FAYETTEVILLE REGIONAL REPORT

Hollan gets ball for Hogs

Arkansas pitchers Hunter Hollan (center) and Hagen Smith (right) watch Thursday, June 1, 2023, during practice at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville. Arkansas, Texas Christian, Arizona and Santa Clara practiced at the stadium ahead of today’s opening-round games in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. .(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Arkansas pitchers Hunter Hollan (center) and Hagen Smith (right) watch Thursday, June 1, 2023, during practice at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville. Arkansas, Texas Christian, Arizona and Santa Clara practiced at the stadium ahead of today’s opening-round games in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. .(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Left-hander Hunter Hollan will start for the University of Arkansas when the Razorbacks open the NCAA Fayetteville Regional against Santa Clara at 2 p.m. today at Baum-Walker Stadium.

It's a familiar spot for Hollan (8-2, 4.06 ERA), who started weekend openers in the Hogs' first seven SEC series before moving to the Game 3 starter in the final three series.

Hollan's starts were pushed back as he recovered from a nerve issue in his plant leg.

"He's started most of the Game 1s for us all year and we just like where he's at," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "So we're going to give him the ball."

Hollan has 14 starts in 15 appearances. He pitched 5 1/3 innings of relief in Arkansas' 5-4 win over LSU in the SEC Tournament last Thursday, holding the Tigers to 6 hits, 2 runs and 1 walk with 8 strikeouts.

Van Horn referred to Hollan's first major college season after his transfer from San Jacinto (Texas) College as very consistent.

"You know what you're getting," he said. "He really cares. Great effort. Popular amongst our team. He had a game or two where it didn't go well and I think it had to do with that leg honestly.


"But just consistent. Confident. Pitches with a little bit of an attitude and fields his position pretty good.

"I just like what he takes out there when he gets the ball. When it doesn't go good you can live with it as a coach."

Van Horn said by starting Hollan today, he could also be available to pitch later in the regional.


'Woo pig' repeat

Santa Clara Coach Rusty Filter said his team's preparation for facing the Razorbacks in front of 10,000 to 11,000 fans today was to blare some sound during practices back home in Santa Clara, Calif.

"We've had a few days to put the 'Woo Pig' on repeat as loud as it will go at our park," Filter said.

Broncos outfielder Michael O'Hara, whose talkative nature came out during Thursday's interviews, said he's excited to hear from Arkansas fans in right field.


"I'm an outfielder, so I know there's going to be a good amount of people out there with something to say," O'Hara said. "People down here have been nothing but nice so far. I'm really looking forward to it. I've been in some big games in my life, but 10 or 11,000, it's new. It's definitely exciting."


O'Hara said he "lives for" interactions and "having a friendly chirp with another fan."

Mental break

Arkansas' outfielders and top-of-the-lineup hitters Tavian Josenberger, Jace Bohrofen and Jared Wegner have been slumping.

Josenberger is 4 for 30 in nine games since returning from a hamstring injury. Wegner is 2 for 22 in six games since returning from a broken thumb. Bohrofen is 3 for 38 in the last nine games.

"I think it's always healthy to get a couple days off, especially from baseball," Bohrofen said. "Kind of get your mind away from it and just relax.

"These days at home have been really helpful to me. Being able to get in the facility, getting my swings, building a routine. And just getting my mind ready mentally for this weekend.

"We know we can all do it. We've had success this season. You've just go to look upon that success and build off of that. I'm confident in myself that I'll have a good weekend. I know those guys will as well."

Speaking after last Saturday's 5-4 loss to Texas A&M at the SEC Tournament, Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said he felt good about the team, "except we've got to get our offense going. It's the older guys. They've got to do it. If we don't get the offense going, it'll be a quick weekend for us."

Van Horn said that trio has looked better in batting practice this week.

He talked specifically about the team captain Bohrofen's recent play.

"You know we've talked," he said. "He's got to relax a little bit. There's always outside things. You're talking about guys that are eligible for the draft and there's all this chit-chat and worry and things that drives coaches crazy.

"And I think we've got these guys to 'Hey, just stay within that locker room and you'll be fine.' They've had good weeks. Hopefully it'll come out in the games against live pitching. You never know."

'Hammered' home

In describing how difficult the NCAA Fayetteville Regional will be based on offensive numbers and recent results, Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn spent a few seconds describing TCU's 18-6 win over the Razorbacks in Game 2 at the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 18.

"TCU's on fire," Van Horn said. "I mean they beat us as bad as we've been beaten all year the second game of the year. I mean they hammered us. Just flat out hammered us."

Cali connection

There are California or "Cali" connections for every team at the regional.

Many of the ties revolve around top-shelf pitching gurus. They include TCU Coach Kirk Saarloos, an All-American at Cal State Fullerton in 2001 who pitched for the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics; Santa Clara Coach Rusty Filter, a standout pitcher at San Diego State who developed No. 1 picks Steven Strasburg with the Aztecs and Mark Appel at Stanford; and Arizona pitching coach Dave Lawn, a California native who developed Mark Prior and Ian Kennedy at USC.

The Arkansas connections include third baseman Caleb Cali (who is actually from Florida) and pitching coach Matt Hobbs, who grew up in San Diego and has been an assistant at UC-San Diego and the University of San Francisco.

"Hobbsy and I go back a long time, ever since I got to TCU," Saarloos said. "Being recruiting coordinator, him and I were on the road a bunch together. I got to know him through Tony Vitello actually, because Tony and Matt were buddies and he introduced me. We've been friends ever since.

"Obviously, his track record speaks for itself. A phenomenal pitching coach."

Vitello, the former Arkansas assistant coach, is in his sixth season as head coach at Tennessee.

Birthday girl

Kristen Saarloos, the wife of TCU Coach Kirk Saarloos has gotten used to celebrating her June 1 birthday at regional sites. As it happens, the Horned Frogs were also in Fayetteville for an NCAA regional in 2019, when Saarloos was pitching coach for longtime Coach Jim Schlossnagle.

"The last two times I've been here it's been my wife's birthday on June 1, today, so we've spent two birthdays of hers in Fayetteville," Saarloos said. "There's some pretty good restaurants we've found out and we're going to take her tonight."

Knock on Wood

Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said freshman reliever Gage Wood had an encouraging bullpen session this week after struggling in his last three appearances.

"He threw a great bullpen the other day," Van Horn said. "It's kind of interesting. He had been so good, and then it didn't go good there his last three outings, and you're going 'What happened?'"

Wood, a right-hander from Batesville, earned five saves in SEC games against Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Mississippi State and picked up a win over South Carolina in a span of seven series.

In Wood's last three outings, two at Vanderbilt and one against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament, he has combined to get 3 outs and allowed 5 runs, 3 hits, 4 walks, hit a batter and had a balk.

"We feel like he's back on track," Van Horn said. "Man, this game sometimes, it's so mental.

"You just let everything get in your head and bother you. Next thing you know, you can't hit, you can't field, you can't throw strikes.

"Sometimes you get off to the side a little bit, and you regroup and slow the game down, and you're back in there again. We've got to have him if we're going to get through this thing and have a chance to play after this weekend. He's going to be out there."

Ticket update

The Fayetteville Regional is close to being sold out of tickets according to an Arkansas spokesman.

Any single-game tickets that may be available will be sold at the ticket office beginning 90 minutes before each session -- 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. today before the games start at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Dad vs. daughter?

Arizona Coach Chip Hale said his daughter Sabrina is a TCU graduate.

Her alma mater squares off against her dad's Wildcats tonight at 8.

"I'm a little bit of a TCU fan," Hale said with a laugh. "Last year one of my assistant's daughters went to Ole Miss, so this is kind of a running joke with us. But she will be rooting for us."

The Wildcats lost to eventual College World Series champion Ole Miss twice in last year's NCAA Coral Gables (Fla.) Regional.

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Todays game

Arkansas vs. Santa Clara

WHEN 2 p.m.

WHERE Baum-Walker Stadium, Fayetteville

RECORDS Arkansas 41-16; Santa Clara 35-18

STARTING PITCHERS Arkansas: LHP Hunter Hollan (8-2, 4.06 ERA); Santa Clara: RHP Cole Kitchen (3-2, 4.25)

COACHES Arkansas: Dave Van Horn (837-439 in 21st season at school); Santa Clara: Rusty Filter (127-151 in sixth season at school)

TV None

STREAMING ESPN-Plus

RADIO Razorback Sports Network

 


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