Hogs give Moore shot at No. 1 spot

Arkansas will try its third pitcher in the No. 1 spot tonight when the Razorbacks travel to Ole Miss with former reliever Brandon Moore on the mound.

— Arkansas will make some more adjustments as it heads into the second half of SEC play.

The biggest change is on the mound, where righthander Brandon Moore will make his first SEC start this season when No. 17 Arkansas opens a three-games series tonight at No. 22 Ole Miss.

Moore is the third pitcher in the past four weeks to move into the No. 1 spot in the rotation for Arkansas (27-10, 8-7 SEC), which goes into the weekend three games behind LSU (24-4, 11-4) and one game ahead of Ole Miss (25-12, 7-8) in the SEC West.

Arkansas, which was ranked as high as No. 3 by Baseball America earlier this season, will play three of its five remaining SEC series on the road. The Razorbacks will play at No. 5 Florida next weekend before returning home for consecutive SEC series with No. 9 South Carolina and Auburn.

Arkansas will then play three games at Tennessee before heading to the SEC Tournament, which will be played May 22-27 in Hoover, Ala.

“Obviously we want to win the [SEC] overall championship, and we’re going to have to get some help for that,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. “We have enough pitching to get it done. It’s a matter of this offense starting to get rolling and putting together a few big games.”

Moore (3-0, 0.95 ERA) earned his way into the rotation with his work in long relief. The sophomore from Van Buren has started 13 games in his career, including a start against Brigham Young earlier this season when he threw four shutout innings.

Moore’s best work came last season in the SEC Tournament when he came out of the bullpen and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits in 8 1/3 innings against Alabama.

Moore replaces Barrett Astin, who will move back to the bullpen after starting against Georgia and Kentucky. Ryne Stanek will start Saturday and DJ Baxendale will start Sunday against a Rebels team that is hitting .315.

“Brandon’s numbers are good, and he’s been incredible out of the bullpen,” Van Horn said. “It’s nothing against Barrett. It’s just knowing he’s there. If we’ve got a lead in the eighth, we can bring him in and we’ve got a good chance to close that thing out.”

Arkansas will also alter the infield, with junior Matt Reynolds taking over at second base in place of Bo Bigham and Jacob Mahan, who have been splitting time at the position. Reynolds has spent most of his career at third base, but he played second last summer in the Cape Cod League and started at second base Tuesday in both games of the Razorbacks’ doubleheader sweep against Stephen F. Austin.

Freshman Brian Anderson or Bigham will start at third base in place of Reynolds, who had two hits and did not make an error in the two games against Stephen F. Austin. Matt Vinson also could start in left field for Derrick Bleeker, whose average has dropped to .256 after he hit a bases-loaded triple in an 8-7 victory over Kentucky a week ago today.

Bleeker went 0 for 4 Tuesday when Arkansas beat Stephen F. Austin 6-3 and 4-3.

“We’ll shake it up a little bit and make these guys continue to work,” Van Horn said. “When older guys struggle — I don’t know if the word is entitled — but you’ve got to keep working and earn that spot. A lot of times as a coach you’ll go with them when they’re struggling than maybe more with a younger guy, but I feel like we’ve gone with some guys and given them ample chances to produce. “It hasn’t happened, so that’s why we’ve made a few moves.” Arkansas will need its offense to come through tonight against Ole Miss right-hander Bobby Wahl (5-0, 2.13 ERA), who is one of the top pitchers in the SEC.

Wahl has started nine games and has allowed only 12 earned runs in 50 2/3 innings.

“Bobby has been terrific,” Ole Miss Coach Mike Bianco said. “That’s something we didn’t have last season when we were missing a Friday night guy to match up with the aces in this league.

“We’ll have to pitch well all three games to match up with the arms Arkansas will run out there on the mound. Their staff may be the best in the league.”

Ole Miss, which beat Mississippi State 6-3 in a nonconference game Tuesday, is expecting big crowds this weekend with the Rebels holding their spring football game Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Ole Miss is 18-5 at home while Arkansas is 4-6 on the road this season.

“This is a very important series to start the second half,” Van Horn said. “They’re a Western Division team, and we’re pretty much even in the standings. There’s a lot on the line.”

THURSDAY’S GAME

Mississippi State 2, Tennessee 1

TODAY’S GAMES — All times Central

LSU at Kentucky, 5:30 p.m. Georgia at Florida, 6 p.m. South Carolina at Auburn, 6 p.m. Arkansas at Mississippi, 6:30 p.m. Tennessee at Mississippi St., 6:30 p.m. Vanderbilt at Alabama, 6:30 p.m.

Razorbacks at a glance

ARKANSAS AT MISSISSIPPI

WHEN 6:30 Central tonight WHERE Oxford-University Stadium, Oxford, Miss. RADIO RSP statewide radio network, which includes KQSM-FM, 92.1 in Fayetteville; KURM-AM, 790, in Bentonville-Rogers; KASR-FM, 92.7, in Conway; KHGG-FM, 103.1, in Fort Smith; KABZFM, 103.7, Little Rock; KELD-FM, 106.5, in El Dorado, and KOMT-FM, 107.5, in Mountain Home. Not all games will be carried by affiliates. Check local listings. INTERNET www.arkansasrazorbacks.com (go to Razorvision link) PITCHING MATCHUP Arkansas: Brandon Moore (RHP, 3-0, 0.95); Mississippi: Bobby Wahl (RHP, 5-0, 2.13 ERA).

THE WEEK AHEAD

TODAY at Ole Miss, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY at Ole Miss, 4 p.m. SUNDAY at Ole Miss, 1:30 p.m. MONDAY Off TUESDAY vs. Oral Roberts, 6:35 p.m. WEDNESDAY Off THURSDAY Off

Sports, Pages 17 on 04/20/2012