Double-play duo meshes for Hogs

FAYETTEVILLE -- The serious Texan and the seriously happy Hawaiian are nearing the end of their tenure together in the middle of the Arkansas infield.

Shortstop Michael Bernal and second baseman Rick Nomura, seniors who have been the key trigger men on double plays the past two seasons, enter their final home series at 6:30 tonight when the Razorbacks take on Alabama at Baum Stadium.

The middle infield duo, who helped Arkansas turn an SEC-best 64 double plays in 2015, leads a group of five veterans who will go through senior day activities Saturday. The other seniors are catcher Tucker Pennell, first baseman Cullen Gassaway and graduate transfer pitcher Doug Willey.

Nomura brought important pieces of his native Oahu to the hills of Northwest Arkansas, including a ukulele, a longboard-style skateboard and the spirit of the Hawaiian islands.

"Just growing up in Hawaii, it's the aloha spirit," Nomura said. "Just saying thanks to everyone, being respectful for whatever you get. In Hawaii, you're just kind of taught to respect everything that's given to you. I guess I brought it here. Coming to Arkansas, it's awesome and almost like being home in a sense. People here are so family oriented."

Nomura will welcome his parents, Reiko and Ronald, in from Waipahu, Hawaii, this weekend.

Bernal, who has made 160 starts in three seasons with the Razorbacks, will have his father, Hector, up from El Paso, Texas, after a two-day drive.

"It definitely crosses your mind that the season's winding down," Bernal said. "It's just part of the journey. I'm excited and very grateful for everything that's happened here. I'm very thankful."

The Razorbacks, 26-22 overall, are in jeopardy of failing to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001. However, the senior class will always be able to reflect on one of the most impressive runs for the program, a stretch in 2015 that concluded with an NCAA Super Regional victory over No. 8 Missouri State last year at Baum Stadium.

"It just feels like it went by so fast," Nomura said. "I got to make some memories here with the super regionals, and just being able to see my parents in the stands this weekend is going to be very memorable for me."

Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said having two dependable players in the middle infield the last couple of years has been a big plus.

"Rick has been awfully steady on ground balls that he's gotten to and fielding balls," Van Horn said. "Mike has had some incredible days. He's had games where he carried us with his glove and some of the big plays he's made.

"Above anything, the leadership. Those guys know what's going on and where to be. They know the signs. They're not going to miss them. That's always comforting to the coach."

Van Horn called Bernal and Nomura the best double-play combination in the SEC earlier in the year.

"They just know each other," he said. "They know where they want the pivot throw. They have a sense of where the ball's going to be, if it's going to be an underhand flip or a backhand flip."

Bernal said he and his middle infield mate hit it off quickly after Nomura's arrival in the fall of 2014.

"He and I are both high-energy guys and like to play the game hard and are excited to play all the time," Bernal said. "You can probably tell, every day that we're out there is a good day for us. We love the game. That's something we both share. It's been really good."

Bernal's enthusiasm for the sport is evident, but Nomura might be the most jubilant Razorback in recent memory.

"I think Bernal had to get used to me a little bit, being so happy go lucky," Nomura said. "You know I really don't get mad at a lot of things. If anything, I'll get mad at myself. But I'm just a firm believer in whatever's in the past shouldn't affect your future."

Bernal, Nomura and Pennell are the only Razorbacks who have played only one position all season. Bernal has 47 starts, all at shortstop, while Nomura has made all of his 45 starts at second base, and Pennell all of his 37 starts at catcher.

Reiko and Ronald Nomura spent a chunk of the early season in Fayetteville, soaking in the atmosphere of Arkansas' hot start and enjoying their son's personal cheering section down the right-field line that includes leis, Hawaiian shirts and blow-up palm trees.

"It just proves we have the best fans in the nation," said Nomura, who has personally thanked and taken pictures with the fans who pay tribute to his Hawaiian background. "It's a comforting feeling having people that are cheering for you, and I respect them a lot for doing that to me."

Nomura, the team leader with a .319 batting average in SEC games, carries a hot bat into the stretch run. He has 17 hits in the past 11 games, including a trio of three-hit games, to raise his average 39 points to .301 for the season. He went 5 for 10 with two doubles in the final two games at LSU last weekend.

Bernal has creeped above .300 for a few games this season, but he enters tonight's game in a minislump with one hit in his past 16 at-bats to fall to .280.

Gassaway, a 31-game starter at first base, has been hitting better than .300 for about half the season. The Bedford, Texas, native takes a .290 average into the weekend.

Pennell is hitting .254 with 10 doubles. The native of Georgetown, Texas, leads the SEC with 25 runners caught stealing, nine more than the No. 2 catcher.

Willey carried a 0.00 ERA the longest of any Razorback this season, racking up 15 2/3 innings covering 13 appearances before yielding an earned run at Ole Miss on April 9. The native of Shelburne, N.H., will take a 1-2 record, 3.38 ERA and 3 saves into the series against Alabama.

Sports on 05/13/2016