Baseball observations: Kjerstad's batting stance, aggressive running, Van Horn's tree, more

FAYETTEVILLE — A slight change in his batting mechanics helped Heston Kjerstad break out of an early-season slump last week.

Batting .214 and mostly ineffective with runners in scoring position through six games, Kjerstad's right leg kick was not as defined as when he had hit well in the past. It threw his timing and rhythm off, and he struck out at a higher rate than anyone else on the team.

First-year volunteer coach Taylor Smart noticed the inconsistency.

"When it's going good in the past, he had a higher leg lift," Arkansas hitting coach Nate Thompson said. "What that does is it sets him into his back hip more properly and gives him better timing. For some guys when they hit, if they get a bigger leg kick it makes their timing worse, but with Heston it's like it cleans everything up."

Going back to a higher leg kick (see the first clip in the video below) was good for Kjerstad in four games last week against Memphis and Stony Brook. He was a combined 7-for-18 with 4 RBI, and raised his batting average to .283 prior to Wednesday's game against Charlotte.

"He was getting beat by fastballs too much and swinging and missing at fastballs," Thompson said. "That's not something he did much of last year; when he got a pitch to drive, he was on time and he drove it. He did a nice job of getting back into a better position to hit consistently.

"He hit a lot of balls hard throughout that (slump), too, where it just wasn't going his way. He stayed very mentally positive and didn't get down about stuff. He just stayed after it and good hitters get rewarded. He's too talented and too tough up top - very advanced."

A key hit in Kjerstad's strong week was his first one, a two-out single up the middle to score two runs during the Razorbacks' seven-run fifth inning against Memphis. At the time he had only three hits in his previous 18 at-bats and had come up empty all five times at Southern Cal with runners in scoring position.

After a 0-for-3 start in the opener against Stony Brook, Kjerstad had another key swing that didn't result in a hit. Instead he rolled over on a pitch and had a well-placed groundout to the right side of the infield that advanced Casey Martin after Martin led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a double.

"I think Heston was just trying to play team ball right there and not do too much," Thompson said. "He knows that people try to be pretty careful with him. If he tries to do too much there he can get himself in a bad position and not advance the runner or take swings that aren't going to play for the team at the moment.

"To me, that's a quality at-bat for us and we keep track of that stuff. I felt like the whole dugout kind of complimented him on it and it's something you should feel good about. We're trying to do a better job of playing situational baseball this year."

Kjerstad singled in his next at-bat, beginning a streak of five hits in six plate appearances. He had multiple hits in the final two games of the series, but went hitless against Charlotte on Wednesday.

More aggressive base running

Arkansas continued to show proficiency stealing bases against Stony Brook, successfully swiping six of seven bags to bring the season total to 26 of 29.

The unsuccessful attempt was by Dominic Fletcher in the final game when he did not appear to get a good break out of a sizable lead at first base. It snapped a streak of 21 consecutive successful steals for Arkansas that dated to the opening game of the Southern Cal series the week before, an indication of just how aggressive the Razorbacks have been.

To quote a popular term around the Arkansas clubhouse: all gas, no brakes.

But there is more to aggressive base running than stealing. Whether it be legging out an extra base on a hit to the outfield - like Curtis Washington Jr.'s triple last Saturday - or going first to third more often, Arkansas is showing a different identity this year than last.

"You try to do a good job of creating an offense that matches your guys' skills," Thompson said. "We can run a lot more this year and brought in more guys with speed.

"I love playing with speed. It complements your hitting and it increases your hitting. It puts pressure on the opposing defense."

Take Game 2 of the Stony Brook series, for instance. Jack Kenley reached on a walk and stole second base to give Jacob Nesbit an RBI opportunity with two outs.

Nesbit hit an infield single - a hot shot off the dirt that handcuffed shortstop Nick Grande, slowing his throw to first base. Nesbit, a quick runner, beat the throw easily.

On the other side of the diamond, Kenley, who was running on contact with two outs, never hesitated as he rounded third. He slid home without a throw from the first baseman.

It was a similar scenario to Opening Day when Kenley tried to score from second base on a throwing error by the Eastern Illinois shortstop, but was thrown out at the plate because he hesitated coming around third. Prior to the Stony Brook series, Thompson, who coaches third base, told base runners to watch him closely on hits to the infield.

"That's a play where they've got to trust me," Thompson said. "If they do, they might be safe, they might be out, but we're going to play fast."

Prior to his team's 9-2 loss at Arkansas on Wednesday, Charlotte coach Loren Hibbs spoke about the change in style.

"They're so athletic and talent's not an issue. They do a great job of recruiting here, just athletic kids that can move around, a lot of quick-twitch guys.

"Dave (Van Horn) has done a great job over the years to adapting to what the personnel is."

Teams averaged .99 errors per game last season against Arkansas, but this season they are averaging 1.45 errors per game. And while 11 games is a small sample size and fielding typically improves as the season goes along, it still is an indication that the Razorbacks' base running is giving opposing defenses more to think about.

"This year people are kicking more balls and it's because we're getting down the line, we're making more pressure plays," Thompson said. "(The opposing defenders are) feeling like they're having to play fast and perfect, and so that's a good thing.

"I give guys like Coach Smart and Coach Van Horn a lot of credit. They've done a great job of trying to push the envelope with the run game and finding good counts to run in. It's big, man. If you can get a walk with two outs and we can take second base, now we're a bloop away from putting a run on the board and taking momentum, and we didn't really hardly do anything."

Franklin down deep

On our podcast last week, someone wrote to ask why Christian Franklin continues to bat ninth in Arkansas' batting order.

Franklin, a freshman outfielder, has a .400 batting average and .514 on-base percentage. Would it not be better for a batter with that type of production to bat leadoff, or at least higher in the order?

Franklin is likely to be a leadoff or two-hole hitter in the future, but this year coaches are pleased with his production from the nine hole, where he is providing a lot of RBI opportunities for the top of the Razorbacks' order.

"I think it's a misconception that you want to have one of your so-called weaker guys down there," Thompson said. "A lot of the offenses I've had the pleasure of coaching before have had some really good nine-hole hitters. It really kind of re-jumps the offense once that guy gets there.

"I like the way we're trying to do it. I love having (Casey) Martin at the top of it because the first pitch of the game he can put a run on the board."

Franklin has scored 10 runs, but also has the team's RBI lead (15) because of strong production in front of him at the bottom of the order. During the series finale against Stony Brook, the Razorbacks' bottom third was 7-for-13 with 8 RBI and 7 runs scored.

"It's nice to have that down there," Van Horn said. "We know the guys at the top are going to get their RBI; it's just a matter of when.

"Franklin has kind of been our second leadoff guy, but a guy that I like having on base for Martin and Heston to hopefully knock him in sometime during the game. He's done a tremendous job there."

In his past two games, Franklin is a combined 6-for-10 with 6 RBI. He was a home run shy of the cycle Wednesday against Charlotte.

Franklin's offense has exceeded his projected output in the preseason, when Van Horn said his batting lagged behind his fielding. His plate production has been among the more surprising aspects of the first three weeks.

"It's honestly just approach and the mental side of the game," Franklin said. "Things like that have helped me with my approach and to be a better hitter."

Finding a DH

The most pressing need for Arkansas continues to be getting production from the designated hitter, which has manned the fifth spot in the batting order every game this season.

In 11 games, Arkansas' starting designated hitter - Matt Goodheart, Jordan McFarland or Trey Harris - has batted .189. No DH has had a multi-hit game since Goodheart was 2-for-4 in the first game of the season, and four times the starting DH has gone hitless.

It appears Van Horn is prepared to give Harris, a freshman from Little Rock Christian, the opportunity to win the DH position this weekend against Louisiana Tech. Harris was 1-for-2 with an infield hit against Charlotte on Wednesday. He also was hit by a pitch and had a sacrifice bunt.

In three starts this season, Harris has an on-base percentage of .462 despite batting .222.

In addition to his walks, Van Horn has been pleased with Harris' at-bats against left handers. Harris is batting .250 and has a .500 OBP against lefties, and was robbed of a hit when he drove a pitch off of Charlotte left-hander Joey Cooner in the sixth inning.

"Right now he’s going to DH for us," Van Horn said. "He brings a little bit of speed, a little athleticism at that position."

Goodheart, who batted better than .400 as a leadoff hitter last season at San Jacinto Junior College in Texas, has struggled in six starts and two pinch-hit opportunities. He is batting .227 with seven strikeouts.

Van Horn said Goodheart's struggles are mental. Thompson said it underscores the difference in pitching at the Division I and JUCO levels.

"It's always an adjustment coming to this level, I don't care if you're coming from high school or junior college," Thompson said. "The good thing is that he's got all the tools. He has enough bat speed and has pop. Hitting is a lot more than just tools, though, it's approach and mentality and toughness and things like that."

Van Horn tree

In his spare time, Dave Van Horn loves to plant trees. He has apparently planted around 200 of them on his land.

It's only fitting, then, that Van Horn's coaching tree is among the most impressive in college baseball. Van Horn has six former assistants manning head coaching positions in Division I. That's roughly 2 percent of all head coaches nationwide.

"I'm proud of those guys," Van Horn said. "They've worked hard and are getting what they deserve."

That Van Horn's tree has branched out so well might be a little surprising. For his first 11 seasons at Arkansas, Van Horn made three hires to his coaching staff.

It was a continuance of a long trend of stability for Van Horn, whose coaching staff at Nebraska remained intact for all five seasons until he left the Cornhuskers for Arkansas in 2002.

But since hitting coach Todd Butler left the Razorbacks to become head coach at Wichita State following the 2013 season, Van Horn has routinely had to make hires to his staff. Tony Vitello, who replaced Butler, left after four seasons to become head coach at Tennessee in 2017; Dave Jorn, Van Horn's pitching coach for 14 seasons, retired from college baseball in 2016; and Wes Johnson, Jorn's replacement, was hired away as the Minnesota Twins' pitching coach in November 2018.

Van Horn will face off against four former assistants who are now head coaches in at least 10 games this season, beginning this weekend with a three-game series against Louisiana Tech.

The Bulldogs are coached by Lane Burroughs, who Van Horn hired as an assistant coach at Northwestern State in 1997. Burroughs is the most loosely connected head coach with ties to Van Horn because Burroughs only worked for him for a short time.

Van Horn accepted the job at Nebraska in January 1998 before Burroughs had ever coached in a game at Northwestern State. Instead, John Cohen replaced Van Horn at Northwestern State for the 1998 season and Burroughs moved on to Southern Miss following the season.

"I really like Lane," Van Horn said. "He's a really good person off the field...just a good individual. He's very competitive on the field. He's just a high-character coach."

Other former Van Horn assistants who will face their old boss this season are Chris Curry at Arkansas-Little Rock, Vitello at Tennessee and Rob Childress at Texas A&M. Van Horn and Childress, who are close friends that worked together for 10 years at Texarkana Community College, Northwestern State and Nebraska, have met every season since the Aggies began playing in the SEC in 2013. Van Horn leads their personal series, 13-7.

Van Horn is 3-1 against Burroughs, who formerly was head coach at Northwestern State, and was 2-2 against Mike Anderson, his former hitting coach at Nebraska who replaced him as the Cornhuskers' head coach. Anderson was fired by Nebraska in 2011 and has not been a head coach since.

This will be the first time Vitello or Curry, an Arkansas volunteer coach from 2009-10, have faced off against their old mentor, although Arkansas and UALR did play in an exhibition game last October in Little Rock. The Razorbacks' other exhibition opponent last fall was Wichita State, coached by Butler.

"It's fun until it's time to throw the first pitch," Van Horn said. "Then it's like, 'They're not our friends right there.' You've got to find a way to win.

"When we go to A&M, I don't go over to Coach Childress' house the whole time I'm there, believe me. We don't even talk, except before the game."

Sam Houston State's Matt Deggs is the other former Van Horn assistant leading a Division I program. Deggs worked for Van Horn at Northwestern State from 1996-97 and at Arkansas from 2003-05.

Hitter of the Week: Trevor Ezell

Ezell continues to be a pleasant surprise batting third in the Arkansas order. He was 5-for-11 against Stony Brook with 4 RBI and three runs scored, and became even tougher to pitch to sandwiched between Heston Kjerstad (6-for-14) and Dominic Fletcher (4-for-10).

Ezell added a solo home run to help Arkansas break away from Charlotte on Wednesday.

The redshirt senior from Bryant leads the team with a .425 batting average and 16 hits. He has three home runs, including a two-run homer that was part of the Razorbacks' five-run fourth in the finale of the Stony Brook series.

Pitcher of the Week: Isaiah Campbell

The competition was not great - Stony Brook entered the series with a .265 team batting average and showed throughout the weekend it was susceptible to strikeouts with 39 in three games - but Campbell dominated like expected from an SEC No. 1 starter in his seven-inning, scoreless outing against the Seawolves.

The right hander struck out 13 batters - five more than he has ever struck out at any level - and appeared to get stronger as the game went along. He struck out the side in the sixth and seventh innings, and ended his day at 99 pitches on a 100-pitch max.

All three of Campbell's pitches - fastball, splitter and cutter - looked sharp in his outing. Most importantly he was able to locate pitches the way he wanted, even on the ones that missed to the inside or outside of the plate.

The splitter was especially sharp in the sixth when he struck out the side in 10 pitches. He might have had the elusive immaculate inning - nine strikes in nine pitches - if not for a 0-2 waste pitch in the dirt to Evan Giordano with two outs.

He also worked around a leadoff walk in the seventh. Arkansas needed Campbell to be strong; the team was ahead 1-0 through 5 1/2 innings and ahead 3-0 when he left the game.

Campbell is undefeated this season but had not pitched to his expectation the week before against Southern Cal, when his pitches were missing by a hair here and there. At home he has looked very strong in two games. He retired the first 12 batters he faced against Eastern Illinois in the season opener before he struggled some in the fifth inning with runners aboard the bases.

Campbell pitched well with runners on against Stony Brook. He and catcher Casey Opitz teamed up to catch Nick Grande (32 steals in 2018) trying to swipe second base in the first inning, and Campbell stranded the other three who reached base.

Defensive Player of the Week: Casey Martin

In a series that featured two of the nation's best shortstops, neither Arkansas' Casey Martin nor Stony Brook's Nick Grande disappointed in the field.

Both made a number of great plays that showed off their speed and range. Grande, a 2018 All-American, made arguably the best play of the weekend with a back-handed stop in the hole, then a whirling throw to retire the speedy Christian Franklin at first base.

Martin made his own share of strong plays up the middle, notably a sliding stop and flip to second baseman Jack Kenley for a force out at second base in the series finale. Martin also made a pair of nice plays in the third inning of the opener - a charging pick and double-clutch throw to retire Dylan Resk by a step at first base, and a quick scoop and throw to retire the quick-running Grande.

Martin's best defensive play of the week, though, came against Charlotte. After a leadoff walk in the third, Martin made a running stop to his left, transferred the ball quickly to his throwing hand and flipped it to Kenley at second to begin a 6-4-3 double play that retired Carson Johnson, a Springdale native, at first base.

It was a massive play in a 1-0 game. Arkansas radio analyst Bubba Carpenter observed that Martin had positioned himself well for the play, moving a couple of steps to his left before Johnson's at-bat. Had he not made the move, Carpenter said, Charlotte could have been looking at runners on the corners and no outs against a young pitcher. Who knows how the game would have gone at that point?

Hit of the Week: Matt Goodheart's bunt

According to Arkansas' radio broadcast, Dave Van Horn had not been happy with Matt Goodheart's bunting prior to the opening game against Stony Brook.

But when Goodheart came to the plate needing to bunt in the fifth inning, he laid down the best bunt of the season - a perfectly-placed ball down the third-base line on the first pitch he saw. It not only advanced Dominic Fletcher after a leadoff double, but also gave Goodheart his first hit in eight at-bats.

Goodheart had come in early that day to work on his bunting and it paid off.

Gem of the Week: Heston Kjerstad's hose from right field

Kjerstad's defense leaves some to be desired at times, such as a tendency to overrun balls hit into the outfield. And his hesitation to call off second baseman Jack Kenley led to a key run in the team's only loss at USC.

But between those struggles, Kjerstad also has shown glimmers of being a solid defensive fielder. He made two outstanding catches in the postseason as a freshman, including a leaping catch at the wall to rob a home run in the regional championship against Dallas Baptist, and a throw from left field that was key to preserving Arkansas' lead in the first game of the College World Series championship round against Oregon State.

His throw in Game 3 of the Stony Brook series wasn't as important as the one in Omaha, but it might have been more impressive given that it came from right field and retired Brandon Janofsky at third base. Kjerstad showed off big-time arm strength on the double-play throw because he didn't release it immediately after the ball hit his glove. Instead, after running full speed to his left to make the catch, Kjerstad took a moment to turn his body, square his shoulders and set his feet. He then delivered a perfect one-hope strike that was fielded well by third baseman Curtis Washington Jr., who applied the tag.

What I like

• Jack Kenley and Jacob Kostyshock had two of the best soundbites recently with quick, matter-of-fact answers. Following his two-home-run game on Saturday, I asked Kenley for his thoughts on not hitting any home runs his first two seasons, but hitting three through 10 games this year. "I knew it was coming," Kenley said. "It's no surprise to me." Asked to list the best pitches on the team, Kostyshock raised an eyebrow by offering one of his own. "I really trust my changeup," he said. "I think it's a really good pitch."

• Stony Brook and Charlotte perennially are teams that play good, fundamental baseball. In other words, they don't beat themselves a lot. That comes from solid cultures that are in place at the programs - always the reflection of a good head coach. Stony Brook and Charlotte have two of the longest-tenured coaches in the profession. Both have won more than 800 games at their schools and transformed the programs from afterthoughts to postseason contenders. Matt Senk is in his 29th season at Stony Brook, which was a Division III program when he arrived prior to the 1991 season, but has been to five NCAA Tournaments since 2004, including the 2012 College World Series. Loren Hibbs, a former player and assistant coach for Gene Stephenson at Wichita State, is in his 27th season at Charlotte and also has been to five NCAA Tournaments, including 2011 when his 49ers upset the Razorbacks in the regional round.

• Arkansas played three games in the past week that lasted less than three hours. The games in last Friday's doubleheader against Stony Brook lasted a combined 4 hours, 59 minutes. Wednesday's game against Charlotte lasted 2 hours, 46 minutes. Only one of the three games included a replay.

What I Don't Like

• The late winter is always unpredictable in Northwest Arkansas. In between the cold, rain and snow, we often get a reprieve this time of year. I can think of some opening days (Washington State, 2009 and Central Michigan, 2016) when the weather was in the the 70s, or last year's early-March game against Southern Cal on a Saturday when more than 13,000 people bought a ticket on a sun-splashed day. Through eight home games this year, the weather has not ideal for baseball, with high temperatures failing to exceed the upper 40s. Wednesday's game against Charlotte was the nicest game of the year, a sun-splashed day with a high of 45. The temperatures should improve for this weekend's games against Louisiana Tech, but rain might cause some more issues.

• The NCAA rules on baseball redshirts should be changed to closer resemble the football redshirt rule that was put in place in 2018. Take Connor Noland, for example. As a football player, Noland played four times - and even started a game - last fall at quarterback, but will be classified as a redshirt freshman in 2019. As a baseball player, Noland lost any chance at a redshirt when he took the mound for the first time, although some medical exceptions apply. Noland might be a poor example to cite here, but it is unfortunate that back-of-the-bullpen pitchers cannot compete in a few games and retain their redshirts.

In Case You Missed It

Patrons in left field got a surprise during Game 2 of the Stony Brook series.

A timer set off the sprinklers in the area, dousing many after the sun had gone down on a day with the temperature in the low 40s and wind chills even colder. It took several minutes for grounds crew to turn the sprinklers off.

"I don't know why there would be sprinklers set to go off at that time at night when it's this cold," Van Horn said.

Several Arkansas pitchers were in the bullpen in left field at the same time and got a kick out of the commotion.

"They were screaming for help," pitcher Jacob Kostyshock said. "It was pretty funny and got us giggling down there."

The Best Thing I Saw This Week

Charlotte freshman Carson Johnson, who is from Springdale, had more than a dozen family members sitting behind home plate Wednesday.

Many were wearing custom-made sweatshirts with a Razorback logo on the front and a replica of Johnson's green jersey on the back. Johnson said he grew up attending Arkansas baseball games with his family.

Johnson was recruited to Charlotte by pitching coach Shohn Doty, who was his head coach at Springdale High School in 2015-16. Doty was a graduate assistant coach at Arkansas in 1994-95.

They Said It

“I really appreciate Coach Van Horn and the Arkansas program for allowing us to come down here and play in this amazing environment....Certainly on any college baseball program’s bucket list is the opportunity to play as classy a team as them and play in one of the finest ball parks with some of the finest fans in college baseball." - Stony Brook coach Matt Senk on playing at Baum-Walker Stadium

"I've known Coach DeBriyn since I was a player at Wichita State way back in the day, in the early '80s. When I started coaching at Wichita State, we always seemed to play Arkansas in the regionals or the College World Series. I always looked up to Coach DeBriyn. He was kind of a mentor to me over the years." - Charlotte coach Loren Hibbs on former Arkansas coach Norm DeBriyn

Closing thoughts

Beginning with this weekend's series against Louisiana Tech, the Razorbacks will play 14 games in 19 days, with all teams potentially better than any Arkansas has seen yet.

On the weekends, Arkansas hosts Louisiana Tech and Missouri, and travels to Alabama. In between, the Razorbacks have midweek games against Western Illinois and at Texas and Missouri State.

Playing five games in a week will put some needed stress on the Arkansas bullpen. It will cause some of the younger pitchers who haven't been called on much this year to throw more meaningful innings to save the arms that are needed for the weekends. It might result in some midweek losses, but the experience might benefit the team down the road.

Like Stony Brook was last week, Louisiana Tech this weekend probably will be the best team Arkansas has faced at the time. The Bulldogs have a veteran lineup, are picked to win their league by some and are a hungry bunch still upset that they were left out of the NCAA Tournament with 39 wins a year ago.

If Tech doesn't win the Conference USA Tournament, it will need some notable wins to help its case. Winning a series at Arkansas is about as notable as it gets.

With three players batting better than .300 - and three over .360 - don't be surprised if Tech is able to put some runs on the board. The question is whether a beat-up Tech pitching staff can hold down the Razorbacks.

The Bulldogs' schedule to this point has included some good mid-major programs. According to Warren Nolan, Tech's schedule has been much more difficult (92nd) than Arkansas' (154th) this year.

Louisiana Tech is receiving votes in the coaches' poll this week, like several Arkansas opponents. The Razorbacks' final 44 games include 23 that are against teams ranked this week.

Arkansas' first two SEC opponents, Missouri and Alabama, are not among that group, but that doesn't mean they are the league's worst teams. It just means the Razorbacks will be favored to win their next three weekend series against opponents that might all be better than what the Hogs have seen so far.

Arkansas is 10-1 and ranked No. 10 through three weeks, but the next three weeks that should tell us a lot about the team.