State of the Hogs: Campbell back and on a mission

Arkansas pitcher Isaiah Campbell throws during a scrimmage Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.

— Isaiah Campbell threw Wednesday against live hitting in the Arkansas baseball team's individual workouts. The result was breathtaking, a consistent velocity of 95 to 96 mph with great command and location of pitches. 

Campbell missed last season because of bone spurs in his pitching elbow, which required surgery. The pitching Wednesday was in the Fowler Center, not outside, but he faced regular position players.

"It was good to be throwing," Campbell said Thursday. "I was really pleased."

It may be that some of the hitters weren't pleased. Campbell is a different pitcher now than what they saw last fall.

"I added another pitch, a cutter/slider the last month of the fall and I was pleased with how it worked yesterday,” Campbell said. “I’m still pleased that I have the downhill fast ball."

Campbell has an enhanced change-up and over-the-top curve to go with those other two pitches, making him tough on hitters from both sides of the plate.

Sophomore outfielder Dominic Fletcher didn't like hitting against Campbell on Wednesday, but took delight in knowing he's going to be in center when the big right-hander is on the mound next month.

"There won't be many teams score runs off of him," Fletcher said. "He was 95 to 96 with consistency yesterday. He's just got nasty stuff."

Lefty junior pitcher Kacey Murphy was working in the bullpen nearby when Campbell took on live hitters.

"I stopped," Murphy said. "I just had to see it. I'm sure he's still got more work to do before the opener, but I'd say he's 100 percent back and better.

"He looked really good. He looked confident."

Catcher Grant Koch wanted to be behind the plate for Campbell's session.

"I had to see it," Koch said. "His stuff got progressively better every pitch. It was electric, more electric than he's been. It was premier stuff.

"He always had that downhill fast ball that jumps and a 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock breaker. Now he's got a change and that cutter. All of it is off a downhill plane. You don't want to face that."

Campbell has more than some new pitches. He's got a new body. The 6-5 redshirt sophomore from Olathe, Kan., has lost 22 pounds from the start of the school year in August.

"I haven't done anything different workout wise," he said. "Same things there. It's what I'm eating."

It's more like what he's not eating.

"I quit eating the fries," he said. "I'm eating a lot of grilled chicken. I cheat about once a week with my favorite thing, some type of ice cream.

"I wanted to get lean muscles. It's helped my velocity and my endurance."

Arkansas pitching coach Wes Johnson raves about Campbell, who is likely to be the Razorbacks’ Saturday starter behind Blaine Knight. Johnson says Campbell is “desperate” to prove himself and driven to be better after a year away from the game.

“I love to coach guys who are desperate,” Johnson said. “What happened with Isaiah, something got taken away from him that he really loved.

“You see another gear, a different focus that elevated him more; his nutrition - every facet of the game that I didn’t see all of last year.”

Johnson noted 2018 is a draft year for Campbell, who is a redshirt sophomore.

“Those guys understand the importance of that,” Johnson said. “He’s come back and he’s on a mission.”