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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas baseball will enter a cauldron of disdain this weekend with a three-game road series inside the LSU's Alex Box Stadium.
According to Hogs head coach Dave Van Horn, the Tigers' home ballpark is one of the toughest venues in the SEC. It's the latest hurdle in a brutal close to the regular season that features six teams who began the year ranked inside the top 15 of the USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
After losing the first three series of the closing stretch, the No. 2 Razorbacks (40-9, 17-7 SEC) bounced back last week with a sweep over No. 1 Texas. Arkansas hit eight home runs and handed the Longhorns their first series loss of the year.
More: Arkansas baseball bracketology: Where Hogs stand in 2025 NCAA Tournament projections
More: 'Best player in the country': Wehiwa Aloy's two-way prowess wows Arkansas baseball
The No. 4 Tigers (38-11, 15-9) lost two of three games on the road against Texas A&M last weekend, but they're 10-2 at home in league play this spring and will look to continue that winning margin against the Razorbacks.
Below is one thing to watch for Arkansas, a more detailed look at LSU and a series prediction.
Dave Van Horn demanded longer outings from his starting pitchers prior to the weekend series Texas. They responded by giving up five runs in 16 innings and paving the way for a dominant sweep over the Longhorns. Arkansas' weekend rotation hadn't pitched that many innings since a sweep over Vanderbilt in late March.
It all starts with Zach Root (6-3, 3.95 ERA) and Gage Wood (1-0, 3.77 ERA). Root logged eight scoreless innings in the series opener and kept the bullpen fresh for the rest of the weekend. Wood allowed one run in four innings and will have a higher pitch count this weekend as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury. They combined for 19 strikeouts.
Landon Beidelschies (4-0, 4.65 ERA) allowed four runs in four innings as the third starter, but Van Horn will likely keep that job open moving forward in case the Razorbacks need the lefty to come out of the bullpen earlier in the series.
Whoever makes up the rotation will have a bigger challenge this weekend. Despite the No. 1 ranking, Texas features an average offense. LSU ranks fourth in the SEC and 23rd nationally with 404 runs and is second in the conference with a .305 batting average.
Hitters: Centerfielder Derek Curiel has a chance to be the SEC Freshman of the Year, slashing .361/.482/.563. He has the highest batting average on the team, but the Tigers biggest offensive threat is first baseman Jared Jones, who leads LSU with 16 home runs, 60 RBIs and 52 runs scored. No other Tiger has reached double-digit home runs this spring.
Pitchers: The Tigers have the deepest pitching staff Arkansas has faced this year, ranking second in the SEC with 551 strikeouts and fifth with 3.85 team ERA. There aren't many teams with a better one-two punch at the top of the rotation than Kade Anderson (6-1, 3.57 ERA) and Anthony Eyanson (7-2, 3.16 ERA), but the Tigers also have two dominant relievers in Casan Evans (1.24 ERA, 6 saves) and Zac Cowan (1.99 ERA).
It feels like Arkansas turned a corner last week with Root and Wood looking like the pitchers the coaching staff envisioned before the season. While LSU's season-long numbers look strong, the Tigers are averaging just 4.5 runs in their last 13 SEC games. Arkansas just scored 28 runs against a Texas pitching staff regarded as the country's best and will have enough firepower this weekend for a road series victory over LSU.
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. LSU scouting report, prediction for SEC matchup
Continue reading...
According to Hogs head coach Dave Van Horn, the Tigers' home ballpark is one of the toughest venues in the SEC. It's the latest hurdle in a brutal close to the regular season that features six teams who began the year ranked inside the top 15 of the USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
After losing the first three series of the closing stretch, the No. 2 Razorbacks (40-9, 17-7 SEC) bounced back last week with a sweep over No. 1 Texas. Arkansas hit eight home runs and handed the Longhorns their first series loss of the year.
More: Arkansas baseball bracketology: Where Hogs stand in 2025 NCAA Tournament projections
More: 'Best player in the country': Wehiwa Aloy's two-way prowess wows Arkansas baseball
The No. 4 Tigers (38-11, 15-9) lost two of three games on the road against Texas A&M last weekend, but they're 10-2 at home in league play this spring and will look to continue that winning margin against the Razorbacks.
Below is one thing to watch for Arkansas, a more detailed look at LSU and a series prediction.
Can Arkansas baseball's weekend rotation carry over strong form?
Dave Van Horn demanded longer outings from his starting pitchers prior to the weekend series Texas. They responded by giving up five runs in 16 innings and paving the way for a dominant sweep over the Longhorns. Arkansas' weekend rotation hadn't pitched that many innings since a sweep over Vanderbilt in late March.
It all starts with Zach Root (6-3, 3.95 ERA) and Gage Wood (1-0, 3.77 ERA). Root logged eight scoreless innings in the series opener and kept the bullpen fresh for the rest of the weekend. Wood allowed one run in four innings and will have a higher pitch count this weekend as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury. They combined for 19 strikeouts.
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Landon Beidelschies (4-0, 4.65 ERA) allowed four runs in four innings as the third starter, but Van Horn will likely keep that job open moving forward in case the Razorbacks need the lefty to come out of the bullpen earlier in the series.
Whoever makes up the rotation will have a bigger challenge this weekend. Despite the No. 1 ranking, Texas features an average offense. LSU ranks fourth in the SEC and 23rd nationally with 404 runs and is second in the conference with a .305 batting average.
LSU baseball players to watch
Hitters: Centerfielder Derek Curiel has a chance to be the SEC Freshman of the Year, slashing .361/.482/.563. He has the highest batting average on the team, but the Tigers biggest offensive threat is first baseman Jared Jones, who leads LSU with 16 home runs, 60 RBIs and 52 runs scored. No other Tiger has reached double-digit home runs this spring.
Pitchers: The Tigers have the deepest pitching staff Arkansas has faced this year, ranking second in the SEC with 551 strikeouts and fifth with 3.85 team ERA. There aren't many teams with a better one-two punch at the top of the rotation than Kade Anderson (6-1, 3.57 ERA) and Anthony Eyanson (7-2, 3.16 ERA), but the Tigers also have two dominant relievers in Casan Evans (1.24 ERA, 6 saves) and Zac Cowan (1.99 ERA).
Prediction: Arkansas wins series 2-1
It feels like Arkansas turned a corner last week with Root and Wood looking like the pitchers the coaching staff envisioned before the season. While LSU's season-long numbers look strong, the Tigers are averaging just 4.5 runs in their last 13 SEC games. Arkansas just scored 28 runs against a Texas pitching staff regarded as the country's best and will have enough firepower this weekend for a road series victory over LSU.
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. LSU scouting report, prediction for SEC matchup
Continue reading...
