Razorback Baseball Notebook

More than 10,000 pack Baum-Walker

Fans are shown during an NCAA regional game between Arkansas and TCU on Saturday, June 1, 2019, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE — The first day of June has been good for Arkansas in the stands.

The Razorbacks drew an actual attendance of 10,614 for its 3-1 victory over TCU on Saturday. The stadium's listed seating capacity is 10,737.

It was the second-largest actual attendance for an NCAA regional game at Baum-Walker Stadium, just shy of the record-11,088 announced for last year's regional opener against Oral Roberts. Both games were played on June 1.

Saturday's attendance was the second-largest this season for Arkansas and 15th largest in stadium history. The LSU game on May 10 had an actual attendance of 10,889.

Actual attendance is based on the number of tickets scanned.

NCAA attendance figures are based on tickets sold. Arkansas has sold 21,004 tickets for its two regional games this weekend.

LSU has sold 21,557 tickets for its home regional wins over Stony Brook and Southern Miss; Mississippi State has sold 20,337 tickets for its home regional wins over Southern and Central Michigan; and Ole Miss has sold 19,847 tickets for its home regional wins over Jacksonville State and Clemson.

Campbell scoreless streak

Arkansas right-hander Isaiah Campbell had his 13-inning scoreless streak snapped in the seventh inning of Saturday’s 3-1 winner’s bracket victory over TCU at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The Horned Frogs, trailing 3-0 in the seventh inning, scored on Zach Humphreys’ sacrifice fly after a double by Austin Henry and a single by Johnny Rizer.

Campbell (11-1) had pitched shutout innings in the fifth and sixth in his victory at Texas A&M on May 16, then added five shutout innings in which he had allowed two hits in a no-decision against Georgia in the SEC Tournament.

The Horned Frogs had managed two singles and a walk through the first six innings before getting on the board against the 6-4 junior from Olathe, Kan.

Campbell wound up throwing 108 pitches through a career-high-tying 8 innings, allowing the single run on 4 hits and 1 walk with 8 strikeouts. He lowered his WHIP, which is walks and hits divided by innings pitched, to 0.897.

Bases jammed

Casey Opitz’s two-run single in the sixth inning broke the Razorbacks’ 0-for-9 skid with the bases loaded that dated back to the final regular-season series at Texas A&M.

Opitz, a switch hitter batting right-handed, drilled an 0-1 pitch up the middle against left-handed reliever Haylen Green, scoring Heston Kjerstad from third and Jack Kenley from second. Jacob Nesbit was thrown out at third base by center fielder Johnny Rizer on the play.

Opitz, the Hogs’ nine-hole hitter, stole second base and came around to score on Trevor Ezell’s second of three doubles in Arkansas’ only run-scoring inning.

Odd frame

The Razorbacks drew three walks and had a hit batsman in the fourth inning but did not score against Nick Lodolo.

That was because Matt Goodheart, who had walked to lead off the inning, was doubled off first base on Dominic Fletcher’s sinking line drive to center field. Heston Kjerstad and Jack Kenley drew successive walks, then Christian Franklin was hit by a pitch before Jacob Nesbit struck out looking.

Record K

A strikeout by Arkansas shortstop Casey Martin in the fifth inning established a new season high for the Razorbacks at 519, breaking the record of the 2009 team, which fanned 518 times in 65 games.

The 2009 team averaged 7.97 strikeouts per game, while the current team took an average of 8.8 strikeouts per game into Saturday’s game. The Razorbacks wound up striking out 12 times against TCU to bring their season total to 526.

All strikes

TCU left-hander Nick Lodolo threw 10 pitches in the first inning, and they all went for strikes. Trevor Ezell saw seven pitches, five of which he fouled off in succession, before striking out. Casey Martin popped up on the second pitch he saw and Matt Goodheart grounded out to first base, with Lodolo covering, on his first pitch.

Lodolo threw 11 consecutive strikes to open the game before he delivered a ball to Dominic Fletcher.

The Razorbacks worked his pitch count up as the game went along, including a 29-pitch fourth inning and a 23-pitch fifth inning.

His 93rd pitch, a single to center field by Heston Kjerstad to open the sixth inning, was his last, as lefty reliever Haylen Green was called out of the bullpen.

2 for NEC

Central Connecticut State’s 7-4 victory over California on Saturday marked the Northeast Conference’s second NCAA Tournament win ever.

The first: Bryant’s 4-1 victory over Arkansas in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Manhattan (Kan.) Regional.

Foul review

TCU first baseman Jake Guenther thought he hit a one-out home run in the fourth inning, even after first-base umpire Linus Baker ruled his towering drive to right field had gone to the right of the foul pole.

Guenther and TCU Coach Jim Schlossnagle immediately called for a review, and the play went to the central replay center manned by the NCAA. The call was upheld as a foul upon review, and Guenther eventually hit a single for the Horned Frogs’ second hit.

No handshakes

The players for California sauntered out to short right field for a season-ending meeting rather than shaking hands with the celebrating Central Connecticut State players after the Blue Devils’ 7-4 victory in Saturday’s elimination game.

The coaches shook hands near home plate as usual, but many of the CCSU players were seen looking over to their counterparts near the Golden Bears’ dugout as they were wrapping their own team handshake line.

Cal Coach Mike Neu said he was unsure what happened.

“I don’t know. I guess it was just because it was a tournament,” Neu said. “I didn’t even think about it, to be honest with you. I don’t think there was any animosity or anything like that. I think it was just they had won the game and our season was over.

“That was kind of it. It wasn’t like a normal series where at the end of the series you shake hands. But I don’t think there was anything wrong there or anything between the teams.”

CCSU outfielder Dave Matthews said “no further comment” when asked about the lack of the traditional handshake line.

CCSU Coach Charlie Hickey said he heard Neu’s response in his media opportunity and agreed.

“I overheard his answer that the season is over,” Hickey said. “You won and you turn around. I think just draw a blank. He and I shook hands.

“I don’t think any kid knew anybody on their team. It’s just a matter of playing hard and the reality that your season is over. And we get the enjoyment of another 24 hours of staying in Fayetteville and savoring that for a little bit.”

Back in the day

Saturday’s Arkansas-TCU meeting was the first game between the schools since 2006 when the Razorbacks won 5-2 in Edinburg, Texas.

The longtime Southwest Conference rivals played for the 65th time Saturday night. Arkansas held a 45-19 lead in the series entering the game.

Big Monday

Cal slugger Andrew Vaughn had a tough weekend with an 0-for-6 showing at the plate for the Bears, who went 0-2, but he’s on track to have a life-changing experience on Monday when the Major League Draft begins.

Vaughn, a junior first baseman, is projected to be a top-10 pick.

“He’s the best college hitter I’ve ever seen,” Cal Coach Mike Neu said. “He hits the ball to all fields, hits with power. He’s a great teammate.

“I’m just so happy for his career. I’m excited for him for Monday. He’s going to be a great pro. He can hit. That’s one thing everybody knows, the guy can hit.”

Vaughn, the reigning winner of the Golden Spikes Award presented by USA Baseball to the top amateur player in the country, is a semifinalist for the award this year.

Last season Vaughn hit .402 with 23 home runs and 63 RBI with 44 walks. He batted .381 this season with 15 home runs, 50 RBI and 59 walks.

“It’s definitely exciting,” Vaughn said of the draft after the Bears’ season-ending 7-4 loss to CCSU. “But I’m feeling this loss right now. That’s all I’m really thinking about.”

20 years ago

Central Connecticut State won its first NCAA Tournament game Saturday with a 7-4 victory over Cal, but it was the third victory in a regional for Blue Devils Coach Charlie Hickey.

Hickey was Providence’s coach in 1999 when the Friars went 2-2 in a regional at Florida State, where they lost to Jacksonville (Fla.), beat The Citadel twice, then lost to host FSU.

3 > 2

No. 3 seeds had a field day knocking off No. 2 seeds across the country on Friday, led by TCU’s 13-2 rout of California at Baum-Walker Stadium, and Southern Miss’ 15-3 blitz of Arizona State in Starkville, Miss.

Teams seeded third had a 13-3 record, completed by Campbell’s 5-4 victory over North Carolina State on Saturday in a game suspended by weather. Nine of the 3 seeds won by at least three runs.

The only 2 seeds to win in the opening round were Auburn, Dallas Baptist and Indiana State, who downed Coastal Carolina, Florida and McNeese State, respectively.

Three seeds outscored the twos by a combined 115-79 for an average score of 7.2 to 4.9.

Around the horn

• Arkansas is 9-9 in games in which freshman Connor Noland has pitched this season, 8-9 in games the right-hander started and 1-0 in the lone game in which he relieved, an 8-2 victory at Missouri State on March 26.

• Arkansas shortstop Casey Martin’s hitless streak reached 19 at-bats. He had a sacrifice bunt in the top of the ninth.

• TCU center fielder Johnny Rizer had a rare two-assist game by doubling Matt Goodheart off first base after catching a line drive in the fourth inning and by throwing out Jacob Nesbit at third base in the sixth inning.