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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas baseball will close out the 2026 regular season with a road trip to the Bluegrass State.
The two latest employers of John Calipari will take their rivalry to the diamond when the No. 14 Razorbacks (34-18, 15-12 SEC) face Kentucky for a three-game series beginning Thursday, May 14. Arkansas is looking to build its NCAA tournament résumé with the hopes of securing a home regional. The Wildcats (30-18, 12-15) want to stay on the right side of the bubble.
Here is one question for the Razorbacks entering the weekend, a deeper look at the Wildcats and a series prediction.
It felt like the Hogs were rolling to a sweep over Oklahoma until Colin Fisher and Mark Brissey combined to give up seven runs in the top of the seventh during Sunday's finale. After the game, coach Dave Van Horn said Arkansas needs to find another reliable arm.
Fisher's SEC struggles look never-ending, and Brissey has allowed five earned runs with just three outs recorded in his past two appearances. Is it time to give James DeCremer and Jackson Kircher another chance to prove themselves?
Kircher has gotten five outs since the beginning of April, with Ole Miss scoring two runs and logging four hits in one inning on May 2. The righty transfer from Oklahoma had a 1.50 ERA on March 17. Now, it's 7.20.
DeCremer returned to the mound against the Sooners for the first time in a month and allowed one unearned run in two innings. He has recovered from a calf injury and should be the next man up in the Arkansas bullpen following Steele Eaves, Parker Coil, Tate McGuire and Ethan McElvain.
The Hogs could also try to get more innings out of McGuire and McElvain. The duo only recorded seven outs against Oklahoma.
Hitters: The Wildcats offense has similar traits to Oklahoma. In the SEC, Kentucky ranks first in steals (116), 15th in home runs (49), 12th in runs (342) and tied for first with the fewest strikeouts (373).
The Wildcats don't hit for much power, but they put the ball in play and use their speed on an all-turf field to their advantage. The biggest home-run threat in the lineup is Ethan Hindle (.288/.428/.607) with 10 long balls and 45 RBIs.
Jayce Tharnish (.356/.419/.500) leads the team 27 stolen bases and 54 runs. He and shortstop Tyler Bell (.355/.535/.591) set the table at the top of the lineup, and they only have 54 combined strikeouts on the season. Luke Lawrence (.341/.450/.451) is second on the team with 37 RBIs.
But the biggest strength of the Kentucky lineup is its overall depth. Six Wildcats have an on-base percentage above .400. Arkansas, by contrast, only has three.
Pitchers: Kentucky's team ERA of 5.14 ranks 12th in the SEC, but the Wildcats have a star who typically throws in Game 2.
Jaxon Jelkin is 8-2 with a 3.59 ERA. He's thrown 80⅓ innings, which leads the conference, and the 6-foot-5 righty tossed a complete game in his last start as Kentucky beat Florida.
The rest of the weekend rotation isn't as formidable. Lefty Ben Cleaver is 2-3 with a 3.57 ERA, but he's only pitched more than four innings in two of his 12 starts. Nate Harris (4-2, 5.72 ERA) hasn't thrown more than five innings since mid-March.
Arkansas has had success going against opposing bullpens this season and will look to continue that trend against the Wildcats. Kentucky doesn't have a single reliever with an ERA below 4.75 and more than 20 innings pitched. The closer is Jack Bennett, who has seven saves with a 6.43 ERA.
It's difficult to envision this Arkansas team playing well in three consecutive games on the road, but if Hunter Dietz delivers a series-opening victory, the Hogs are in great shape to have a winning weekend. We're getting repetitive with these predictions as a familiar formula will give Arkansas a fourth-straight series win. The Hogs will finish the SEC slate with a 17-13 record.
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 Kentucky | Prediction, scouting report
Continue reading...
The two latest employers of John Calipari will take their rivalry to the diamond when the No. 14 Razorbacks (34-18, 15-12 SEC) face Kentucky for a three-game series beginning Thursday, May 14. Arkansas is looking to build its NCAA tournament résumé with the hopes of securing a home regional. The Wildcats (30-18, 12-15) want to stay on the right side of the bubble.
Here is one question for the Razorbacks entering the weekend, a deeper look at the Wildcats and a series prediction.
Can Arkansas baseball find its missing pitcher?
It felt like the Hogs were rolling to a sweep over Oklahoma until Colin Fisher and Mark Brissey combined to give up seven runs in the top of the seventh during Sunday's finale. After the game, coach Dave Van Horn said Arkansas needs to find another reliable arm.
Fisher's SEC struggles look never-ending, and Brissey has allowed five earned runs with just three outs recorded in his past two appearances. Is it time to give James DeCremer and Jackson Kircher another chance to prove themselves?
Kircher has gotten five outs since the beginning of April, with Ole Miss scoring two runs and logging four hits in one inning on May 2. The righty transfer from Oklahoma had a 1.50 ERA on March 17. Now, it's 7.20.
DeCremer returned to the mound against the Sooners for the first time in a month and allowed one unearned run in two innings. He has recovered from a calf injury and should be the next man up in the Arkansas bullpen following Steele Eaves, Parker Coil, Tate McGuire and Ethan McElvain.
The Hogs could also try to get more innings out of McGuire and McElvain. The duo only recorded seven outs against Oklahoma.
Kentucky baseball players to watch
Hitters: The Wildcats offense has similar traits to Oklahoma. In the SEC, Kentucky ranks first in steals (116), 15th in home runs (49), 12th in runs (342) and tied for first with the fewest strikeouts (373).
The Wildcats don't hit for much power, but they put the ball in play and use their speed on an all-turf field to their advantage. The biggest home-run threat in the lineup is Ethan Hindle (.288/.428/.607) with 10 long balls and 45 RBIs.
Jayce Tharnish (.356/.419/.500) leads the team 27 stolen bases and 54 runs. He and shortstop Tyler Bell (.355/.535/.591) set the table at the top of the lineup, and they only have 54 combined strikeouts on the season. Luke Lawrence (.341/.450/.451) is second on the team with 37 RBIs.
But the biggest strength of the Kentucky lineup is its overall depth. Six Wildcats have an on-base percentage above .400. Arkansas, by contrast, only has three.
Pitchers: Kentucky's team ERA of 5.14 ranks 12th in the SEC, but the Wildcats have a star who typically throws in Game 2.
Jaxon Jelkin is 8-2 with a 3.59 ERA. He's thrown 80⅓ innings, which leads the conference, and the 6-foot-5 righty tossed a complete game in his last start as Kentucky beat Florida.
The rest of the weekend rotation isn't as formidable. Lefty Ben Cleaver is 2-3 with a 3.57 ERA, but he's only pitched more than four innings in two of his 12 starts. Nate Harris (4-2, 5.72 ERA) hasn't thrown more than five innings since mid-March.
Arkansas has had success going against opposing bullpens this season and will look to continue that trend against the Wildcats. Kentucky doesn't have a single reliever with an ERA below 4.75 and more than 20 innings pitched. The closer is Jack Bennett, who has seven saves with a 6.43 ERA.
Prediction: Arkansas wins series 2-1
It's difficult to envision this Arkansas team playing well in three consecutive games on the road, but if Hunter Dietz delivers a series-opening victory, the Hogs are in great shape to have a winning weekend. We're getting repetitive with these predictions as a familiar formula will give Arkansas a fourth-straight series win. The Hogs will finish the SEC slate with a 17-13 record.
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 Kentucky | Prediction, scouting report
Continue reading...
