FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas center fielder Christian Franklin did not play in the Razorbacks’ 21-2 victory over North Carolina State on Friday, and might be held out of the starting lineup again Saturday.
Franklin has strep throat, Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said, although he was in uniform and available to play Friday.
“He didn’t try to talk me into playing him because he doesn’t feel very good,” Van Horn said. “So kind of what we agreed on was that we didn’t want him to start and then not feel good in the third or fourth inning with the heat and everything and I pull him.
“I said, ‘I’d rather have you go in in the fourth, fifth, sixth inning, maybe you could at least play some defense if you felt like it.’ Obviously we didn’t need him tonight. I don’t know if I’ll start him tomorrow. We’ll just see how it goes. I would say, as of right now, I won’t start him tomorrow.”
Franklin, an All-SEC selection and All-America candidate, is batting .281 and has an OPS of .982. Franklin’s 54 RBI are second most on Arkansas’ team and he has hit 13 home runs.
Franklin has also been one of the Razorbacks’ best defenders with a number of highlight-reel catches that have saved runs.
Braydon Webb started in place of Franklin on Friday. Webb was hitless, but drove in a run when he drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning.
Webb also made a key defensive play in the second inning when he tracked down a ball in shallow left field to hold an NC State base runner at third base.