FAYETTEVILLE -- A close-out sale doesn't necessarily mean the end of a line going out of business.
Going into Friday night's SEC game at Mississippi State, it's been a close-out business boom for the nationally third-ranked Razorback baseball team.
Arkansas relievers Matt Cronin and Jake Reindl both now close out games likely even better than coach Dave Van Horn and pitching coach Wes Johnson envisioned preseason.
Cronin's already nine saves success, well chronicled by Bob Holt's feature in Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, obviously astounds Van Horn and Johnson. The coaches knew the fireballing sophomore southpaw was good off last year's 3-1 record and 2.00 earned run average with 31 strikeouts for 18 innings. But Johnson himself on the record acknowledged laughing when Cronin, with one save last year, this preseason said he sought to surpass the Razorbacks record 13 saves by 2013 closer Colby Suggs.
Cronin's on record pace stems from cutting last year's 12 walks in 18 innings to just five in 30 2-3 innings prior to Friday night's game and from abounding save opportunities he didn't have last year.
He's received more opportunities in part because Johnson's early projections didn't come true.
"We'll close with Jake Reindl and go from there," Johnson said on the Jan. 27 preseason Media Day.
Reindl, the junior right-hander from Fayetteville via Shiloh Christian,
relieved 24 times last year with a 4-1 record and team leading three saves in a bullpen by committee.
This season reliever Reindl so struggled early that Van Horn even jump-started him with a midweek start hoping that would help.
It didn't. Reindl was banished in the third trailing Memphis, 5-2 though Arkansas eventually triumphed, 8-7.
However his three innings shutout middle relief stint in Arkansas' 10-9 victory over Louisiana-Monroe commenced a Reindl revival. He followed with a 5-4 SEC success beating Auburn pitching the final seven innings allowing just one hit and one run while striking out nine.
Last Tuesday Reindl saved middle reliever Kole Ramage's 5-4 victory over Missouri State allowing just one hit and no runs for the final four innings while striking out seven.
"It looks like he's back," Van Horn proclaimed.
During the Auburn victory postgame, Reindl told media "It's good to see your beautiful faces."
It meant he finally had pitched well enough to warrant being postgame interviewed.
Naturally Reindl relished his media encore post Missouri State.
"Yeah, it's good to show everybody it wasn't a fluke," Reindl said.
These Razorbacks buy into this closeout of closers closing left and right.
"They're obviously top contenders in the SEC as far as closing games," freshman third baseman Casey Martin said during Tuesday's Missouri State postgame. "It gives our hitters and defense a lot of confidence."
Freshman left fielder Heston Kjerstad, the hitting co-star with Martin against Missouri State, concurred.
"Just give those two the ball!" Kjerstad said. "You know they're going to come in and they're going to shut down the other team's offense."
Sports on 04/21/2018