Super Regional Report

Razorbacks take D-1 lead in home runs

Arkansas' Cullen Smith hits a grand slam on Friday, June 11, 2021, during the Razorbacks’ 21-2 win over North Carolina State at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville. Visit nwaonline.com/210612Daily/ for the photo gallery.

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas launched four home runs in its 21-2 rout of North Carolina State in Friday’s super regional opener to take over the Division I lead with 106 home runs.

The Razorbacks entered the day with 102 homers, three behind Old Dominion, which was eliminated by Virginia last weekend in the NCAA Columbia (S.C.) Regional.

Robert Moore homered twice, Cullen Smith hit a grand slam and Charlie Welch left the park for the second consecutive game to lead the onslaught.

Moore’s two-home run game was the 11th by a Razorback this season and the third by Moore, joining efforts against Murray State and at South Carolina.

Every home run extends the single-season school record, which had been 98 in 2018 entering the year.

50 wins

Coach Dave Van Horn notched his first 50-win season with the Razorbacks as Arkansas improved to 50-11.

“I mean, 50s a big number,” Van Horn said. “We’ve won a lot of games. We still have work to do. We’re not going to get all carried away about it. It’ll probably be something we talk about when the season’s over, but we’ve got to keep winning.”

Van Horn has won 50-plus games in three other seasons, with a 51-11 NCAA Division II championship season at Central Missouri State in 1994, a 51-17 season at Nebraska in 2000 and a 50-16 season with the Cornhuskers the following season. Nebraska qualified for the College World Series in each of those two seasons.

Arkansas has won 50-plus games in four seasons, the first three under Coach Norm DeBriyn in the Southwest Conference: 51-15 in 1985; 51-16 in 1987; and 51-16 in 1989. The Razorbacks went to the College World Series in each of those seasons.

No Franklin

Arkansas played without center fielder Christian Franklin in the super regional opener as the junior sat out with a case of strep throat.

Franklin had started in center field in 59 of the previous 60 games.

Coach Dave Van Horn said he might consider holding Franklin out again today or bringing him in midway through the game.

Senior Braydon Webb played center field and batted leadoff as Van Horn shuffled his defense and lineup to cover for Franklin.

Freshman Cayden Wallace moved to left field for the second time in two games and senior Matt Goodheart played right field for the fourth time in the last five games.

Charlie Welch was the designated hitter for the sixth time in seven games.

Slam stats

Cullen Smith’s third-inning grand slam, which made the score 7-1, was the fourth of the season for the Razorbacks.

The others were by Jacob Nesbit in a 14-1 win over Memphis on March 23, by Matt Goodheart in a 26-1 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on April 14, and by Cayden Wallace in an 8-4 win over Arkansas State on May 11.

Sneaky fast

Casey Opitz is known for throwing out would-be base stealers, but the Arkansas catcher showed again in the second inning he’s a surprisingly good base stealer.

After Opitz’s two-out single, North Carolina State pitcher Reid Johnston didn’t pay attention to him, and Opitz got a huge jump and easily stole second. He then came around for the Razorbacks’ third run of the inning on a double by Jalen Battles.

Opitz improved to 6 of 6 on steals this season and 13 of 14 for his career.

Short start

North Carolina State starter Reid Johnston lasted a season-low three innings against the Razorbacks.

Johnston had pitched 6-plus innings in each of his 10 starts, and averaged 109 pitches in those games. The Razorbacks worked him for 7 runs on 6 hits, including 2 home runs, and a walk on 76 pitches.

Slavens slaps one

Arkansas first baseman Brady Slavens hit a two-run double in the sixth inning for his first hit in three NCAA Tournament games since returning from a right ankle injury.

Slavens had been 0 for 7 in two games in the Fayetteville Regional against Nebraska and was 0 for 3 against North Carolina State before his drive to right field off reliever John Miralia scored Matt Goodheart and Cayden Wallace.

Early HR

For the fifth consecutive postseason game involving the Razorbacks, a solo home run was hit in one of the first two innings when North Carolina State’s Jose Torres hit a towering shot to left field on Patrick Wicklander’s first pitch of the second inning.

In last week’s Fayetteville Regional, NJIT’s Albert Choi led off game one with a home run, Matt Goodheart hit a first-inning home run in a 5-1 win over Nebraska, the Cornhuskers’ Jaxon Hallmark hit a first-inning home run in a 5-3 win over the Hogs, and Nebraska’s Luke Roskam hit a second-inning home run in the Razorbacks’ 6-2 win in the championship game.

Roster moves

The addition of right-hander Zebulon Vermillion to the 27-man roster for the super regional meant the Razorbacks had to make a corresponding move, and it was junior Caleb Bolden, who won’t pitch this weekend.

Coach Dave Van Horn said Bolden had soreness from last Friday’s shaky start against NJIT.

“I guess he had some soreness last Friday and maybe he should have told us about it,” he said.

Bolden (2-0, 4.50 ERA) had started on four of the last five weekends. He lasted just 1 1/3 innings in last Friday’s regional opener against NJIT.

Groundhog day

A groundhog traipsed across the field near home plate before the top of the second inning, briefly stopped in front of umpire Shawn Rakos, then ran toward the first-base dugout and North Carolina State’s players and coaches.

The groundhog then ran to the tarp stationed down the right-field line and eventually scampered to safety.

Around the horn

• NC State starter Reid Johnston hit Cayden Wallace in the back with a 1-1 pitch in the third inning, the 11th hit batter by the right-hander and the seventh time Wallace has been hit.

• Former long-time Grambling State baseball Coach Wilbert Ellis served as the NCAA representative at the super regional.

• Arkansas outfielder Zack Gregory’s eighth inning hit by pitch was his 11th of the season out of 102 at-bats.