FAYETTEVILLE — Don't let Jackson Rutledge's looks fool you.
The freshman right-hander might have a baby face and a big smile, but he considers himself an "angry" pitcher.
Rutledge's stuff has angered opposing hitters this season, who are batting just .087 against him. He has not allowed a run in 6 2/3 Innings.
Those numbers have helped the St. Louis native carve a niche in a crowded Arkansas bullpen early this season. Rutledge has been a late-inning stopper, earning a three-inning save against Southern Cal last Friday and pitching a quick inning two days later to set up the Razorbacks' walk-off win over the Trojans.
"For him to come out and pitch twice last weekend with one day off in between, that showed me something," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said.
"If we need to use him earlier we could, depending on what the other team is all about...but with Rutledge I don't think it really matters."
At 6-8, 258 pounds and with a 97 mph that nearly equals his No. 99 jersey, Rutledge is a scout's dream. Baseball America rated him the No. 183 prospect in last year's MLB Draft, but he went undrafted because of a high asking price for a signing bonus.
Rutledge, who committed to Arkansas after de-committing from Kansas State in the summer prior to his senior year of high school, insists he always knew he wanted to go to college to increase his draft stock and it isn't far-fetched to believe he could be a first-round prospect in 2020.
Part of the improvement process had to include better command. Rutledge was erratic at times during the fall - "he's just wild enough to scare you," Van Horn said in October - but has limited his walks to four through three weekends. In his three-inning save last Friday, Rutledge walked just one and needed only 43 pitches.
"In the fall he might have been overthrowing a little bit," Van Horn said. "Now he realizes he's got a good arm and he can get it up there when he needs to, but if he just lets his body work normally he's going to work 93-95 (mph) easily."
Arkansas infielder Casey Martin can remember stepping into the box against Rutledge for the first time last September.
"It doesn't look like he's throwing that hard, and then you get up there and you're like, 'Wow! Where did this come from?'" Martin said. "A lot of guys will try to swing as hard as they can. It's not about that. You've got to stay solid through the middle, good bat speed, put your foot down and recognize his pitches early."
That's easier said than done. Rutledge's velocity, when combined with his height, can create an intimidating look for hitters.
"The ball is coming out at a downhill angle, so a lot of people don't like that," Rutledge said. "Having a big, angry guy like me throwing inside at them makes people feel uncomfortable. I use that to my advantage."
Rutledge has been especially good against left-handers, who are 0-for-12 against him. His changeup is a go-to pitch against lefties and he works his breaking ball to both sides.
"You've got to get juiced up to hit him and got to cheat a little bit," Van Horn said. "When you cheat a little bit, that off-speed is really good if you can get it around the zone."
Coming out of the bullpen has been the biggest adjustment for Rutledge. He said he has spoken extensively with older relievers like Jake Reindl and Matt Cronin about adjusting his routine, which in high school was geared toward starting.
The key, he said, is to get his adrenaline pumping with squats and lunges, and throwing weighted balls of 3, 5 and 7 ounces. And then there's this:
"I don't know if you guys saw Matt Cronin get smacked (on the chest) before the game, but I like to do that, too," Rutledge said. "Get a lot of adrenaline going - basically max intensity and intimidate some people."
Because of his size and athleticism, Rutledge has developed the nickname "Big Nasty" from Arkansas pitching coach Wes Johnson, in reference to Corliss Williamson, the former Arkansas basketball All-American with the same nickname and same preference for being roughed up before a game so he could play mad.
"You see this big 6-7 guy on the mound who is 250 and you think big slug," Johnson said, "but he's extremely quick to the plate and can field his position, and can get off the mound and move.
"Our video guy said, 'He's not a slug, he's like Corliss Williamson.' So I said, 'We're calling him Big Nasty, man.' You want that at the back end."
Rutledge is one of several freshman pitchers who have impressed through 12 games. The Razorbacks' six freshmen have a combined ERA of 1.06 in 34 innings. In addition to Rutledge, right-handers Caleb Bolden and Bryce Bonnin, and left-hander Hunter Milligan have not allowed a run.
"It's not a surprise to me," Rutledge said. "The guys we have are really mature. I can't compare it to any other class, obviously, but from what the guys have said and what I'm recognizing, we're really mature and we know what we're doing.
"When you see some of your fellow freshmen, or even the older guys, dominating, it makes you want to go out there and beat them. It's limited spots and everybody is fighting to get playing time."
Van Horn indicated the depth of the Razorbacks' pitching staff should keep the younger pitchers from tiring late in the season.
"A lot of times you go into a season hoping you can get something out of a couple of freshmen and hopefully they can handle it right out of the chute, and a lot of times those guys will come on for you at the end of the year," Van Horn said. "It's been good for us to have those guys pitch so well early. If we can spread out those innings and keep them fresh, we feel like they'll get better and they'll be able to last all year."