FAYETTEVILLE -- Normally Arkansas would be at home on the second weekend of the baseball season, but Coach Dave Van Horn is quite happy he arranged for the Razorbacks to be in Mobile, Ala., for a round-robin tournament at South Alabama, starting at 2 p.m. today against Central Florida.
Another round of winter weather is scheduled to move through Northwest Arkansas today, which makes the Razorbacks' first trip away from campus look like a smart scheduling decision.
Today’s game
ARKANSAS VS. CENTRAL FLORIDA
WHAT South Alabama Tournament
WHEN 2 p.m. Central
WHERE Stanky Field, Mobile, Ala.
RECORDS Arkansas 3-0, Central Florida 4-0.
PITCHING MATCHUP Arkansas: Dominic Taccolini (RHP, 1-0, 3.00 ERA); Central Florida: Zach Rodgers (RHP, 1-0, 1.80)
RADIO Razorback Sports Network. Not all games will be carried by affiliates. Check local listings.
INTERNET arkansasrazorbacks.…
SHORT HOPS The tournament field also includes South Alabama (4-0) and Maryland (3-0). … Arkansas is ranked No. 15 by Perfect Game, Maryland is ranked No. 16 by Baseball America and No. 20 by USA Today/ESPN, and Central Florida is ranked No. 22 by Baseball America. … Arkansas is 2-2 vs. South Alabama and has never played Central Florida or Maryland. … The Razorbacks are scheduled to throw right-hander Zach Jackson (1-0, 2.25) against South Alabama right-hander Ryne Long (no earned runs allowed in 4.0 innings) on Saturday. … Maryland has announced right-hander Brian Shaffer (no earned runs allowed in 3.0 innings) as its Sunday starter, but Arkansas has not named its starter for that matchup. … Arkansas right-hander Trey Killian (tendinitis) isn’t expected to pitch in Mobile.
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY vs Central Florida, 2 p.m.
SATURDAY at South Alabama, 6:30 p.m.
SUNDAY vs Maryland, 10 a.m.
MONDAY Off
TUESDAY Off
WEDNESDAY Off
THURSDAY California, 3:05 p.m.
The trip marks the first time since 2008 the Razorbacks have been on the road on the second weekend of the season.
"I'm glad we get to play," Van Horn said. "I can't remember the last time we were away the second weekend ... so the timing worked out well."
The Razorbacks (3-0), ranked No. 15 by Perfect Game, will send right-hander Dominic Taccolini (1-0, 3.00 ERA) to the mound today against Central Florida (4-0), which is ranked No. 22 by Baseball America.
Maryland (3-0) takes on South Alabama (4-0) at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field to round out the field of unbeaten teams in the tournament.
"Central Florida is a good team," Taccolini said. "This will be a good gauge of where we're at."
The Golden Knights are expected to counter with senior right-hander Zach Rodgers (1-0), who led the team with a 1.36 ERA last season and gave up 1 earned run on 6 hits in 5 innings against Siena last week.
Arkansas will face host South Alabama at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and close the tournament with a 10 a.m. game against No. 16 Maryland on Sunday.
"We get to face three really good teams, and I think we're going to learn a lot about our team from these three games," third baseman Bobby Wernes said.
The Razorbacks lost 2 of 3 games at home against South Alabama last season.
"It definitely gives us a little more motivation facing them after they came up to our place last year and beat us," said Arkansas right-hander Zach Jackson, who is scheduled to start against the Jaguars.
Arkansas hit an SEC-best .421 while sweeping three games against North Dakota by a cumulative score of 36-7 last weekend.
"We're executing on all cylinders as a team," said first baseman Clark Eagan, the team's leading hitter with a .571 average. "We're moving runners over, getting bunts down and just doing whatever we can to put runs on the board."
Six Razorbacks regulars are hitting .364 or better, including Tyler Spoon (.462), Rick Nomura (.455), Brett McAfee (.385), Joe Serrano (.364) and Wernes (.364). Arkansas had 18 extra-base hits last weekend, including five triples. The Razorbacks had nine triples in 2014.
Arkansas did not commit an error in 112 fielding chances against North Dakota.
"They're making every play we throw out there, and it's just really nice to have," said Jackson (1-0, 2.25).
"I think if we stay healthy this could be one of the better defensive teams that we've had in the infield," Van Horn said.
Ace right-hander Trey Killian has asked the training staff and coaches to speed up his rehabilitation regimen from right elbow tendinitis, Van Horn said, but Killian is not expected to be ready to throw in a game before next weekend's home series against California.
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Sports on 02/20/2015