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Until this week, Arkansas baseball and Auburn were both ranked inside the top-10 of every USA TODAY Coaches Poll this season.
Now, the two programs are floundering as they head toward a key SEC clash this weekend.
The No. 16 Razorbacks (19-11, 4-5 SEC) and No. 11 Tigers (20-8, 4-5) begin a three-game series on Thursday, April 2. Both teams were on the wrong ends of sweeps last weekend, with Arkansas dropping three games to Florida and Auburn failing to beat Alabama. They also lost in midweek action. Missouri State hit a walk-off homer to beat Arkansas in extra innings, while Georgia Tech cruised to a 13-3 run-rule win over the Tigers.
Below is one thing to watch for Arkansas, a more detailed look at Auburn and a series prediction.
The Hogs' weekend rotation is coming off its worst performance of the season against Florida. Gabe Gaeckle, Hunter Dietz and Colin Fisher combined for a 10.57 ERA in 7⅔ innings. Their short starts ravaged the Arkansas bullpen.
Dave Van Horn indicated that he would make some changes for the series against Auburn, with Game 3 being a TBA. Is it time for Cole Gibler to enter the fray? Does Ethan McElvain move into a staring role with Arkansas knowing it would be a short outing? The Hogs need to find pitchers who don't put the team in early holes.
"We play catch up too much," Van Horn said. "We're behind, and it's hard, so we've got to figure out offensively, when you score early, and on the mound, we need to get people out early."
The Razorbacks never held a lead during their series against Florida.
Hitters: The Tigers' offense hasn't lived up to expectations this spring. Auburn ranks 15th in the SEC in total runs, doubles and homers. It is dead last in slugging percentage.
But the Tigers do have six players hitting better than .300 with 20 or more starts, and they have the fewest strikeouts in the league. Chris Rembert (.333/.415/.513) and Chase Fralick (.353/.460/.608) are the two biggest impact bats. They've combined for 45 RBIs and 41 runs.
Bristol Carter hits leadoff and will look to cause havoc on the bases. He's hitting .351 with 19 steals and leads the team with 29 runs.
No one on Auburn's roster has more than five home runs. Shortstop Brandon McCraine is the leading hitter with a .354 average, while first baseman Chase Fralick is batting .353.
Pitchers: Here lies the strength of this year's Auburn team. All three weekend starters have an ERA below 3.50, and there are multiple relievers who could give a struggling Arkansas lineup fits this weekend.
The ace is Jake Marciano, who boasts a 3-1 record with a 1.30 ERA. He has 56 strikeouts in 41⅔ innings, and the lefty hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of his seven starts.
The other weekend starters are lefty Jackson Sanders (2-1, 3.40 ERA) and righty Alex Petrovic (4-1, 2.80 ERA). Waiting in the bullpen are LJ Cormier, Drew Whalen, Jett Johnson and Christian Chatteron. All four relievers have an ERA below 3.70 with more than 10 innings pitched.
This is simply nothing more than a hunch. Arkansas has too proud of a program not to respond after a home sweep last weekend. The pitching will bounce back, and the Hogs will get just enough offense to eek out a third series victory in the SEC.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas baseball vs Auburn: Scouting report, prediction
Continue reading...
Now, the two programs are floundering as they head toward a key SEC clash this weekend.
The No. 16 Razorbacks (19-11, 4-5 SEC) and No. 11 Tigers (20-8, 4-5) begin a three-game series on Thursday, April 2. Both teams were on the wrong ends of sweeps last weekend, with Arkansas dropping three games to Florida and Auburn failing to beat Alabama. They also lost in midweek action. Missouri State hit a walk-off homer to beat Arkansas in extra innings, while Georgia Tech cruised to a 13-3 run-rule win over the Tigers.
Below is one thing to watch for Arkansas, a more detailed look at Auburn and a series prediction.
Can the Arkansas baseball pitching staff bounce back?
The Hogs' weekend rotation is coming off its worst performance of the season against Florida. Gabe Gaeckle, Hunter Dietz and Colin Fisher combined for a 10.57 ERA in 7⅔ innings. Their short starts ravaged the Arkansas bullpen.
Dave Van Horn indicated that he would make some changes for the series against Auburn, with Game 3 being a TBA. Is it time for Cole Gibler to enter the fray? Does Ethan McElvain move into a staring role with Arkansas knowing it would be a short outing? The Hogs need to find pitchers who don't put the team in early holes.
"We play catch up too much," Van Horn said. "We're behind, and it's hard, so we've got to figure out offensively, when you score early, and on the mound, we need to get people out early."
The Razorbacks never held a lead during their series against Florida.
Auburn baseball players to watch
Hitters: The Tigers' offense hasn't lived up to expectations this spring. Auburn ranks 15th in the SEC in total runs, doubles and homers. It is dead last in slugging percentage.
But the Tigers do have six players hitting better than .300 with 20 or more starts, and they have the fewest strikeouts in the league. Chris Rembert (.333/.415/.513) and Chase Fralick (.353/.460/.608) are the two biggest impact bats. They've combined for 45 RBIs and 41 runs.
Bristol Carter hits leadoff and will look to cause havoc on the bases. He's hitting .351 with 19 steals and leads the team with 29 runs.
No one on Auburn's roster has more than five home runs. Shortstop Brandon McCraine is the leading hitter with a .354 average, while first baseman Chase Fralick is batting .353.
Pitchers: Here lies the strength of this year's Auburn team. All three weekend starters have an ERA below 3.50, and there are multiple relievers who could give a struggling Arkansas lineup fits this weekend.
The ace is Jake Marciano, who boasts a 3-1 record with a 1.30 ERA. He has 56 strikeouts in 41⅔ innings, and the lefty hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of his seven starts.
The other weekend starters are lefty Jackson Sanders (2-1, 3.40 ERA) and righty Alex Petrovic (4-1, 2.80 ERA). Waiting in the bullpen are LJ Cormier, Drew Whalen, Jett Johnson and Christian Chatteron. All four relievers have an ERA below 3.70 with more than 10 innings pitched.
Prediction: Arkansas wins series 2-1
This is simply nothing more than a hunch. Arkansas has too proud of a program not to respond after a home sweep last weekend. The pitching will bounce back, and the Hogs will get just enough offense to eek out a third series victory in the SEC.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas baseball vs Auburn: Scouting report, prediction
Continue reading...
