FAYETTEVILLE -- Heston Kjerstad tried to pull a change-up from Oral Roberts right-hander Justin McGregor with a runner at second base in the first inning Friday, frustrating Arkansas Razorbacks Coach Dave Van Horn.
Kjerstad rolled over the pitch, hitting a routine ground ball to second base to leave Casey Martin at second base.
"That's what we wanted him to look for, something off speed and just go the other way," Van Horn said. "The approach needed to be middle-away off McGregor, and he did it."
Kjerstad did it right his next time at the plate in the third inning. The left-handed freshman hit another outside change-up the opposite way for a two-run home run and gave the Razorbacks their first runs in what became a 10-2 victory for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in the opener of the NCAA regional at Baum Stadium.
Kjerstad hit another opposite-field two-run home run on a fastball away in the eighth inning to cap off a 3 for 5 performance with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored in the freshman's first career NCAA postseason game.
Kjerstad made a big move on the Arkansas freshman records chart with his big game.
He now holds the school's freshman records with 76 hits and 55 runs. He's tied with Martin and Zack Cox with 13 home runs and his 51 RBI are four short of Jeff King's freshman record set in 1984.
"It's just a lot of fun, honestly," Kjerstad said. "To have the team that we have and be able to compete at this level has just been a blast for me to have an experience like this my first year."
Kjerstad, a 6-3, 190-pounder from Amarillo, Texas, began making noise as soon as he stepped on campus and he capped a big regular season by being named SEC Freshman of the Year.
"He's a lot of fun to watch," Arkansas pitcher Blaine Knight said. "I couldn't get him out in the fall. I tried as hard as I could and I couldn't get him out .... so I feel bad for anybody that has to face him right now."
Van Horn said the perpetually smiling freshman has been fun to coach and to watch.
"He led our team in hitting in the fall," he said. "We knew Martin was going to be good, but Heston came in here and proved it pretty quick that he was going to start.
"He really started out hot, had a lull in there probably three-quarters of the way through the season and you kind of thought it was a freshman being tired and mentally he's being beat down a little bit. Then he climbed out of it. He's a smart kid and he doesn't panic. It's been fun to watch."
Not so much for McGregor and reliever Grant Townsend, who allowed Kjerstad's home runs on Friday.
"I just think he sees the ball well," McGregor said. "He has a pretty tall stance and he seems able to see the rotation. He sees the ball deep and hits it the other way and whenever he has to he turns on the fast ball."
Kjerstad hit a fifth inning single and flied out to deep right field in the sixth in his other at-bats, which came after a 1-for-10 performance in the SEC Tournament with four runs scored.
"Baseball is a hard game at times and you're not always going to be raking every time, every weekend," Kjerstad said. "You've just got to learn from the times that are rough and keep doing what you're doing when the times are good."
Sports on 06/02/2018