What Goals Did Hogs Meet Against A&M, What Needs Work Heading into Regionals?

Van Horn gets much to chew on in SEC Tourney opener, sets up CWS dress rehearsal with LSU

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
May 25, 2023 12:19 PM EDT
Original:
May 25, 2023

In this story:

HOOVER, Ala. – The main purpose of the SEC Tournament from the Razorbacks' perspective is to get in good work, see who can be depended on in a pinch in regionals, and iron out any additional wrinkles without adding to the injury list. So let's break down how Dave Van Horn's club did at accomplishing what was needed against Texas A&M.

Bullpen Pitching

During his in-game interview, the one thing Van Horn said he wanted to see improve heading into regionals was consistency from the bullpen. On Wednesday, three pitchers who will be in relief roles combined to take the Hogs a full 11 innings and looked solid doing it.

Cody Adcock came out strong, facing only seven batters the first two innings. However, he lost his focus and touch a little in the third after a double to center off a full count pitch threw him off his rhythm. Adcock followed up by giving up a single and a walk to load the bases that eventually led to three runs. However, with this being about testing guys to see what they've got when the pressure is on, Van Horn let Adcock stick it out and he was able to rebound with a pair of strikeouts that closed the innings.

Other than that one hiccup, the Arkansas pitching was dominant. Zach Morris continued to prove he's back on target by pitching four innings while only giving up a single run alongside three strikeouts. That got the Razorbacks into the eighth where Will McEntire took over and shut out the Aggies the rest of the way. The three combined to only give up seven hits, which is just barely more than a half hit per inning.

More importantly, Arkansas got out of the first day of the double elimination portion of the bracket without having to use a single starter, nor closer Gage Wood. There are also plenty of arms to be used in relief. However, the biggest takeaway is that all three were sharp enough that Van Horn can pair each with a starter in regionals and feel good about getting to the closer to end a game when it really matters.

Small Ball

It's unlikely that Arkansas can make a run all the way to the championship game without executing a little bit of small ball. The Razorbacks need to make teams pay when they shift or play back and also need to be able to move runners in crucial situations. That's why in the tenth, after Caleb Cali walked and Peyton Holt reached on a single, Arkansas turned to bunting.

Harold Coll started things off with a bunt down the third base line that not only moved the runners over, but almost loaded the bases as pitcher Brandyn Garcia had to make a difficult throw from his backside to barely get Coll. That brought up Parker Rowland, who was seeing the ball well. At that point, he had a single, walk, hit-by-pitch and had lifted a ball far enough to right field to create plenty of confidence he could get the ball in the air far enough to end the game now.

However, Van Horn already knows his team can hit sacrifice flies. This was a rare opportunity to see if Arkansas can execute a squeeze in a difficult situation later on. Normally, Van Horn would have simply put in a pinch hitter, but there was no available back-up catcher on Thursday, so Rowland was left in to do his best. The ball went down the third base line like it should have, but instead of sinking into the grass and dying, it popped up, allowing Garcia the chance to field it on a hop and gun down pinch runner Hunter Grimes at the plate for the second out of the inning.

The Razorbacks definitely looked uncomfortable attempting to bunt and at one point it looked as if the message hadn't been relayed to third base that a bunt attempt was even coming. This gives Van Horn video from which to work and a point of emphasis heading into regionals to keep his team humble. It was definitely the weakest portion of the game, but at least the people yelling at the screen to let Rowland swing freely understand there was an ulterior motive to making that call with the big picture in mind.

Avoiding Injuries

Well, if the gauge is whether Arkansas avoided injuring any starters, then the Razorbacks got through the day with flying colors. With starters out at second and short and the bullpen handling all the pitching duties, the risk was minimized, but not fully eliminated.

Almost immediately, outfielder Tavian Josenberger put into perspective why playing in Hoover any longer than necessary is a scary thing. On a ball hit deep to left-center, Josenberger took off at a dead sprint on a leg that only recently recovered from a hamstring injury, dove perpendicular to the ground, snatched the ball at his fullest extension, then crashed to the ground and fully rolled at top speed as his feet went kicking into the air. It's was an amazing play, and it's good to see that Josenberger is healthy enough to make that play now, but a tremendous concern this close to regionals. It was a shoulder injury waiting to happen.

Speaking of shoulder injuries, there was one apparent injury. During that squeeze play where Grimes was thrown out, he dove face first toward home plate. His shoulder hit full force against the planted shin guard of the catcher and the catcher's leg did not give. Grimes' body pushed through as his shoulder gave way and when he got up, it was obvious that his arm was hanging in an unnatural way. One never assumes, but during the team celebration on the walk-off home run by Kendall Diggs, Grimes was cautious about his part in the celebration and a giant mound of what could only be presumed to be an ice pack strapped to his shoulder puffed up under his jersey.

Get Jared Wegner Back on Track

Wegner has had a little difficulty getting his timing down since coming back from a broken hand, so getting him swinging with anywhere near the success he was having prior to the injury is a must. While 1-for-4 isn't quite at Wegner's previous pace, his one hit was definitely a good omen that things are headed in the right direction.

His grand slam to put Arkansas up 5-4 in the seventh was a clear sign that Wegner's power has fully returned. If Van Horn can build on that confidence and get him back to spraying balls around the park on his other at-bats, the Razorbacks can become truly dangerous in the postseason. Diggs has been seeing the ball well, and Slavens has shown he can get hot lately, so if this line-up can get all three rolling at the same time, it would make Arkansas borderline impossible to defeat on the road to Omaha.

Overall Assessment

There were a lot of positives to take away from a game that was mundane at best before Wegner's grand slam. The biggest is the bullpen. If this is how the middle of the line-up is going to pitch the rest of the way, then there's always a chance for the Razorbacks.

While Wednesday was simply working on several things and it didn't matter much whether Arkansas won, the game against LSU in the winner's bracket tonight is a different story. This is an opportunity to see where the team is at in a big game that is going to test them at a College World Series level. Tonight is about the mental approach and a full dress rehearsal for a potential championship game in Omaha. It's LSU star pitcher Paul Skenes against the Arkansas line-up with Hagan Smith taking the mound against one of the best hitting rosters ever in college baseball.

Van Horn will learn more about how strong the Scotch tape is going to hold in the long run Thursday afternoon than he has all season. It will be all hands on deck and definite must-watch television for all those who are lovers of college baseball.