FAYETTEVILLE -- A week ago, this column referenced the Arkansas Razorbacks pitching staff as "three and a half men."
Five games later, the staff manned up considerably.
While a modest 3-2 in those five games in three cities, splitting two games against Memphis in North Little Rock and Memphis and winning 2 of 3 in their SEC West series with Mississippi Thursday through Saturday at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, the Razorbacks pitched well and with depth every game.
The three and a half men, lettermen Trey Killian, Dominic Taccolini, Zach Jackson and Jacob Stone, did their part.
This past week Razorbacks pitchers James Teague, Keaton McKinney, Josh Alberius, Jackson Lowery and Lance Phillips did their part, too.
Suddenly, though only 14-13 overall and 3-6 in the SEC going into Tuesday's nonconference game against Missouri State at Baum and the SEC weekend series at Auburn, Arkansas appears well-armed like always under Coach Dave Van Horn and pitching coach Dave Jorn.
McKinney, Lowery -- the winner in middle relief -- and Jackson, stranding Rebels at second and third with the Hogs up just 4-2 in the eighth before winning 5-2, patched Saturday's success. Jackson also was Thursday's savior. He struck out the Nos. 3 through 5 Ole Miss hitters with the bases loaded and the Hogs only up 5-3 in the seventh before romping 10-3 for starter Taccolini's victory.
Hard-luck Killian, 0-2, lost his start Friday with Van Horn so outraged by the ball and strikes umpiring that the coach was ejected in the second inning.
Even that jaded Friday night ended with a silver lining. From the sixth inning on relievers Alberius, Stone and Phillips blanked the Rebels.
"They did a good job," Van Horn said. "The pitching has been good all week for the most part."
Winning a SEC series for the first time this season after getting swept at Vanderbilt and losing 2 of 3 to LSU at Baum made last week's Ole Miss series Arkansas' most important.
However the season's so far most important nine innings maybe were played Wednesday in Memphis. McKinney, one run through four innings, and Teague, Wednesday's winner of the 7-2 decision allowing but one run through the last five innings, finally pitched like Van Horn and Jorn projected.
They foresaw McKinney making the most impact of the freshman pitchers. They foresaw sophomore Teague complementing Killian as a second staff ace off Teague blossoming late last season through the fall and winter preseason.
With Killian sidelined by tendonitis, Teague started the season opener but repeatedly was more trumped than ace until mowing them down in Memphis.
"That's the James Teague that we knew," Van Horn said post Memphis.
Not only the Teague he knew, but a whole staff, too.
Sports on 03/30/2015