45° Fair  ·  Home · Archives · Go Hogs! · Blogs · Videos · Contact Us Search: Go

Fayetteville, Ark.

logo2.gif

SPONSORS



ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT



ADVERTISEMENT

Location: WholeHogSports > Story     |     TAGGED: baseball (2)

ARKANSAS 10, SIENA 4 : Time to get serious

Published: Monday, March 10, 2008 PRINT E-MAIL

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas finished off Siena on Sunday with two more home runs and solid defense that defined the series.

Aaron Murphree and Casey Coon each hit three-run home runs as the Razorbacks won 10-4 before 3, 511 fans at Baum Stadium. The victory completed a sweep for Arkansas, which outscored Siena 41-11 and hit 9 home runs to 2 for the Saints.

Now comes the hard part, when Arkansas (11-1 ) receives a serious upgrade in competition over the next two weeks. The Razorbacks start with two games at Arizona State, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball magazine. Arkansas then opens SEC play with Georgia before playing two games at Nebraska and three more conference games at LSU.

That stretch adds up to quite a challenge for the Razorbacks, whose lone loss was a 15-7 defeat to Texas A&M in the Aggie Classic.

"We got it handed to us pretty good at Texas A&M, but that tournament made us better," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "We've taken care of business pretty much leading up to this stretch with Arizona State, Georgia, at Nebraska and at LSU.

ADVERTISEMENT

" I'm ready to start playing some real good teams, and I think we've got a really good team, too."

Siena (1-9 ) offered little resistance Sunday, starting in the first inning when Murphree hit his 12 th home run of the season and 10 th in his past six games. Casey Coon followed with his first home run of the season in the fourth inning to increase the Arkansas lead to 8-1.

The rest of the game was uneventful as a laid-back crowd watched pitchers from both teams struggle to finish the game. Nine pitchers combined to walk 15 batters, and five more hitters were struck by pitches.

The lone bright spot was Arkansas starter Shaun Seibert (1-0 ), who overcame a rough beginning to hold Sienna to 1 run and 2 hits in 4 innings. Seibert struck out 5 and walked 1 after three of the first four Siena hitters reached base.

The junior right-hander is trying to recover from elbow ligament replacement surgery, and he showed enough improvement to warrant another start against Georgia.

"Shaun had some great innings," Van Horn said. "He was throwing the ball hard and was throwing good breaking balls. We need him with his experience, especially with SEC play starting up."

Murphree hit a home run for the sixth consecutive game in the first after Chase Leavitt was hit by a pitch and Coon walked. Coon then delivered the next big blow for Arkansas with a three-run home run in the fourth inning. Ryan Cisterna contributed a tworun double in the seventh before Siena scored three against Travis Hill, who walked two and hit a batter in the eighth.

"Arkansas has the best-hitting club by far of the teams we've faced," said Siena Coach Tony Rossi, whose team has played Florida, Virginia and Cornell. "They play great defense, but pitchingwise, Arkansas looks like it's fishing a little bit trying to find some starters. But they've got some good arms, and I'm sure they'll find the right combination."

Freshmen will play a big role for Arkansas against Arizona State, with James Mahler likely getting the start on Tuesday and Brett Eibner taking the mound on Wednesday. Andy Wilkins could start at third base again in place of Logan Forsythe, who has missed six consecutive games with a hamstring injury.

"Arizona State is going to be a great challenge, and we'll find out who are players are," said Wilkins, who is hitting. 395 wit 4 home runs. "We've played some good teams, but not like the ones we're about to face. It's a chance to shine and show what kind of team we are."

recent_blogs.jpg

WholeHogCast: Down the Stretch

Nov 18, 2008

The latest edition of the WholeHogCast is now available for download. ...

[+] More of this author's blog

dots_under_blog.gif

Brandon Marcello

Monk to suit up in December for Ball Hogs?

Nov 18, 2008

Former Razorback football player Marcus Monk may be suiting up for John Pelphrey's basketball Razorbacks in December ...

[+] More of this author's blog

dots_under_blog.gif

Brandon Marcello

Pelphrey: UC-Davis game will not be a blowout

Nov 18, 2008

Arkansas' near-loss to Southeastern Louisiana opened a few fans' eyes, and coach John Pelphrey knows there's still a lot to improve w ...

[+] More of this author's blog

dots_under_blog.gif

Brandon Marcello

Quarterback job up for grabs

Nov 17, 2008

Casey Dick returned to practice Sunday night, but he still may not be the starter when Arkansas travels to Mississippi State on Satur ...

[+] More of this author's blog

dots_under_blog.gif

Brandon Marcello

Washington named SEC Player of Week

Nov 17, 2008

Arkansas junior forward Michael Washington set career highs in the Hogs' season debut Friday night and was recognized by the SEC offi ...

[+] More of this author's blog

dots_under_blog.gif

Brandon Marcello

AP Top 25

Updated November 03

1. Alabama 9-0

2. Texas Tech 9-0

3. Penn State 9-0

4. Florida 7-1

5. Texas 8-1

6. Oklahoma 8-1

7. USC 7-1

8. Oklahoma State 8-1

9. Boise State 8-0

10. Utah 9-0

11. TCU 9-1

12. Ohio State 7-2

13. Missouri 7-2

14. Georgia 7-2

15. LSU 6-2

16. Ball State 8-0

17. Brigham Young 8-1

18. Michigan State 8-2

19. North Carolina 6-2

20. West Virginia 6-2

21. California 6-2

22. Georgia Tech 7-2

23. Maryland 6-2

24. Florida State 6-2

25. Pittsburgh 6-2

How many games will the Razorbacks win this season?


2

3

4

5

6 or more

Vote

Arkansas Razorbacks' 2008 Football Schedule

Aug. 30

Western Illinois

W 28-24

Sep. 6

Louisiana-Monroe

W 28-27

Sep. 20

Alabama

L 14-49

Sep. 27

@ Texas

L 10-52

Oct. 4

Florida

L 7-38

Oct. 11

@ Auburn

W 25-22

Oct. 18

@ Kentucky

L 20-21

Oct. 25

Ole Miss

L 21-23

Nov. 1

Tulsa (Homecoming)

W 30-23

Nov. 8

@ South Carolina

L 21-34

Nov. 22

@ Mississippi State

      TBA

Nov. 28

LSU

     1:30 pm