FAYETTEVILLE — Phase one is done. Arkansas has found a little confidence with a 6-0 start. Now it's time to find out about life away from Baum Stadium.
The season started with lots of talk about the way last season ended. After pounding two lesser opponents, things will get a lot tougher this week.
Bryant melted at Baum Stadium with six errors in each of the last two games. That probably won't happen as the Hogs face Louisiana Tech, Arizona, Nebraska and Oklahoma State in their next five games, all
away from Fayetteville.
The pitching wasn't as good this weekend as in the season opener, but the Arkansas baseball team may have found another piece to the puzzle with the strong hitting of freshman infielder Jaxon Williams in the final two games of a three-game sweep of Bryant.
Williams stroked a pair of two-run singles and a deep liner for a sacrifice fly to plate five runs in the last three innings as the Hogs blasted Bryant 16-6, on Sunday before 2,172 on a chilly, overcast afternoon.
Williams came on in the sixth as a pinch hitter for light-hitting Hunter Wilson. He went the opposite way with a liner to right field for his first RBI hit. The liner to center plated a run in the seventh, then there was another single to center in the eighth.
Williams had not seen the field much in the opening weekend, but now has four hits in seven plate appearances with 9 RBI after a start on Saturday and three at-bats Sunday.
“When he's got into the game, he's done a tremendous job of driving in runs when he's had an opportunity,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “We always had plans for Jaxon Williams. It was just a matter of when.”
The Rosenberg, Texas, product played shortstop at B.F. Terry High School. He's worked behind Carson Shaddy at second in the fall and early this spring. But Van Horn said he can also play anywhere else in the infield or the outfield, especially with the way he's transitioned to a better approach at the plate.
“When he got here in the fall, he was trying to hit the ball out of the park,” Van Horn said. “He was pulling off the ball, hitting ground balls. I had to talk to him about trying to do too much.”
Williams got it.
“It was about not trying to be too much of a player,” he said. “He pulled me aside and told me not to try to do too much.”
Jake Arledge followed Williams with a two-run home run in the sixth. He gave credit to Williams for setting the stage.
“Jaxon has been good,” Arledge said. “I don't get to make these decisions, but he's earned the right for more at bats. I know he's going to get the job done.”
Van Horn didn't disagree, noting just minutes earlier that Williams is giving him reason to think that direction.
“I know it's giving other players something to think about,” Van Horn said. “But I've been thinking that way all along.”
Arledge had a big day in the field, too. He gunned down a Bryant runner at the plate and at third or the Hogs might have been facing more than a 5-1 deficit heading to the bottom of the sixth. They rolled with five runs in each of the final three innings as the Bulldogs committed six errors.
Bryant had cruised early behind right-hander Ross Weiner. The junior starter pitched five strong innings, but the Hogs plated 15 against the next six hurlers.
“He was good,” Arledge said of Weiner. “We had runners on. We had two on for (Luke Bonfield) and he hit a missile back to the pitcher. That was a little bit of bad luck. But we knew if we could get into their bullpen we'd have a chance. Sure enough, the wheels fell off of the bus.”
Van Horn said the atmosphere in the dugout was good even when the Hogs were down late in the game.
“They weren't quitting,” Van Horn said. “Last year there was a little different feeling. I pinch hit for a couple of guys and they didn't complain. The feeling was that we could still turn this thing around.”
Van Horn said the offense had to take control throughout the weekend after the pitching allowed 21 runs. Still, the Hogs sit 6-0 ahead of five games away from Baum in the coming week. They play two at Louisiana Tech on Tuesday and Wednesday, then three at the Frisco (Texas) College Baseball Classic. Two of those games are against College World Series teams from last year (Arizona and Oklahoma State).
“We have to pitch a little better, especially out of the bullpen,” Van Horn said. “We were still fortunate to win three.”
It doesn't sound like Van Horn will ask anyone to pitch deep as starters at Louisiana Tech. Josh Alberius pitched one inning in relief on Sunday and likely will start one of the games in Ruston, La.
“We'll probably see Evan Lee in one of the games, probably Wednesday,” Van Horn said of the other possible starter at Ruston.
“We are trying to win the games, but we want to make sure we have enough for the weekend, too.”
When Isaiah Campbell pitches again wasn't clear. Campbell was expected to be a weekend starter but is battling back from a sore triceps muscle. He was rusty in one inning of work on Saturday.
“If he's good to go again, he might pitch on the weekend,” Van Horn said. “We will see how he feels and he may just pitch on the side during the (Ruston trip).”
Van Horn expects the atmosphere to be electric at Ruston. There are promotions to provide free pizza to students.
“I think it's the first time an SEC team has gone there in about 10 years,” Van Horn said. “You can call Tech a mid-major, but they have a great program. I think tickets will be hard to get. It should be fun.”
It's been fun so far for the Hogs after ending last season with 13 straight losses.
“We still need to get some of the older guys going with the bat,” Van Horn said. “Defense has been good. We haven't had any bad games.
“Now we need to get out on the road and find out about our team. We need to get out of our comfort zone and learn some things. We are going to find out a lot.”