ARKANSAS BASEBALL

Bullpen expects workout tonight

Arkansas reliever Brandon Moore joined three other junior pitchers to be selected in the 2013 MLB draft on Saturday.
Arkansas reliever Brandon Moore joined three other junior pitchers to be selected in the 2013 MLB draft on Saturday.

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas has plenty of well-rested pitchers ready to go when the No. 14 Razorbacks play Missouri State tonight at Baum Stadium.

Two rain-outs last week cancelled games against Oklahoma and Georgia, and the bullpen didn’t get much work in the two games Arkansas did play.

Starters Barrett Astin and Ryne Stanek combined to go 14 2/3 innings as the Razorbacks (29-15, 13-7 SEC) beat Georgia 2-0 and 2-1. Closer Colby Suggs got saves in both games while pitching two innings.

TUESDAY'S TICKET

Arkansas (29-15) vs. Missouri State (27-12)

WHEN: 6:35 p.m.

WHERE: Baum Stadium in Fayetteville

TV: None

The only other Razorbacks to pitch last week were Jalen Beeks, who went one inning, and Landon Simpson, who faced one batter.

Randall Fant missed his scheduled Sunday start at Georgia because of a rain out. Relievers Brandon Moore, Trent Daniel, Chris Oliver and Michael Gunn, who normally work in SEC series, haven’t pitched in more than a week. Tyler Wright and Trey Killian, who would have pitched against Oklahoma, haven’t pitched in two weeks. Colin Poche hasn’t pitched in three weeks, and that was when he went one-third of an inning against New Mexico.

Fant (3-1, 2.23 ERA), a senior left-hander, will start tonight’s game against the Bears (27-12, 11-4 Missouri Valley Conference), but he likely won’t throw more than two innings so he’ll be ready to go this weekend in the Razorbacks’ SEC series at No. 23 Kentucky.

“We won’t throw him very much,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. “We’ve got six or seven other guys who need to get some time.”

Van Horn said the pitching might be lined up inning by inning before tonight’s game. The Razorbacks have plenty of good options with an NCAA-leading 1.75 team ERA.

“At least inning No. 1 through No. 7 or 8 and say, ‘You’ve got an inning, you’ve got an inning,’ just so guys get a chance to get in the bullpen, get hot, get out there and pitch in a game situation,” Van Horn said. “I could go on and on as far as the guys who need to pitch. So we’ll try to get all of those guys in the game.”

Missouri State, on the other hand, is hoping to get a quality start from freshman left-hander Matt Hall (4-1, 2.64 ERA).

Hall is looking for his second victory against an SEC team. He went a season-best seven innings at Missouri last Tuesday when the Bears beat the Tigers 4-2. He held Missouri to 3 hits and 1 run with 6 strikeouts and 3 walks.

Missouri State has won 6 of its past 7 games and took 2 of 3 at Evansville last weekend to remain tied with Wichita State for the Missouri Valley lead.

“They’ve beaten a lot of good teams this year,” Van Horn said. “It’s always a really good ballgame when we play them.”

Arkansas has won eight in a row against Missouri State since 2007, but five of those victories have been by two or fewer runs, including 5-4in 2010 and 2-1 in 2011 in the teams’ most recent meetings.

Missouri State has a .274 team batting average, led by Tate Matheny (.363), Eric Cheray (.321) and Keenan Maddox (.318), who hit a home run in the eighth inning to lift the Bears to a 2-1 victory over Evansville on Sunday.

Brian Anderson (.322) and Jacob Mahan (.300) are Arkansas’ leading hitters.

Van Horn and Missouri State Coach Keith Guttin each have more than 1,000 career victories. Guttin is 1,061-664 in 31 seasons at Missouri State, while Van Horn is 1,019-478 in 25 seasons, including 11 at Arkansas.

Tonight marks Arkansas’ final regular-season nonconference game and only home game in a two-week span.

SHORT HOPS

Fant is starting tonight because Sunday’s game at Georgia was rained out. He’ll be on a tight pitch count and likely won’t go more than two innings so he’ll be rested for this weekend’s series against Kentucky. ... Hall went seven innings and held Missouri to three hits in the Bears’ 4-2 victory over the Tigers last Tuesday. ... Arkansas is 47-20 all-time against Missouri State, including 31-8 in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks have won eight in a row against the Bears going back to the 2007 season. ... Missouri State has won six of its past seven games and took two of three at Evansville last weekend.

Sports, Pages 17 on 04/30/2013

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