How far do you think this team can go? If Campbell hadn't gotten hurt would they have been a national seed and legit NC contender? - The Notorious PIG
Campbell would have reinforced the pitching staff's strength, but I still think Arkansas is a candidate to win a national championship. Weird things can happen this time of year; just look at the championship runs of Fresno State and Coastal Carolina.
Arkansas doesn't have any bad series losses this season and is a couple of swings from having a winning record over LSU. With the starting pitchers, I like Arkansas' chance against any team in a three-game series like a super regional. The key is to stay out of the loser's bracket in the regional because it puts a lot of pressure on the pitching staff. The Razorbacks' last three trips to the College World Series included a 3-0 record in the regional round.
Is this the toughest regional? - Rob
I think Fort Worth probably is the toughest. TCU is a national seed and Virginia had a good claim to host. Dallas Baptist is a proven program with 40 wins that could cause some headaches, too.
But Fayetteville has a good claim for No. 2. There are three 40-win teams and the only that doesn't have that many - Oklahoma State - won the conference tournament for the hardest league in terms of RPI and is coming off a trip to the College World Series last year.
Who is the starting pitcher vs. ORU? - Tommy
Arkansas will keep the same rotation it has used the past few weeks: Trevor Stephan, Blaine Knight, TBA.
What will DVH do at third base for the rest of the way, however long that is? Continue musical 3Bs? - Swine Fusion
Dave Van Horn always has put a premium on defense this time of year, so I think Jack Kenley will get the nod there, with the hope that he can somehow get on base in the seven or eight hole.
Who will be the wildcard pitcher to step up and play a big role in the postseason? Taccolini? Cronin? Murphy? - The Notorious PIG
If I had to pinpoint one, I'd say Kacey Murphy because of what he has shown as a starter. If Arkansas makes it to a third game, I think Murphy probably will start, although a right-hander might get the nod if the opposing lineup is heavy on right-handed batters. Murphy gets a lot of strikeouts without throwing a lot of pitches. His ability to go deep into a game is key in a setting like the regional, where a team might have to play four or five games during a four-day span.
I think Matt Cronin will get a chance to have an expanded role this weekend. He has been efficient every time he has been called on this year. I also think Kevin Kopps can be a key reliever. His cutter has been almost un-hittable the first time through the batting order.
What is the record for the most home runs hit by the Diamond Hogs in a 4 team regional? - Bill
The Razorbacks hit 14 in the last regional in Fayetteville in 2010. Arkansas hit nine - a school record - against Grambling in the opening game of the regional; Brett Eibner (3), Colin Kuhn, Andy Wilkins and Zack Cox all had multi-home run games. The Razorbacks hit two more against Washington State in the Saturday game and three against the Cougars in the Sunday game. They played a winner-take-all game on Monday that year in which Arkansas didn't hit any home runs.
What are the prospects for Razorback baseball players leaving early? Who are we likely to lose and who are we likely to keep? - mwphogs
By early, I assume you mean with eligibility remaining. I don't necessarily see it as early when juniors go on to pro baseball because the signing rules are not advantageous to seniors.
That said, I think Trevor Stephan, Chad Spanberger and Luke Bonfield are notable players who won't be back. Blaine Knight is draft-eligible as a sophomore and right now is projected as a second- or third-round pick. I think that will be too much money to turn down.
Among signees, some that I think are risks to go pro are outfielder Cole Turney and pitcher Bryce Bonnin from the Texas high school ranks, and left-handed pitcher Daniel Tillo from Iowa Western College. Tillo, who played at Kentucky two years ago, is considered one of the top pitchers in JUCO baseball.
Inevitably there are some draft surprises - someone who takes less money than he indicated he would during the pre-draft process.
What are chances Josh Elander returns next season? - jbuck
It's not common for volunteer coaches to stay two years, but it's not unprecedented either. Chris Curry, who now is the head coach at Arkansas-Little Rock, was a volunteer in 2009 and 2010. James McCann will tell you that Curry did as much for helping develop him as a catcher than anyone, much like some of these hitters will credit Elander this year.
Volunteer positions are unpaid, although the people who fill them are able to teach some private lessons that do pay. I've seen teams, including Arkansas, get creative and move the volunteer over to a graduate assistant position, which pays a small stipend each month on the condition that the individual is enrolled in at least six hours of graduate-level classes.
I'm not sure whether Elander plans to be back next season, but Arkansas would benefit if he returned in some capacity.
We lose a lot of offense out of this group. Do we have any signees coming up whose bat might make the kind of impression like Dominic Fletcher did? - youdaman
If Arkansas somehow could keep Cole Turney, he has that kind of bat. I'm not sure that will happen, though, because Turney is rated the No. 126 draft prospect by Baseball America. Another one to watch is Alerick Soularie, an athletic outfielder from the Houston area.
Who is likely to be in contention to be a weekend starter next year? - MDW
Blaine Knight would be a starter if he returned, but from everything I've heard that seems unlikely.
The two who jump out at me are Isaiah Campbell and Keaton McKinney. Campbell was in line to be the Friday starter before he had bone spurs form in his elbow in the preseason. McKinney obviously would have had a role, too.
Past those two, I think Kacey Murphy and Jake Reindl are candidates based on the way they have pitched this year. A JUCO left-hander, Daniel Tillo, also would be a candidate if he doesn't sign with the team that drafts him next week.
I remember hearing an interview with Tony Vitello a year or two ago when he said that the way recruiting was going, we might be really good in 2018/2019. How do the coaches feel that things are setting up for the next couple of years? I know we're losing some really good players. - MDW
I've heard for a couple of years that they think both of those teams could be strong, especially on the mound. Most of the pitchers from this year's team will be back next season and the 2017 signing class has several quality arms. There are a few who I think could be big draft prospects after a few seasons, but don't necessarily appeal to the pro teams as an 18-year-old.
Have a question for next week's mailbag? Email Matt Jones at mojones@nwadg.com.