FAYETTEVILLE — Will McEntire waited two years to get another shot to pitch for the University of Arkansas.
After McEntire made his first start as a freshman against Gonzaga on April 10, 2020, and in 6 innings allowed 6 hits and 1 run without a walk and had 3 strikeouts, the Razorbacks played just one more game before the season was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
McEntire, a right-hander from Bryant, then redshirted last season.
Two weeks ago when the Razorbacks played a doubleheader against the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, McEntire made his first appearance since 2020.
Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said he made the decision to start McEntire in the second game against the Golden Lions after a meeting with him and pitching coach Matt Hobbs.
“Will said, ‘Hey, I want a chance,’ ” Van Horn said. “And I said, ‘Let’s give him a chance,’ and Coach Hobbs wanted to give him a chance.”
McEntire made the most of his chance, throwing three shutout innings in the Razorbacks’ 6-0 victory over UAPB.
“I thought he did a really good job for a guy that hadn’t pitched all year,” Van Horn said.
That performance earned McEntire another start against Arkansas State University last Wednesday, and he went 4 2/3 innings and allowed 1 run in Arkansas’ 10-3 victory.
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McEntire (1-0, 1.17 ERA) will start again when the No. 4 Razorbacks (31-9) play the University of Central Arkansas (18-20) at 6 tonight at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
“Really, I was just waiting for the chance,” McEntire said last week. “I knew once I was given the opportunity that I could run with it.”
McEntire has 10 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.
“I really liked him out of high school,” said UCA Coach Nick Harlan, the Bears’ pitching coach the previous eight seasons. “I thought he did a nice job, and Arkansas’ coaching staff has done a really good job with his development.
“I’m sure he’s gaining confidence every time he goes out now that he’s starting to see some innings. I know he has good stuff. He’s a very strong kid and has a talented arm.”
UCA (18-20) will start sophomore left-hander Oliver Laufman (0-0, 10.24 ERA), a transfer from Edmonds (Wash.) Community College.
Laufman, who was sidelined earlier this season by arm soreness, pitched well in his most recent appearance, holding Memphis to 1 run and 2 hits in 4 innings in the Tigers’ 3-1 victory over the Bears last Tuesday. He pitched two scoreless innings at Vanderbilt on March 1 when the Commodores beat UCA 5-2.
“It’s good to see Oliver get healthy and have some success,” Harlan said. “We’re excited about getting him on the mound again.”
Harlan said Laufman throws a fastball that’s usually 88 to 91 miles per hour and also has a good slider and change up.
“What I like most about him is he doesn’t take any pitches off,” Harlan said. “He’s got great intent on each pitch.
“I think that really shows up on his competitiveness on the mound. We have a lot of confidence in him.”
Arkansas and UCA are playing for just the third time since 1948 but the second time this season.
The Razorbacks beat the Bears 21-8 last season and 21-9 three weeks ago. Both games were at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.
Arkansas is the home team tonight, but the game will be played just 28 minutes from the UCA campus in Conway.
The game is a sellout and won’t be available to watch via streaming.
“It’s a great venue, a really neat ballpark,” Harlan said of the Arkansas Travelers’ home. “We have a lot of kids who grew up going to minor league baseball games there, and have a lot of good memories with their families.
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“I think we’ll have a lot of Bear fans there. It’s going to be a great crowd, and that’s great for the state and great for both schools involved.”
Arkansas is 9-1 at Dickey-Stephens Park, but is playing there for the first time since 2018 when the Razorbacks beat Grambling State 17-3. The Razorbacks didn’t play in North Little Rock the previous two seasons because of covid-19 safety protocols.
“I appreciate the fans in central Arkansas,” Van Horn said. “They follow us pretty good, [and in playing North Little Rock] makes it easier for them to catch a game.”
Van Horn said he would prefer to play at Dickey-Stephens Park following a home SEC series rather than playing on the road at Texas A&M as the Razorbacks did last weekend.
“The SEC doesn’t get our schedule out to us until really late, and we’ve got [games in North Little Rock] scheduled a couple of years in advance,” Van Horn said. “It is what it is. We’ve got to travel back, travel there, then get ready for Ole Miss this weekend.
“But I enjoy going there. I think the fans are awesome. Once we get there and get settled in, ready to go, our guys will be excited to be there.”
UCA jumped ahead of Arkansas 3-0 in the first inning of the game two weeks ago. Connor Emmet hit a home run for the Bears, who finished with 13 hits.
“Our players were aggressive and ready to play,” Harlan said. “That was good to see, and I anticipate that will happen again.”
Arkansas rallied and scored its season-high for runs led by catcher Dylan Leach, who went 5 for 5 and hit for the cycle, including two home runs.
The Razorbacks hit seven home runs with two by Jace Bohforen and one each by Jalen Battles, Braydon Webb and Peyton Stovall.
“They have talent. They have skill,” Harlan said. “You have to execute really good pitches. You have to respond well if you make a mistake, or they’ll make you pay.”
The Razorbacks have won 13 consecutive games against in-state teams and are 6-0 this season.
“I think that’s probably a credit to both their players and coaches,” Harlan said. “The coaches have them prepared for every game.”
Harlan said it’s nice to see a player like McEntire be rewarded after waiting his turn to pitch in an era with heavy roster turnover because of the transfer portal.
“I think it’s very cool,” Harlan said. “It’s a great quality when you see a young man that’s patient and he works hard, and he’s loyal to the program that gave him a chance.”