Arkansas sports notes

Hogs fan day scheduled for Aug. 16

Football

Arkansas will hold its annual fan day Aug. 16 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

Fans are asked to enter through gates 1, 12 and 16 and to park in lots 44, 46, 60, 72, 73-A, 74, the Stadium Drive parking deck and the Meadow Street garage for the free event. The Golden Boot trophy and the Texas Bowl trophy, acquired by the Razorbacks’ 17-0 victory over No. 17 LSU and their 31-7 romp of Texas, respectively, will be on display.

Coach Bret Bielema and the players will limit autographs to one per person.

The Razorbacks, who were 7-6 last season, will open camp Thursday with a preseason No. 20 ranking in the USA Today coaches poll.

UA tickets on sale in Little Rock

Tickets for Arkansas’ game against Toledo on Sept. 12 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock are on sale for $55 at the War Memorial Stadium ticket office as well as by calling 1-800-982-4647. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 3 p.m.

The Razorbacks open the season against Texas-El Paso at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 5 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

BASKETBALL

Watkins decides on UALR

Dayshawn Watkins, a first-team Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps selection from North Little Rock in 2013, will play his final three seasons of eligibility at UALR, he told the Democrat-Gazette by phone Monday.

Watkins announced in April that he was transferring from Florida State, where the 6-0 guard scored 29 points in 22 games last season.

Watkins helped North Little Rock to the 2013 Class 7A state championship and signed with Alabama-Birmingham. He never played for the Blazers and spent one season at Holmes Community College in Goodman, Miss., before transferring to Florida State.

He said he plans to enroll at UALR later this week. He’ll walk-on to the Trojans this fall while sitting out per NCAA transfer rules and plans to go on scholarship next year. UALR has committed to the maximum 13 scholarships for this season.

He said he picked UALR after learning of the motion offense Coach Chris Beard plans to run.

“They’re going to be running,” Watkins said. “[Beard] is a winner, and I’m all about winning.”

Report: Arkansas to play Georgia Tech

Arkansas’ men’s team will play Georgia Tech the preseason NIT semifinals at the Barclays Center on Thanksgiving Day in New York, according to a CBS sports report. The NIT field hasn’t been announced.

Arkansas is 1-3 against Georgia Tech. The teams last played during the 1984-1985 season when the Yellow Jackets won 72-52 at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu.

ASU women release schedule

This season, Arkansas State’s women will host one NCAA Tournament team from last season, travel to play at three others and play at one team that reached the WNIT.

The Red Wolves released their nonconference schedule Monday and included are games against Wichita State (Nov. 21) and at Tennessee-Chattanooga (Nov. 25), Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 28) and Nebraska (Dec. 21), all of which reached the NCAA Tournament last season. ASU also plays at Tennessee-Martin, which reached the WNIT, on Nov. 18 in the nine-game nonconference schedule.

“We feel like this is another schedule that will challenge our team and prepare us for Sun Belt Conference play,” ASU Coach Brian Boyer said. “Our team put ourselves into consideration for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth last year, and it is possible that the strength of this schedule will allow us to do the same this season, if we have success.”

ASU, which was 24-11 last season and won one game in the WNIT, open the season with exhibitions against Henderson State and Harding on Nov. 3 and 10, respectively.

The Red Wolves begin the regular season at Tennessee Tech on Nov. 14 and play their first regular season home game Nov. 21 against Wichita State. ASU also hosts Alcorn State (Dec. 12) and Austin Peay (Dec. 16).

VOLLEYBALL

UALR season tickets available

Season tickets for the UALR season are on sale now, starting at $45 each for all eight home matches. The Trojans are also offering a $99 Family Flex Pack that includes 20 ticket vouchers good for any match plus a merchandise gift for the family.

The Trojans finished the 2014 season ranked No. 24 in the nation after completing a 30-5 regular season that included an undefeated 20-0 record in the Sun Belt Conference. UALR earned its first Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship since 2000 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

UALR will open up its home schedule at the Jack Stephens Center with Troy on Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m.

More information is available online at lrtrojans.com or by calling the UALR ticket office at (501) 565-8257.

BASEBALL

Pine Bluff takes two from Clinton

Percy Arnold hit a grand slam in the first game and Trevor Lankford hit a two-run home run in the second game as the Pine Bluff Braves went on the road to sweep a semipro doubleheader 10-2 and 7-4 over the Clinton Cardinals.

Winning pitcher Michael Marsh and reliever Ty Houser combined to strike out 14 in the first game. Lankford and Brandon Stargell each finished 3 for 4 at the plate. Trevor Lay led Clinton by going 3 for 3.

In the second game, reliever Keion Thornton struck out six as Pine Bluff (12-4-1) overcame a 2-0 deficit. While Lankford homered, Marcus Davis, Arnold and Nick Anderson all drove in one run each. For Clinton, Derric Blasingame hit two home runs and Chase Taylor also homered.

Pine Bluff travels to Alexandria, La., on Friday to play in the Bayou State Wood Bat Classic.

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