FAYETTEVILLE — Those Tuesday trouncings Arkansas administered in recent non-conference baseball bashes could impact more than merely padding Razorbacks’ stats.
A 12-2, 7-inning TKO over Southeast Missouri State on March 28 at Baum-Walker Stadium already has.
Perhaps last Tuesday’s 16-3, 7-inning TKO at Baum-Walker over Nebraska-Omaha will, too.
For Coach Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks, trouncing SEMO played pivotally in Arkansas’ lone victory over nationally No. 1 LSU.
Van Horn used SEMO to start left-handed hitting reserve freshman Reese Robinett.
Robinett, 2 for 4, solo homered in the fourth.
“Wind blowing in hard from right field, the ball is going to travel a little bit down the left-field line,” Van Horn said, describing conditions of Robinett’s home run for a 2-1 lead. “Robinett showed us that if you hit the ball left-handed, you can get that ball to kind of slice out and that’s what he did. That was a big swing for us because we had just given up the lead.”
Robinett’s slugging SEMO stuck with Van Horn as Arkansas and LSU locked 1-1 into Friday’s 10th inning. With one out, runners at first and second, Robinett pinch hit a three-run home run over left-center.
“I mean, you couldn’t ask for anything more,” Van Horn said. “You’ve got a freshman pinch hitting on the road, LSU, and the first time he swung the bat, he hit it 400 feet opposite field to give us a three-run lead.”
Including Kendall Diggs’ grand slam, Arkansas scored five more winning, 9-3.
Other than brief first-inning leads closing the series in a Saturday doubleheader, Friday’s 8-run 10th marked Arkansas’ last hurrah in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers trounced 12-2 and 14-5.
Arkansas pitching, already suffering season-ending injuries to experienced SEC starter Jaxon Wiggins and transfer reliever Koty Franks, while 2021 Freshman All-American closer Brady Tygart remains injury sidelined indefinitely, absorbed Saturday shellackings after Hunter Hollan and Hagen Smith, a combined 8-0 pre-Alabama, combined 15 LSU strikeouts Friday.
Based on Tuesday triumphs help may be on the way for Hollan, Smith and Will McEntire, the normally reliable No. 2 starter pounded by LSU and assigned starting vs. Alabama today. Sunday’s Arkansas starter remains to be announced.
Freshman Ben Bybee, though struggling in a two-inning start against Omaha, pitched well winning his SEMO start and mopping two LSU Saturday innings.
JUCO transfer Ben McLaughlin and freshmen Gage Wood, Christian Foutch and Parker Coil caught Van Horn’s eye relieving scoreless stints vs. Omaha.
“I like what I’ve seen from some of these younger guys,” Van Horn said. “It [using them against Alabama] really just depends, but I like their stuff.”