For Arkansas, the start was better than the ending Tuesday night at the SEC Tournament.
The Razorbacks beat Tennessee with a pair of two-out hits in the ninth inning to advance, but it was the performance by starting pitcher Trey Killian that was most encouraging as Arkansas prepares for next week's NCAA regional.
Killian retired the first 14 batters he faced and threw 7 2/3 innings in a no-decision. The junior right-hander struck out five batters in his longest outing of a frustrating season hampered by injury and inconsistency.
"It was almost like the old Trey Killian was back," Killian said. "I was happy with my outing. I was able to compete and keep my team in position to win the ballgame."
Killian threw seven perfect innings against Vanderbilt in March, but only made it to the seventh inning one other time in the regular season. In 10 SEC starts, he had a 5.34 earned run average and gave up an average of just less than seven hits per outing.
Arkansas was 4-6 in conference games its most experienced pitcher started.
Sporting a new hairdo, Killian looked like a different pitcher, too, against the Volunteers. He was especially dominant in the first five innings, allowing just one base runner.
Killian frequently pitched to contact, relying on a solid defense behind him. The Vols made him pay on one of the few bad pitches he threw, which resulted in a game-tying double in the eighth inning.
Most encouraging for Killian, especially in a game so tight, was the zero walks. He struggled during the regular season by getting behind in the count and was coming off a game at Georgia five days earlier in which he walked four batters.
With freshman Keaton McKinney pitching like anything but a newcomer (the Razorbacks have won in seven of his last eight starts), an improved Killian could give Arkansas the strong 1-2 starting rotation needed in a regional setting. When those pitchers are locked in, they are hard to beat.
The Razorbacks' pitching staff has improved, but it hasn't shown it has the depth needed to battle its way out of a loser's bracket, making Killian's next postseason start all the more important. If it's anything like his last one, Arkansas will feel good about its chances.
"That was the best velocity I've seen in him in a year-and-a-half," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. "His demeanor on the mound was what I was used to seeing from him.
"We feel like we've got the old Trey back, so I'm excited about that."