NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT STILLWATER (OKLA.) REGIONAL

Razorbacks want 'same old Benny'

Andrew Benintendi of Arkansas heads to third base against Mississippi Valley State during the first inning Wednesday, April 8, 2015, at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas sophomore Andrew Benintendi tore through SEC pitching like he was Ted Williams, posting a .443 batting average in league games that was 50 points higher than the next-best average.

Benintendi's .415 average and 17 home runs, both best in the conference, and an NCAA-best .771 slugging percentage in the regular season helped him become the first Razorback to be named SEC Player of the Year.

Benintendi added to his home run count during Arkansas' 2-2 run at the SEC Tournament last week, but his ninth-inning solo shot -- which helped fuel the Hogs' 7-6 comeback victory over Florida -- was his only hit in Hoover, Ala. The left-handed hitting slugger from Cincinnati went 1 for 14 in the tournament, dropping his average 24 points heading into the NCAA Stillwater Regional.

"It's over with," Benintendi said Tuesday of his mini-slump after the Razorbacks' first organized practice in preparation for their NCAA Tournament opener against Oral Roberts at noon Friday. "I'm not thinking about it at all."

Benintendi, the Razorbacks' center fielder and three-hole hitter, shrugged off the idea that he was putting too much pressure on himself with dozens of scouts around after he had just won the league's player of the year honors.

"Not really," he said. "It's baseball. I didn't play well. It happens. Mentally, I was fine. I just didn't put the ball in play as much as I wanted to."

Benintendi's line-drive stroke to all fields was the signature swing during his hot streak, which lasted virtually the final two months of the regular season. He didn't have that swing in gear last week, when he struck out four times in 17 plate appearances.

Coach Dave Van Horn said he thought Benitendi tried to muscle up and pull the ball a couple of times in Hoover.

"He's gone through a lot," Van Horn said. "He's come out of nowhere to a lot of professional organizations, so now they all want to get a part of him."

Van Horn said it is "ridiculous" the number of interview requests from major league organizations Benintendi has fielded since the date those visits were allowable.

"Winning the award and then being around all the guys who didn't win it that all had awfully good years, I think just a lot of pressure mounted up with him and he felt it," Van Horn said. "He's still young. I just think he felt a lot of pressure and felt like he had to do way too much.

"Hopefully he'll calm down when we play in the tournament and he'll do well."

Benintendi's teammates sound confident the team's top hitter will rebound.

"He is just such a polished hitter," junior Tyler Spoon said. "He is very experienced, beyond his years really. He had a tough tournament. His one hit was a bomb though, and he's just kind of a spark plug. He's going to be fine."

Senior Joe Serrano said he didn't think there was anything to worry about with Benintendi.

"He's the SEC Player of the Year," Serrano said. "It's baseball. The year Miguel Cabrera won the triple crown he had a couple of 0-for-40 streaks. Nobody doubted him.

"I don't think we should be doubting Benny. He's a good player, and he's going to be a high draft pick."

Senior shortstop Michael Bernal said he felt Benintendi would be "the same old Benny" in the tournament.

"His average dropped. Oh my God, he's not hitting .400 anymore," Bernal said. "But he's still hitting close to .400. He's going to be just fine. I think you guys will see why he's the SEC player of the year."

Sports on 05/27/2015