State of the Hogs: Arkansas rejuvenated for stretch run

Arkansas left fielder Luke Bonfield heads to third against Georgia Saturday, April 15, 2017, during the fourth inning at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.

— Jake Reindl did take Saturday off, but not Sunday.

Dave Van Horn thought he had doors locked at Baum Stadium. The Arkansas baseball coach had asked his players to take two days off after finishing their SEC series with Ole Miss on Friday.

“We had our (key) fobs and we could get in,” said Reindl, a sophomore right-hander. “It wasn't locked that well.”

If Reindl hadn't made it in for some of his regular workouts required in between pitching stints, he might have flipped his lid.

“I am (obsessive compulsive), I really am,” Reindl said on Tuesday before the Hogs' first real practice since Friday. “I park my scooter in the same place every day. I eat the same thing before a practice, before a game. I have practice socks, game socks. I have to do the same things.

“So I was coming to the ball park. I was going to get in. He couldn't stop me. There were a lot of guys here.”

Others said they did at least rest Saturday and Sunday, as ordered by Van Horn. The Hogs have no game this midweek. They play at Tennessee on Thursday night, although bad weather threatens to push the start to Friday and may require another doubleheader during an SEC series.

Outfielder Luke Bonfield said he went into zombie mode for the weekend, With all the rain Saturday, it allowed for some nice sleeping weather.

“I slept for two days, just rested,” Bonfield said of his weekend. “Coach said the place was locked. I figure I could have gotten in, but I didn't try it.”

Neither did shortstop Jax Biggers. He said his mom came to town for the weekend.

“I got some quality time with mom,” Biggers said. “I just hung out with her. She took me out for meals - free food. We enjoyed it. We went to the movies Saturday night. We saw Gifted. I recommend it.”

It's about a math wiz. Baseball is about numbers and Biggers has produced some good ones this year for the Razorbacks.

“I think I got going after Coach (Tony) Vitello talked to me about my approach on our road trip to Louisiana Tech and Frisco,” Biggers said. “He said I have to figure out my hitting zone and then try to do three things: take it to right center, left-center and through the middle. When I'm up the middle, I'm OK and that's what I've done in SEC games.

“I've just got more experience as the season has progressed and locked into what Coach Vitello told me. In the fall, we put cones in the outfield in those two areas, up the alleys. That's what I've done in SEC games.”

Biggers had the big hit in the winning rally against Ole Miss with a hard single over the shortstop's hand, just the place he was talking about.

“That was it,” he said. “Focus on up the middle. If I'm late, it goes to left-center. If I'm early, it's right-center. If I'm on time, it's up the middle.”

That hit gave the No. 15 Hogs a great chance to regain some momentum, especially with a few days off.

“We are rejuvenated,” Biggers said. “I think we are in a good position.”

Maybe that's about the physical state, but it could be about the standings. The Hogs (34-12, 13-8 SEC) are one game back of the SEC overall lead. There are seven teams within one game of the overall lead, with Kentucky, Mississippi State and Auburn tied for first at 14-7.

“It's pretty cool,” Biggers said. “It goes to show you every team in the SEC is able to compete and every game is basically a war. Who lasts the longest comes out on top.

“I feel it's awesome. Our team feels that way, too. Now to say we can last, it's easier said than done.”

Biggers was glad to spend some time with his mom, a former high school basketball coach. His dad is a former college hitting coach.

“My dad coached me as far as my swing, but my mom has helped me a lot, too,” he said. “When I was playing basketball, I was a point guard. She helped me with that, and she was teaching physical education. I could go to the gym and she would throw me passes so I could do catch-and-shoot drills.

“What did she tell me this weekend? Just relax. Take it easy. She tries to take the negatives out of everything. You have to do that when you are playing a three-game series in the SEC. So she helped me with that.”

Mostly, the Hogs are positive even after losing two of three (to Auburn and Ole Miss) in their last two SEC weekends.

“I think we are,” Biggers said. “You know it's a grind. You know it's a long season. We got some rest at the right time.”

One of the positives has been the relief pitching or Reindl. He got the victory on Friday as the Hogs closed out the series with a 7-4 victory.

“It's exciting,” he said. “I barely squeaked onto the roster after the fall, so to have a role to get meaningful innings is exciting.”

Reindl's pitching motion changed just before the start of the winter semester. He'd toyed with a sidearm or three-quarter motion. Pitching coach Wes Johnson saw it and told Reindl, “Just keep that.”

It gives some deception to his delivery, especially, with a delivery that comes across his body with a hard step to the right of center with his lead foot.

“I have a couple of different release points with my three-quarter and a couple with my sidearm,” Reindl said. “So that disguises things. I do step across my body.”

Reindl was nicknamed "Sledgehammer" by his pitching coach. He picked "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel as his walkup song.

“I love it,” he said of the nickname. “That's why I picked that song. It fits.”

Maybe it does fit. The Hogs will see if everything fits over the last three weekends of SEC play. Right now, it's all a tight fit.