Last weekend the Razorbacks lost a series but gained a Sawatski.

The Sawatski gained may help Arkansas’ final push at eking out an SEC Tournament berth, despite losing two of three to Alabama at Baum Stadium.

If you combined the SEC’s two sixteam divisions into just the top eight allowed entrance to the SEC Tournament starting May 21 in Hoover, Ala., Arkansas’ 10-13 league record, fourth in the SEC West behind LSU (12-11-1 ), Alabama (12-12 ) and Ole Miss (12-12 ), would be in ninth place, just one-half game behind 11-13 East entrants Kentucky and Tennessee.

So for Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks, it’s imperative to win every game they can of their final six SEC games, a threegame home series Friday, Saturday and Sunday with South Carolina and the May 15-17 series at Mississippi State.

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By what he saw from Mike Bolsinger pitching pretty well in relief in last Friday night’s loss and sensationally Sunday with 3 2 / 3 innings of hitless, winning relief, Van Horn said Bolsinger becomes his late-season wild card like Jay Sawatski did for Van Horn’s 2004 Hogs.

Those 2004 Hogs used the rubber arms of Sawatski and Charley Boyce to share a SEC co-championship with Georgia and advance through Regionals and Super Regionals to the College World Series.

Boyce was always the starter who sometimes relieved. Sawatski was the reliever who sometimes started those Sunday SEC games if he hadn’t been overworked Friday or Saturday.

That’s how it looks now in a revised rotation that moves Saturday starter Justin Wells, the Texarkana College transfer, to Friday night and switching Sunday starter Cliff Springston to Saturday afternoon and then either Bolsinger or usual Friday starter Dallas Keuchel starting Sunday.

“ We have to win those games, ” Van Horn said. “ And we haven’t got much time. I think that’s the way to go. ”

Though he was injured earlier in the year, sophomore junior college transfer Bolsinger (3-0, 3. 86 ERA ) has the arm to pitch multiple games on the weekends, Van Horn said.

Stephen Richards, the lefty reliever who closed out Bolsinger’s 5-4 Sunday success, labors through a tender elbow that pretty much reduces him to one outing a weekend in Van Horn’s view.

So the long and short of it, Bolsinger and Richards are the bulls of the bullpen. Bolsinger can be employed frequently and for longer stints while Richards must be employed prudently.

“ I think we’ll use [Bolsinger ] like we used Jay Sawatski a few years ago, ” Van Horn said, “ If we have a chance to win, we can bring him in for three or four innings. If it’s one inning, we can go with Richards. If [Bolsinger ] is still available to start on Sunday, we can go that route as well. ”

Bolsinger battled nervousness then a shoulder injury earlier this season.

Time seems to have tended to both. Bolsinger seems sound of body and mind.

“ Confidence is huge in this game, ” Van Horn said after Monday’s meeting of the Swatter’s Club at the Fayetteville Clarion. “ He looked in control and wasn’t intimidated. That’s what we brought him in to do. He’s always had good stuff. He was pitching inside a lot and trying to get them to chase. He pitched like a veteran yesterday. He’s earned the chance to pitch. ”

Now Van Horn relies on him frequently earning the chance to keep Arkansas pitching into postseason.