience that Connor has, he’s seen a lot,” Van Horn said. “He’s seen some good days and some rough days. He’s weathered the storms. He’s gotten himself in great shape and obviously I felt like he should go Game 1.”
Smith likely would have been a high pick in last summer’s MLB Draft, but the top-75 recruit was set on going to college. He made national headlines with seven no-hitters his senior year at Bullard High in Texas and it sounds like he’s already asserted himself as a starter.
Star third baseman Cayden Wallace previously told HawgBeat that he believed Smith was at least the second-best pitcher on the team and Van Horn said Thursday that he’s been “outstanding” since returning from winter break.
“He hasn’t shown us one time that he’s intimidated or he fears throwing a pitch,” Van Horn said. “The kid just attacks. He works fast. He’s earned his spot. Our whole team knows he should be starting.”
There’s a chance the rotation changes between the opening series against Illinois State and the end of the season, though.
Van Horn said he expects roles to evolve and non-conference play will be critical in sorting out things like the bullpen and the third starter, which is no different than their situation entering the 2021 season in which Arkansas was the No. 1 team in the country for most of the year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he wants it to unfold the same way.
“If you think back, though, a year ago from now, we didn’t really know who was going to pitch,” Van Horn said. “Ended up being okay. You don’t want to live on the edge like that.”
