College Baseball Takeaways: Arkansas Comes Back For Another Big Road Win

Arkansas Comes Back For Another Premium Road Win

Arkansas is no stranger to playing high-profile games away from the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium. It’s been doing it since Opening Weekend, when it traveled to Arlington, Texas, for the State Farm Showdown against Texas, Texas Christian and Texas Tech. The SEC schedule hasn’t been any easier, as it has taken the Razorbacks to Mississippi State, Mississippi, South Carolina and, now, Tennessee.

No. 1 Arkansas hasn’t flinched through it all and consistently finding ways to win. It did it again Friday at No. 5 Tennessee. The Volunteers jumped out to a 5-0, first-inning lead against lefthander Patrick Wicklander, whose 1.69 ERA coming into the night trailed only his teammate Kevin Kopps on the SEC leaderboard.

But the Razorbacks were unfazed after being punched in the mouth. They held the Volunteers (38-12, 17-8) scoreless the rest of the night and set about mounting a comeback to win, 6-5. Arkansas (38-9, 18-7) improved to 13-3 in games against teams currently ranked in the Top 25 – all of which have come away from Baum-Walker Stadium.

The victory, combined with Missouri upsetting No. 3 Mississippi State, leaves Arkansas in sole possession of first place in the SEC.  

“The mentality for our team is strong,” coach Dave Van Horn said. “They believe they can come back. The situation was still had eight at bats. The wind blowing out and we knew get back in the game if we could hold them.”

Arkansas got right back in the game in the second inning when Robert Moore hit a two-run home run to right field, his 11th of the season. Brady Slavens hit a two-run homer of his own in the third and, all of a sudden, it was a one-run game. The Razorbacks pulled even in the fifth and then Moore pushed across the go-ahead run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly, only just missing what would have been another homer.

While the offense went to work, Arkansas got a strong effort from relievers Caden Monke and Kevin Kopps, who combined for 6.1 scoreless innings. Monke was excellent in the middle innings, allowing the Razorbacks time to tie the score, and Kopps was again outstanding at the business end of the game.

Kopps improved to 8-0, 0.68 with 85 strikeouts in 52.2 innings. He leads the nation in ERA, despite pitching exclusively in relief this season. He is a special weapon for Van Horn to deploy late in any close game and got the job done again Friday.

Arkansas now needs just one more win over the next two days to clinch yet another road series win. But it will need more relievers to step up, as Monke threw 49 pitches and Kopps threw 66. Some other pitchers will likely get a chance to show what they can do Saturday.

Doug Nikhazy Twirls Gem Against Vanderbilt

With Gunnar Hoglund out the rest of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Mississippi’s hopes for achieving many of its big-picture goals this season hinge on lefthander Doug Nikhazy being the best version of himself time and again, and Friday in a 3-1 win against No. 2 Vanderbilt, that’s precisely what he was. 

The lefthander threw seven innings, giving up five hits and one run with two walks and 12 strikeouts. It wasn’t until Isaiah Thomas got to him for a solo homer in the seventh that he was lifted, having thrown 118 pitches. Considering the moment and the opponent, it was probably his second-best start of the season, behind only his one-hit shutout at Mississippi State.

Offensively, the home run ball was working for the Rebels (35-14, 15-10) against Kumar Rocker. In the second inning, T.J. McCants connected for a two-run shot to get the scoring started. One inning later, Kevin Graham added a solo homer, and with the way Nikhazy was pitching, that was all the offense the team needed. Once Nikhazy was done, righthander Taylor Broadway came on and finished it off with two scoreless innings, holding Vanderbilt (35-11, 16-8) at bay. 

This weekend is a critical series for Ole Miss’ chances to host a regional. It on Friday was announced as one of the 20 potential host sites, but with just three SEC series wins to its name, it still has work to do and a difficult remaining schedule (Vanderbilt, at Georgia, SEC Tournament). Friday was a strong first step, but it was just that.

Winning one of the next two games, when Ole Miss doesn’t have an All-American on the mound, will be tougher. The good news is that Vanderbilt has its own questions. Jack Leiter is back in the rotation after being skipped last weekend, but it’s hard to know what to expect from him after the layoff, and the issues the Commodores have had in getting good pitching on Sundays are well-documented. Buckle up, no matter which way it goes, it feels like we’re in for a wild rest of the weekend in Oxford.

Virginia Throws No-Hitter, Continues Surge

Lefthander Andrew Abbott and relievers Jake Berry and Griff McGarry threw a combined no-hitter Friday as Virginia rolled to a 17-0 victory against Wake Forest. It was the seventh no-hitter in program history and the first since 2018.

Abbott started the game and struck out 16 batters in 7.1 innings. His lone blemishes were a pair of walks, both coming in the first four innings. He retired the final 12 batters he faced before exiting the game having thrown 105 pitches. It was an emotional scene in the Virginia dugout, as Abbott, a fourth-year junior, was making what is likely to be his final appearance at Disharoon Park.

Berry relieved him got the final two outs of the eighth inning. McGarry, also a fourth-year junior and Abbott’s roommate the last three years, threw the ninth inning, striking out three batters and working around a walk to complete the no-hitter.

“Abbott was just amazing,” coach Brian O’Connor said. “To see him do what he did tonight in his last game in our uniform (at Disharoon Park) was really, really special. Jake did a nice job and then to see Griff out there, he pitched excellent to secure it. When something like that happens it’s a total team effort, Kyle Teel did a great job behind the plate, blocking pitches and running the game. Defensively some guys made some nice plays. It’s a great accomplishment by our team and everyone involved.”

Virginia’s offense provided plenty of support. It pounded out 14 hits and drew 12 walks in the rout. Zach Gelof homered and scored three runs and Chris Newell tripled and drove in three runs. Really, though, it was a full-team effort offensively, as they posted their second-highest run total of the season.

The Cavaliers (23-21, 14-17) have come on strong in the second half of the season and are now streaking toward an NCAA Tournament bid after a lackluster start to the season. They have won six of their last nine games and with their final five games coming against Wake Forest (17-24, 7-20) and Boston College (20-25, 9-21), the two worst teams in the conference, they will have a chance to build some momentum going into the ACC Tournament.

NC State Wins Pitcher’s Duel At Pittsburgh

North Carolina State went into the weekend looking to cement its place as an at-large team for regionals, and a 3-2 win Friday at Pittsburgh is a great start toward that goal. 

Something had to give in a matchup between an NC State pitching staff that typically doesn’t pile up strikeouts in large numbers and a Pitt lineup that’s been known to swing and miss, and in this game, it was the Panthers who blinked. 

For NC State (24-14, 15-13), righthander Reid Johnston, who threw 7.1 innings, and lefthander Evan Justice, who threw the final 1.2 innings, combined to strike out 13 batters, allowing eight hits and two runs (all against Johnston). 

Both of the Panthers’ runs came in the second inning on a Ron Washington, Jr. solo homer and a Ramon Padilla RBI single. That put them up 2-1, but the Wolfpack were able to put together just enough offense to complete the comeback. One run came across in the fifth on a Luca Tresh RBI double, with the go-ahead run scoring in the seventh on a wild pitch. 

NC State isn’t the only team with something to play for in this series, of course. Pitt (22-14, 16-12) was announced on Friday as one of 20 potential host sites for regionals, and dropping a home series this weekend certainly would not be a good way to position itself to be one of the eventual 16 selected. Suffice it to say that it has work to do the next two days. 

Michigan Makes Statement With Rout

The Big Ten standings have been fairly fluid this season, but over the last couple of weeks, Indiana had grabbed a hold of first place. The Hoosiers are in the midst of arguably the toughest stretch of schedule for any Big Ten team this year, but they’ve handled it as well as they could have hoped.

A series at Michigan is the next challenge in that gauntlet, and on Friday, it was the Wolverines (24-12) who made a statement with a 10-3 win. 

Indiana (23-11) was in the game early. After Michigan took the lead in the second on a Ted Burton solo homer, the Hoosiers answered with two runs in the top of the third. 

From there, though, the Wolverines ran away with things. Five runs came across in the bottom of the third on four separate run-scoring hits, and three more scored in the fourth on a Griffin Mazur three-run homer. That was part of a four-RBI game for Mazur, and left fielder Tito Flores went 3-for-4. 

Michigan lefthander Steven Hajjar was solid, giving up six hits and three runs with four walks and eight strikeouts in 6.1 innings, which was more than good enough on a day when the offense was locked in. 

The Michigan win, combined with a Nebraska win over Northwestern, further muddled the Big Ten standings, as the Cornhuskers (24-11) hold a small edge on the Hoosiers and Wolverines. And with a win against Illinois, Iowa (22-14) kept pace a couple of games back as well. There is still much to be decided in this conference.

Arizona Wins Wild Marathon, Remains In First Place

No. 10 Arizona survived a wild, marathon game against last-place Washington for a 17-16 victory in 10 innings. With the win, the Wildcats (33-13, 17-8) maintained their narrow hold on first place in the Pac-12.

In a wild game that took several twists and turns, Arizona came back twice in the final three innings. First, trailing 12-10 in the eighth, the Wildcats scored three runs to edge into the lead. The Huskies tied the game on a safety squeeze in the ninth and then pushed three more runs across in the 10th.

But Arizona wasn’t done yet. The Wildcats got two runners on for the heart of their order. But with two outs, they were down to their last strike when Tyler Casagrande drove in two runs with a single. Daniel Susac followed with a double to tie the game. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases and Nik McClaughry walked it off with a single.

The game took 5 hours and 20 minutes to play and saw the teams combine for 39 hits, 16 walks, five errors and 468 pitches. Still, Arizona found a way. It is very difficult to beat at home (22-6 this season), a trait that will serve it well in the NCAA Tournament.

A loss would have been a tough pill for the Wildcats, as they would have been knocked out of first place by the last-place Huskies. The standings remain air tight in the Pac-12 with Arizona, Oregon (31-11, 15-7) and Stanford (28-10, 13-6) virtually tied for first place. Oregon on Friday beat Utah and Stanford knocked off rival California. This race looks destined to come down to the season’s final weekend.

UCSB Gets Crucial Win At UCLA

After last week losing a series against UC Irvine with first-place in the Big West on the line, UC Santa Barbara on Friday bounced back with a 10-4 win to open a non-conference series with UCLA.

The Gauchos (30-16) got a strong start from Michael McGreevy and scored seven runs off Bruins starter Zach Pettway, knocking him out in the fourth inning. Leadoff hitter Cole Cummings led the way with two hits and three runs, and Mason Eng added three hits and three runs from the nine-hole.

McGreevy scattered 10 hits in 6.1 innings, but he struck out 12 batters, walked none and held UCLA to one run. While it was at times a high-wire act for the Gauchos ace, he got it done and improved to 7-1, 2.84 with 100 strikeouts and eight walks in 82.1 innings on the season.

UCSB is in second place in the Big West standings, but it ranks No. 65 in RPI, leaving it in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. After going 1-7 against Oregon and UCI, the two best teams it has faced this season, UCSB’s resume needs a boost, and this weekend is a golden opportunity. The series on Saturday moves to Santa Barbara before returning to Westwood for the finale. Another win for the Gauchos could be just what they need to push themselves back onto the right side of the bubble.

UCLA (28-15) is firmly in the NCAA Tournament field and will next week resume its chase of a Pac-12 title. But between the loss and not being named to the shortlist of potential regional hosts (which was something of a long shot), Friday was a day to forget for the Bruins.

Upsets Highlight Action In Conference USA

There on Friday morning was celebration in Conference USA, as three teams in the conference, Charlotte, Louisiana Tech and Southern Mississippi, were announced on the shortlist of 20 potential regional host sites 

It was not a good evening, however, for two of those three teams in pursuit of hosting, as Louisiana Tech was upset at home by Texas-San Antonio, 7-5 and Southern Miss lost, 3-1, at Florida Atlantic 

The Owls (28-21, 17-12) simply beat the Golden Eagles (33-16, 21-8) at their own game by outdoing them on the mound. Lefthander Hunter Cooley held USM to five hits and one run in seven innings, and the relief duo of Dylan O’Connell and Dante Visconti threw a scoreless inning each to close it out. 

The focus in this result will probably be how it affects USM’s chances to host, and that’s understandable, but it’s also worth noting that FAU’s at-large hopes aren’t dead. With this win, it moved to No. 66 RPI. Winning this series would probably push it closer to 60, and its final regular-season game of the season on Tuesday against Miami can also only help get that number into at-large range. Even the rosiest outlook for the next four games probably leaves FAU with some work to do in the CUSA Tournament, but that’s a better place to be than where it was considered to be not so long ago. 

UTSA (22-21, 14-14), meanwhile, did a nice job of putting La Tech lefthander Jonathan Fincher on the ropes early, scoring four runs in the first four innings, and then after the Bulldogs (33-14, 19-8) took a 5-4 lead in the middle innings, the Roadrunners landed the knockout blow with three runs in the seventh. 

With the win, UTSA clinched a spot in the CUSA Tournament. That was mostly a formality, but it’s an accomplishment nonetheless. On the other side, it goes without saying that it would behoove La Tech to win the last three games of this series to feel good about hosting. It’s grip on a host spot, which felt ironclad a month ago, has slipped lately, and while two games next weekend against Old Dominion provide a last opportunity to make a statement, the Bulldogs would rather it not come to that. 

North Carolina Central Clinches First-Ever Division Title

This is North Carolina Central’s final season, as the program is set to be eliminated at the conclusion of the 2021 campaign, but the Eagles are poised to make it a lasting final memory. 

Thursday, in a 10-4 win against Florida A&M, righthander Austin Vernon set the NCCU single-season strikeout record with 100 and tied the single-game strikeout record with 13. For good measure, Scott Meylan broke the single-season saves record with his ninth. 

Friday, after winning both ends of a doubleheader against the Rattlers (21-32, 15-13), the Eagles (24-18, 16-11) clinched the MEAC South Division title for the first time in program history. 

In the first game of the double dip, righthander Ryan Miller was excellent in a 4-1 victory. He gave up six hits and one unearned run with one walk and seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Offensively, second baseman Kokko Figueiredo went 2-for-3 with a leadoff home run and DH Tristan Shea was 2-for-4. Meylan picked up another save, adding to his record. 

In the second game, lefthander Chris Krennrich turned in his best outing of the season, throwing five scoreless innings in a 5-0 victory. Righthander Sam Murchison threw the final two innings, with five of his six outs recorded coming via strikeout. First baseman Patrick Doran (a solo shot) and center fielder Nick Fajardo (a two-run homer) both had home runs in the fourth inning. 

The final home game in the history of the NC Central program is due up Saturday, but some of the melancholy of that moment will undoubtedly be mitigated by the excitement about the opportunity the team has next week to earn the program’s first-ever regional bid by winning the MEAC Tournament.

Ace watch

Friday night is for the aces. We’ve already highlighted the work of Andrew Abbott, Michael McGreevy and Doug Nikhazy. But plenty more pitchers stepped up around the country. Here are seven more who had impressive games.

Aaron Brown, RHP, Middle Tennessee State: Brown threw eight scoreless innings to lead Middle Tennessee to an 8-0 victory against Florida International. He struck out 11 batters, walked none and scattered five hits. Brown is 6-5, 4.12 with 107 strikeouts and 13 walks in 78.2 innings this season.

Ethan Chavis, LHP, North Carolina A&T: Chavis threw a one-hit shutout in an 8-0, seven-inning victory against Coppin State. He struck out nine batters and walked four. Chavis is 2-4, 6.98 this season.

Eli Davis, LHP, Kansas: Davis threw a no-hitter against Kansas State in a 10-0 victory that was shortened to seven innings by run rule. He struck out four batters, walked two and faced just two batters more than the minimum. The Jayhawks swept a doubleheader against their in-state rivals, outscoring the Wildcats, 12-0, on the day. Davis is 6-5, 5.10 with 59 strikeouts in 65.1 innings this season.

Austin Love, RHP, North Carolina: Love threw his first career complete game in a 5-1 victory against No. 12 Louisville, helping UNC to a key win for its postseason chances. He held the Cardinals to one run (a mammoth solo home run from Henry Davis), struck out nine and scattered six hits and two walks. Love improved to 6-4, 3.68 with 96 strikeouts and 26 walks in 80.2 innings this season.

Trevin Michael, RHP, Lamar: Michael threw a four-hit shutout to lead Lamar to a 6-0 victory against New Orleans, which came into the game leading the Southland Conference. He struck out five batters, walked one and threw 107 pitches. Michael improved to 4-2, 3.26 with 65 strikeouts and 25 walks in 58 innings this season.

Kevin Stevens, RHP, Texas-Rio Grande Valley: Stevens threw a one-hit shutout in a 5-0, seven-inning victory against Northern Colorado. He struck out 11 batters and walked none, facing just one batter more than the minimum. A fifth-inning single was the lone blemish of the day and Stevens finished the game by retiring the final eight batters he faced. Stevens is 6-4, 3.20 with 70 strikeouts and 19 walks in 70.1 innings this season.

Nick Zwack, LHP, Xavier: Zwack threw a two-hit shutout in a 9-0, seven-inning victory against Georgetown. He struck out eight batters, walked none and retired the first 17 batters of the game before his no-hit bid ended. Zwack is 6-4, 2.78 with 62 strikeouts and 26 walks in 71.1 innings this season.