FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas' season-opening closer may open Game Three this weekend of the 3-game SEC series against Georgia.
It would mark Jaxon Wiggins' collegiate starting debut should the freshman right-hander open Sunday's wrapup at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Wiggins opened season-opening eyes while exploding radar guns with high 90s fastballs.
For 12 appearances, he logged a 3-0 record with four saves and 16 strikeouts and 12 1-3 innings.
Wiggins' nine walks and one disastrous outing against Ole Miss inflating his earned run average to 5.11 are a debit.
But on most any other team he would reign the unquestioned closer.
Just not this one.
Senior Kevin Kopps, opening the season as the setup bridge between the starters and Wiggins, became the bridge too far for Wiggins' output.
A former starter with the starter's stamina started extending his bridge from the seventh inning on for two out of three SEC weekend games. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Pitcher of the Month for April, Kopps, ranks among the best relievers in college baseball. Kopps' 6-0 record, six saves, 0.85 ERA and 75 strikeouts vs. 12 walks in 42 1-3 innings leaves Wiggins with less to do than the old Maytag repairman.
The last two SEC weekends Wiggins just watched traveling to South Carolina and LSU.
Wiggins hasn't pitched since April 18 against Texas A&M.
Now with early-season reliable third-game starter Lael Lockhart recently repeatedly struggling, and still being pondered third-game alternatives Zebulon Vermillion and Caleb Bolden up and down in their opportunities, Coach Dave Van Horn considers Wiggins "a good candidate" to start Game Three against Georgia if not used earlier in relief.
Isn't that asking a lot, debut starting in a May SEC series?
"Well you throw in there the fact that he's a freshman I guess it's all difficult," Van Horn said. "But either you can or you can't in my opinion. If he can't do it, we get him out of there pretty quick."
Averaging an inning per outing, Wiggins previously entered each game knowing to work as hard he can without regarding leaving anything in the can for the next frame.
Starters don't last at that pace.
"Well, that's why we've been working him out just in case we needed him," Van Horn said. "He threw 60 pitches the other day. He'd throw 20, take a break, throw 20 more... just simulating four or five innings there. You do pace yourself a little bit starting a game as opposed to closing a game. But if he did start it's not like we're expecting him to throw five, six or seven innings. We just want him to throw a good three or four maybe."
Former Razorback become Major Leaguer Barrett Astin, so effective as Arkansas' sophomore 11 saves 2012 closer that the "Undertaker" theme accompanied his entrance from the bullpen, developed into a top 2013 Arkansas starter.
Wiggins may get the chance to ditto it all as a freshman.