Killian looking to bounce back

Trey Killian of Arkansas celebrates the final out of the fourth inning against Kentucky Friday, April 10, 2015, at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.
Trey Killian of Arkansas celebrates the final out of the fourth inning against Kentucky Friday, April 10, 2015, at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas pitcher Trey Killian's earned run average took a serious hit last Friday at Texas A&M.

The No. 1 Aggies scored 11 earned runs in 4 2/3 innings against the junior right-hander from Mountain Home -- the most Killian has allowed in 26 career starts -- in beating the Razorbacks 13-6.

TODAY’S GAME

Mississippi State at No. 25 Arkansas

WHEN 6:35 p.m.

WHERE Baum Stadium, Fayetteville

RECORDS Mississippi State 22-19, 6-12 SEC; Arkansas 24-17, 9-9

SERIES Mississippi State leads 48-40

RADIO Razorbacks Sports Network. Not all games will be carried by all affiliates. Check local listings

INTERNET SEC Network-Plus

PITCHING MATCHUP Mississippi State: Lucas Lancaster (LHP, 4-3, 3.11 ERA). Arkansas: Trey Killian (RHP, 1-3, 5.87 ERA)

SHORT HOPS The Razorbacks are ranked No. 25 in the Baseball America poll. … Arkansas center fielder Andrew Benintendi has 7 home runs and 15 RBI in the past 13 games. … Dominic Taccolini (5-3, 4.97 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Razorbacks on Saturday and Keaton McKinney (3-1, 3.93 ERA) on Sunday. … Promotions this weekend include the first 1,000 fans in the stadium tonight receiving an ‘A’ logo car decal, $1 hot dogs Saturday with a limit of two per fan per transaction, and a set of Razorback baseball trading cards for the first 1,000 fans Sunday. … Arkansas is the only SEC team to win its past four conference series. … The Razorbacks have one error in the past six games.

THE WEEK AHEAD

TODAY Mississippi State, 6:35 p.m.

SATURDAY Mississippi State, 6:05 p.m.

SUNDAY Mississippi State, 1:05 p.m.

MONDAY off

TUESDAY off

WEDNESDAY off

THURSDAY at Alabama, 6 p.m.

Killian's ERA rose from 3.74 to 5.87 as he allowed 11 hits and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts.

"That's probably the roughest outing he's ever had," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "He just didn't have it, and he'll admit it.

"Normally he can locate that fastball. He wasn't able to do that. He just didn't command his fastball, didn't have much of a breaking ball, pitching against a great hitting team in their own ball park."

Van Horn said Killian needs to emulate what the Razorbacks (24-17, 9-9 SEC) have done in rallying from a 1-5 start in conference play. They won the final two games at Texas A&M, handing the Aggies their first SEC series loss.

"That's what we've talked about all year, trying to battle out of our situation, getting beat, losing ball games we should win and just persevere through it," Van Horn said. "I think that's what Trey has to do. He's got to just keep fighting through it.

"If there's one pitcher I'll give the ball to, it'll be Trey."

Van Horn will give the ball to Killian again when Arkansas opens a three-game series against Mississippi State (22-19, 6-12) at 6:35 tonight at Baum Stadium.

"I think you'll see a lot better pitcher than last week," Van Horn said.

The Razorbacks are confident Killian, who in his first SEC start this season pitched seven perfect innings at Vanderbilt and in four other conference games went at least six innings, will shake off his struggles at Texas A&M with a strong performance tonight.

"He's a bulldog," center fielder Andrew Benintendi said. "He'll bounce back fine."

Killian (1-3), who wasn't available for an interview this week, has gone six or more innings in 15 starts the past two seasons, including four complete games last year. In 17 career SEC starts, he's held opponents to two or fewer earned runs 10 times.

"We usually expect to ride Trey for at least six or seven innings," left fielder Joe Serrano said. "That wasn't the case last week, but that's one bad start. Everyone has bad starts or bad at-bats, bad games, bad weeks.

"We still believe in him. We expect him to put up good numbers and to compete like he always does."

While Killian was hit hard by the Aggies, including a three-run home run by Logan Taylor in the first inning, he threw 92 pitches and lasted two outs into the fifth inning to help save Arkansas' bullpen for the rest of the series.

"He was just going to have to stay out there and give us some innings, and he did," Van Horn said. "I was proud of him for that.

"He didn't complain, just kind of took it for the team, and it ended up helping us get a couple of wins."

Killian didn't pitch this season until going 3 2/3 innings against Loyola Marymount on March 3 because he was recovering from tendinitis in his elbow.

"I ask him all the time how it feels and he tells me it's fine," Van Horn said. "He's not in the training room. I get nothing on him from the trainers, so I feel like he's doing well.

"I think it's just a matter of him getting over the hump. I think he just needs to have one more good outing and he'll be back to his old self."

Sports on 04/24/2015

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