UA pitchers try to build off big opening weekend

Arkansas pitcher Blaine Knight throws a pitch during a game against Miami (Ohio) on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas ran 11 pitchers to the mound in its season-opening sweep against Miami (Ohio) last weekend.

Only two of them -- starters Trevor Stephan and Kevin Kopps -- allowed a run, and that was one each.

It's only three games against a Mid-American Conference opponent, but Arkansas would much rather have its current 0.67 team earned run average than the bloated, SEC-worst 5.00 ERA it carried at the end of the 2016 season.

The Razorbacks will put their eye-opening ERA to the test this weekend against Bryant, the preseason favorite to win the Northeast Conference, starting with Friday's 3 p.m. game at Baum Stadium.

"This last weekend was pretty impressive, and I'm glad to see the effectiveness of our staff," said senior right-hander Josh Alberius.

In their first series under new pitching coach Wes Johnson, the Razorbacks pitched aggressively against the RedHawks with 36 strikeouts and 6 walks.

"That's a great sign anyway," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "We played a very aggressive team. They swung the bat.

"At the same time, we did throw a lot of strikes. It seemed like when we did get behind [in the count], they battled back pretty good. Then we got to use a lot of guys. For the most part, everybody we put in did a great job."

Leading the way was sophomore right-hander Blaine Knight, the Friday starter who struck out 5 and didn't walk a batter while throwing 72 pitches in 4 innings.

Up Next

ARKANSAS VS. BRYANT

WHEN 3 p.m. Friday

WHERE Baum Stadium, Fayetteville

RECORDS Arkansas 3-0; Bryant 2-2

SERIES Tied 1-1

LAST MEETING Arkansas defeated Bryant, 12-3, at the 2013 NCAA Manhattan (Kan.) Regional

RADIO Razorback Sports Network. Not all games will be carried byhttp://wholehogspor…"> affiliates.

PITCHING MATCHUP Bryant RHP James Karinchak (1-0, 1.80 ERA); Arkansas RHP Blaine Knight (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

The Week Ahead

FRIDAY Bryant, 3 p.m.

SATURDAY Bryant, 2 p.m.

SUNDAY Bryant, 1 p.m.

MONDAY Off

TUESDAY at La. Tech, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY at La. Tech 3 p.m.

THURSDAY Off

Knight, Stephan and Kopps were all given credit for victories without throwing five innings due to pitch-count limitations. Kopps, who allowed 1 run in 3 1/3 innings, got the victory in Sunday's 11-1 decision, though it also could have gone to Alberius, who replaced Kopps and gave up 2 hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Knight, Alberius, senior Dominic Taccolini and sophomore Jake Reindl pitched at least three or more innings without giving up a run, while relievers Cannon Chadwick, Weston Rogers, Kacey Murphy, Cody Scroggins and Barrett Loseke combined for 9 strikeouts, 2 walks and 2 hits in 6 innings.

"Coach Johnson does an incredible job with the pitchers," said junior outfielder Luke Bonfield. "Being in left field is a different feel. They only walked a few the whole weekend and piled up a lot of strikeouts. I think I got like one ball hit to me in left field the whole weekend."

Sophomore outfielder Eric Cole said the pitchers have put in the work.

"They just worked their butt off," he said. "This is exactly what we've seen all year."

Van Horn said he planned to throw Knight, Stephan and Kopps again, in that order, against Bryant. The notable omission in the starting staff is 6-4 sophomore Isaiah Campbell. A projected weekend starter, Campbell will be held out a second weekend with tightness in the back of his pitching arm.

"When you lose a guy you feel like is going to give you seven innings Friday or Saturday probably, all of a sudden you lose all those innings and other guys have to step it up," Van Horn said. "This past weekend they did it."

Scroggins, a converted infielder, threw 11 strikes among his 12 pitches in the ninth inning of Saturday's 5-1 victory. The sophomore right-hander was one of seven Arkansas pitchers who threw at least 63 percent strikes against Miami.

The staff will be pushed harder with 15 games in a 23-day span heading into the SEC opener against Mississippi State on March 17.

"We're really going to be challenged this weekend, and then playing two midweek games, and then a big tournament, and then coming back from that and playing another two games on a Tuesday and Wednesday plus a weekend series," Van Horn said. "So over the next couple of weeks we'll use our whole staff in a lot of different roles and we'll get to really evaluate."

SHORT HOPS

Saturday’s 2 p.m. game is scheduled to match Bryant LHP Steve Theetge (1.0, 5.06 ERA) against Arkansas RHP Trevor Stephan (1-0, 2.25). … The Bulldogs and Razorbacks split two games at the 2013 NCAA Manhattan (Kan.) Regional in their only meetings. Bryant won the regional opener 4-1, and the Razorbacks won 12-3 in an elimination game. … Bryant catcher Mickey Gasper is the reigning Northeast Conference (NEC) player of the week after the 5-10, 205-pound senior hit .529 (9 for 17) with a home run, triple and three RBI in a four-game series at New Mexico State.

Sports on 02/23/2017