FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas was a weary baseball team when the Razorbacks returned home Monday following a long weekend series at California.
To make matters worse, rain began to fall heavily while the players unloaded their gear after a bus ride from the airport.
A couple of days of rest would be welcomed, but that’s not possible with five games scheduled for this week at Baum Stadium. The action begins today with the first of two games against South Dakota State. Arkansas will then host Wisconsin-Milwaukee in a three-game series before opening SEC play at LSU on March 19.
“We had a wake-up call at 4 a.m., and the travel back was rough,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said after the team arrived at Baum Stadium at 5 p.m. Monday. “It’s been a long day. We have five games this week, and we need to be ready to go.”
Arkansas (8-2) won the first two games at California before its bats went silent in a 6-0 loss to the Bears. The Razorbacks were held to six hits while having their seven-game winning streak snapped.
“Sunday, it just didn’t happen, and they played real well,” Van Horn said. “We went out of the zone and swung at more bad pitches than we had in the last five or six games combined, which is uncharacteristic of what we’ve been doing this year.”
Van Horn hopes the Razorbacks can maintain their focus over the next five games with the big series at LSU looming next week. South Dakota State (5-2) is coming off a 3-1 series victory over Air Force, where the Jackrabbits outscored the Falcons 59-35 in four games.
“This is a setup this week for bad things to happen if we’re not ready, mentally,” Van Horn said. “We’re playing teams that might not be from well-known conferences, but you’ve still got to go out and play. We’ll find out what kind of maturity this team has after losing on Sunday.”
Arkansas will likely experiment again with its lineup to get some younger players some experience for SEC play. The Razorbacks will also be closely monitoring the progress of second baseman Bo Bigham, who is coming off a shoulder injury. Bigham saw his first action since the season opener when he entered Friday’s game against California as a pinch-runner in the eighth inning. Bigham then batted in the ninth inning and flew out in Arkansas’ 7-3 victory over the Bears.
Arkansas will start junior right-hander Sam Murphy today and freshman left-hander Randall Fant against South Dakota State on Wednesday. The Jackrabbits enter today’s game after a 23-9 victory over Air Force on Sunday. Eric Cain and Zach Briggs each had five hits for the Jackrabbits.
Razorbacks at a glance
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT ARKANSAS
WHEN 3:05 p.m. today WHERE Baum Stadium, Fayetteville PITCHING MATCHUP Arkansas: Sam Murphy (RHP, 0-0 15.43 ERA). South Dakota State: N/A. Murphy has allowed 2 hits and 4 runs in 21 /3 innings pitched this season.
RADIO RSP statewide radio network, which includes KQSM-FM, 92.1, in Fayetteville; KURM-AM, 790, and KURM-FM, 100.3, in Bentonville-Rogers; KABZ-FM, 103.7, in Little Rock; KASR-FM, 92.7, in Conway; KHGG-FM, 103.1, in Fort Smith; KELD-FM, 106.5, in El Dorado; and KOMT-FM, 107.5, in Mountain Home. Not all games willbe carried by affiliates. Check local listings.
INTERNET www.arkansasrazorbacks.com (go to RazorVision link)
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY vs. South Dakota State, 3:05 p.m.
WEDNESDAY vs. South Dakota State, 3:05 p.m.
THURSDAY off FRIDAY Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3:05 p.m.
SATURDAY Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2:05 p.m.
SUNDAY Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1:05 p.m.
MONDAY off
Sports, Pages 15 on 03/09/2010