Jump to content

2020 Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2020 Arkansas Razorbacks baseball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionWestern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 10
CBNo. 13
Record11–5 (0–0 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Nate Thompson
  • Matt Hobbs
Home stadiumBaum–Walker Stadium, Dickey–Stephens Park (Alternate)
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 Southeastern Conference baseball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Eastern
No. 1 Florida  ‍‍‍ 0 0   16 1   .941
Tennessee  ‍‍‍ 0 0   15 2   .882
No. 3 Georgia  ‍‍‍ 0 0   14 4   .778
South Carolina  ‍‍‍ 0 0   12 4   .750
No. 6 Vanderbilt  ‍‍‍ 0 0   13 5   .722
Missouri •  ‍‍‍ 0 0   11 5   .688
Kentucky  ‍‍‍ 0 0   11 6   .647
Western
No. 8 Ole Miss  ‍‍‍ 0 0   16 1   .941
Alabama  ‍‍‍ 0 0   16 1   .941
Texas A&M  ‍‍‍ 0 0   15 3   .833
No. 17 Mississippi State  ‍‍‍ 0 0   12 4   .750
No. 18 Auburn  ‍‍‍ 0 0   13 5   .722
No. 19 LSU  ‍‍‍ 0 0   12 5   .706
No. 14 Arkansas  ‍‍‍ 0 0   11 5   .688
‡ – Tournament champion
  • – ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions
    As of March 12, 2020[1]
    Rankings from D1Baseball

The 2020 Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team represented the University of Arkansas in the 2020 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Razorbacks were coached by Dave Van Horn, in his 18th season with the Razorbacks, and played their home games at Baum–Walker Stadium.

On March 17, 2020, the season was officially declared over due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The Razorbacks had a record of 11–5 when the season was cancelled.

Preseason

[edit]

The Razorbacks played a two-game fall exhibition schedule; the Razorbacks opened on September 20 against Oklahoma at home, falling 3–4 in 14 innings.[3] On October 12, the Hogs traveled to Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma to take on Oklahoma State, to whom they lost 2–7 in 14 innings.[4]

Preseason All-American teams

[edit]

1st team

  • Heston Kjerstad - Outfielder (Perfect Game)[5]
  • Casey Martin - Shortstop (Perfect Game)[5]
  • Heston Kjerstad - Outfielder (Collegiate Baseball)[6]
  • Heston Kjerstad - Outfielder (Baseball America)[7]
  • Casey Martin - Shortstop (Baseball America)[7]

2nd team

  • Casey Martin - Shortstop (Collegiate Baseball)[6]

3rd team

  • Casey Opitz - Catcher (Baseball America)[7]

Personnel

[edit]

Roster

[edit]
2020 Arkansas Razorbacks roster
 

Pitchers

  • 13 Connor Noland - Sophomore
  • 20 Elijah Trest - Sophomore
  • 21 Jacob Burton - Sophomore
  • 26 Travis Hester - Redshirt Freshman
  • 27 Blake Adams - Freshman (OF)
  • 28 Kole Ramage - Junior
  • 29 Marshall Denton - Redshirt Junior
  • 31 Caleb Bolden - Redshirt Sophomore
  • 32 Zack Morris - Freshman
  • 33 Patrick Wicklander - Sophomore
  • 34 Kevin Heinrich - Freshman
  • 36 Peyton Pallette - Freshman
  • 37 Caden Monke - Sophomore
  • 38 Mark Adamiak - Freshman
  • 39 Evan Taylor - Sophomore
  • 40 Corey Spain - Freshman
  • 41 Will McEntire - Freshman
  • 43 Miller Pleimann - Sophomore
  • 44 Collin Taylor - Redshirt Junior
  • 45 Kevin Kopps - Redshirt Junior
  • 46 Carter Sells - Sophomore
  • 49 Liam Henry - Sophomore
  • 51 Hunter Milligan - Redshirt Sophomore
  • 57 Nathan Rintz - Freshman
  • 58 Evan Gray - Freshman
  • 88 Zebulon Vermillion - Junior
 

Catchers

  • 7 Dominic Tamez - Freshman (OF)
  • 11 Cason Tollett - Freshman (1B)
  • 12 Casey Opitz - Junior

Infielders

  • 1 Robert Moore - Freshman
  • 3 Zack Gregory - Redshirt Freshman
  • 4 Cullen Smith - Redshirt Junior
  • 5 Jacob Nesbit - Redshirt Sophomore
  • 8 Braydon Webb - Redshirt Junior (OF)
  • 10 Matt Goodheart - Junior (OF)
  • 15 Casey Martin - Junior
  • 16 Cole Austin - Redshirt Senior
  • 17 Jesse Pierce - Freshman (OF)
 

Outfielders

  • 18 Heston Kjerstad - Junior
  • 19 Trey Harris - Sophomore
  • 22 Curtis Washington Jr. - Sophomore (INF)
  • 24 Bryce Matthews - Freshman
  • 25 Christian Franklin - Sophomore

Coaching staff

[edit]
Arkansas Razorbacks coaches
Dave Van Horn Head coach 18th
Nate Thompson Assistant coach/recruiting coordinator 3rd
Matt Hobbs Pitching coach 2nd
Taylor Smart Volunteer assistant 2nd
Clay Goodwin Director of baseball operations 13th
Reference:[8]

Schedule and results

[edit]

The full schedule, including all games that were scheduled but not played, is listed below.

Legend
  Arkansas win
  Arkansas loss
  Postponement
Bold Arkansas team member
2020 Arkansas Razorbacks Baseball Game Log
Regular Season (11–5)
February (7–2)
Date Opponent Rank Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Att. Record SEC
Feb. 14 Eastern Illinois* No. 7 Baum–Walker Stadium
Fayetteville, Arkansas
W 5–1 C. Noland (1–0) W. Klein (0–1) SECN+ 9,188 1–0
Feb. 15 Eastern Illinois* No. 7 Baum–Walker Stadium W 10–1 P. Wicklander (1–0) T. Nicholson (0–1) SECN+ 10,814 2–0
Feb. 16 Eastern Illinois* No. 7 Baum–Walker Stadium W 12–3 K. Ramage (1–0) F. Anshutz (0–1) SECN+ 9,116 3–0
Feb. 20 Gonzaga* No. 7 Baum–Walker Stadium W 7–5 C. Monke (1–0) J. Rutherford (0–1) Z. Vermillion (1) SECN+ 7,754 4–0
Feb. 21 Gonzaga* No. 7 Baum–Walker Stadium W 9–3 C. Noland (2–0) M. Lardner (0–1) SECN+ 8,645 5–0
Feb. 22 Gonzaga* No. 7 Baum–Walker Stadium W 5–0 P. Wicklander (2–0) A. Jacob (0–1) SECN+ 10,536 6–0
Feb. 23 Gonzaga* No. 7 Baum–Walker Stadium W 9–5 M. Denton (1–0) N. Troglic-Iverson (0–2) SECN+ 7,615 7–0
Feb. 28 vs. No. 22 Oklahoma* No. 6 Minute Maid Park
Houston, Texas
L 3–6 W. Olds (3–0) K. Kopps (0–1) J. Ruffcorn (4) 7–1
Feb. 29 vs. Texas* No. 6 Minute Maid Park L 7–8 T. Madden (3–1) P. Wicklander (2–1) A. Duplantier (2) 15,972 7–2
March (4–3)
Date Opponent Rank Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Att. Record SEC
Mar. 1 vs. Baylor* No. 6 Minute Maid Park L 2–3 H. Kettler (2–1) K. Ramage (1–1) L. Boyd (5) 11,528 7–3
Mar. 3 Illinois State* No. 13 Baum–Walker Stadium L 7–8 C. Peplow (1–0) C. Monke (1–1) C. Johnson (1) SECN+ 7,874 7–4
Mar. 6 South Alabama* No. 13 Baum–Walker Stadium L 6–13 D. Nightengale (1–0) P. Wicklander (2–2) J. Dalton (2) SECN+ 8,629 7–5
Mar. 7 South Alabama* No. 13 Baum–Walker Stadium W 15–2 C. Bolden (1–0) M. Smith (0–2) SECN+ 12,006 8–5
Mar. 8 South Alabama* No. 13 Baum–Walker Stadium W 5–3 Z. Vermillion (1–0) N. Michael (0–1) SECN+ 8,463 9–5
Mar. 10 Grand Canyon* No. 14 Baum–Walker Stadium W 6–1 W. McEntire (1–0) C. Lambert (0–1) C. Monke (1) SECN+ 7,871 10–5
Mar. 11 Grand Canyon* No. 14 Baum–Walker Stadium W 10–9 Z. Morris (1–0) Z. Barnes (2–1) P. Pallette (1) SECN+ 7,876 11–5
Mar. 13 at Mississippi State Dudy Noble Field
Starkville, Mississippi
SECN+
Mar. 14 at Mississippi State Dudy Noble Field SECN
Mar. 15 at Mississippi State Dudy Noble Field
Mar. 17 vs. Oklahoma* Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
SECN+
Mar. 20 Alabama Baum–Walker Stadium SECN+
Mar. 21 Alabama Baum–Walker Stadium SECN+
Mar. 22 Alabama Baum–Walker Stadium SECN+
Mar. 24 at Troy* Riddle–Pace Field
Troy, Alabama
Mar. 25 at Troy* Riddle–Pace Field
Mar. 27 at Ole Miss Swayze Field
Oxford, Mississippi
ESPNU
Mar. 28 at Ole Miss Swayze Field SECN
Mar. 29 at Ole Miss Swayze Field SECN
Mar. 31 Oral Roberts* Baum–Walker Stadium SECN+

*Denotes non–conference game • Schedule source • Rankings based on the teams' current ranking in the D1Baseball poll

[9]

February

[edit]

Eastern Illinois weekend series

[edit]
Gm 1 Gm 2 Gm 3
Eastern Illinois 1 1 3
7 Arkansas 5 10 12
Baum–Walker StadiumFayetteville, AR
  Arkansas wins series, 3–0

The Razorbacks opened their 2020 season with a weekend series at home against the Eastern Illinois Panthers, starting Friday, February 14. Arkansas received preseason rankings of #7 by D1Baseball,[10] #9 by Collegiate Baseball,[11] and #11 by Baseball America.[12] First pitch on opening day was at 3:00 p.m. CST, followed by 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Connor Noland started the season on the mound for the Hogs; after allowing a leadoff single, he retired the next two batters on strikes and the third out came by way of a pickoff. In the bottom of the first, preseason All-American Heston Kjerstad drove in an RBI with a single to left field, giving the Razorbacks an early lead. The next three innings were scoreless for both teams, but the Arkansas offense came back to life in the fifth. Christian Franklin, with two outs, launched a two-run home run deep, scoring himself and Braydon Webb and giving the Hogs a 3–0 lead. Kjerstad added to the lead five pitches later with a home run of his own, extending the lead to four runs. EIU found the scoreboard in the top of the seventh on a fielding error, but Kjerstad made up for it with another solo home run, his second of the contest. From there, the Razorbacks were able to hold the score at 5–1 for an opening day win.[13] For his 6+23 innings of work, Noland received the win; he threw 86 pitches. Marshall Denton (1+13 innings) and Kevin Kopps (1 inning) also spend time on the mound for the Hogs. Will Klein was the losing pitcher; he was in the game for 5+23 innings and was relieved by Blayke Cutts for the last 2+13 innings of the contest.

Gonzaga weekend series

[edit]
Gm 1 Gm 2 Gm 3 Gm 4
Gonzaga 5 3 0 5
7 Arkansas 7 9 5 9
Baum–Walker StadiumFayetteville, AR
  Arkansas wins series, 4–0

The Razorbacks' second weekend series of the year will be at home against the Gonzaga Bulldogs, with the first game on Thursday, February 20. Thursday and Friday's games will begin at 3:00 p.m., Saturday's at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday's at 1:00 p.m.

Shriners College Classic, games 1–2

[edit]
Gm 1
Oklahoma  
Arkansas  
Minute Maid ParkHouston, TX

The Razorbacks will close out February with an appearance in the Shriners College Classic, held in Houston. They will open tournament play against the Oklahoma Sooners on Friday, February 28; first pitch will be at 3:00 p.m.

Gm 2
Texas  
Arkansas  
Minute Maid ParkHouston, TX

The Razorbacks' second tournament matchup will be on Saturday, February 29 against the Texas Longhorns, with first pitch at 7:00 p.m.

March

[edit]

Shriners College Classic, game 3

[edit]
Gm 3
Baylor  
Arkansas  
Minute Maid ParkHouston, TX

The Razorbacks will close tournament play on Sunday, March 1, when they take on Baylor at 7:00 p.m.

Illinois State midweek game

[edit]
Gm 1
Illinois State  
Arkansas  
Baum–Walker StadiumFayetteville, AR

The Razorbacks will return home to play a midweek game on Tuesday, March 3, when they take on Illinois State at 3:00 p.m.

Rankings

[edit]
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
Coaches'[14]55*5*101514
Baseball America[15]111191314
Collegiate Baseball^[16]993131514
NCBWA[17]6621116
D1Baseball[18]7761314

^ Collegiate Baseball ranked 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranked 30 teams weekly during the season.
NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

2020 MLB Draft

[edit]
Player Position Round Overall MLB Team
Heston Kjerstad OF 1 2 Baltimore Orioles
Casey Martin SS 3 87 Philadelphia Phillies

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2020 Standings". Southeastern Conference. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  2. ^ "College football coronavirus updates: SEC and ACC cancel, Big Ten suspends spring sports-related activities". CBSSports.com.
  3. ^ "Huge Crowd Catches Hogs-Sooners Exhibition". Arkansas Razorbacks. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  4. ^ "Starting Pitching Highlights Final Fall Exhibition". Arkansas Razorbacks. October 12, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Kjerstad, Martin Earn First Team Preseason All-America Status". Arkansas Razorbacks. January 7, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Collegiate Baseball 2020 All-Americans - Collegiate Baseball Newspaper". baseballnews.com.
  7. ^ a b c "2020 College Baseball Preseason All-Americans". www.baseballamerica.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  8. ^ "Roster". Arkansas Razorbacks. February 26, 2015.
  9. ^ "Schedule". Arkansas Razorbacks. September 30, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  10. ^ "Arkansas Slotted Seventh by D1 Baseball". Arkansas Razorbacks. January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  11. ^ "Arkansas Earns Top-10 Preseason Ranking from Collegiate Baseball". Arkansas Razorbacks. December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  12. ^ "Razorbacks Placed 11th by Baseball America". Arkansas Razorbacks. January 20, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  13. ^ "No. 7 Hogs Overpower EIU, 5-1, on Opening Day". Arkansas Razorbacks. February 14, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  14. ^ "NCAA Baseball Coaches Poll | USA Today Sports". USA TODAY.
  15. ^ "College Baseball Top 25 Rankings". www.baseballamerica.com.
  16. ^ "2020 Collegiate Baseball Polls - Collegiate Baseball Newspaper". baseballnews.com.
  17. ^ "NCBWA > News > Top 30 Poll". www.sportswriters.net. Archived from the original on July 24, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  18. ^ "College Baseball Rankings News & Analysis | D1 Baseball". D1Baseball.