FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ baseball team is not hitting as consistently as its opponents with two outs in an inning, but the Razorbacks are doing more damage with their two-out hits.
During its 12-2 victory over Wright State on Friday, Arkansas scored 8 two-out runs. That brought the Razorbacks’ two-out run total to 41 during a 7-2 start to the season.
“So far this season we have a little knack of scoring with two outs,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said.
Friday’s game was the Razorbacks’ third when they scored at least 7 two-out runs.
They scored 13 two-out runs during an 18-1 victory over Oklahoma State on Feb. 19 and scored 7 two-out runs during a 10-3 victory over Eastern Illinois last Saturday.
With two outs, Arkansas is batting .297 and has 38 RBI. Its opponents are batting .327 with two outs, but have only 22 RBI.
The Razorbacks are averaging 0.86 stranded runners per inning, compared to 1.0 stranded per inning for their opponents.
“Early in the season last year we kind of struggled with that,” said Peyton Stovall, the Arkansas second baseman who had 2 RBI with two outs against Wright State.
“You’ve got to be able to hit with two outs and runners in scoring position in the league we play in to win. If we continue to do that, I think we’ll have a lot of success.”
Stovall indicated he sees a more relaxed approach from Arkansas’ hitters with two outs than a year ago.
“They’re taking what’s given to them and I think that’s ultimately happened a lot more this year than last year,” Stovall said. “Especially for me, I’m just not putting too much pressure on myself.”
Brady Slavens, who had 4 RBI with two outs Friday, said hitters have confidence in those around them.
“It’s just comforting to know that anybody can do it on any given night,” Slavens said.
Van Horn praised the depth of the lineup.
“If you’re facing our lineup…the bottom of that order can be just as good,” Van Horn said. “(Opposing pitchers) don’t get to relax and that’s how you wear pitchers down, especially good starters. If you can fight them one through nine it can frustrate them a little bit. I’ve been real pleased with the way it’s gone top to bottom.”
Carter impresses
Arkansas right-hander Dylan Carter has had three good outings in relief the past week.
Carter, a redshirt sophomore from Bentonville, pitched 2 1/3 innings against Wright State two days after throwing the same number of innings against Illinois State. Since last Saturday’s game against Eastern Illinois, Carter has allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings.
“He’s got a good slider going,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “He spotted his fastball to the glove side pretty good, throwing strikes, competing, keeping the ball down and for the most part working ahead, and that’s big.”
Carter struggled with command during the fall of 2021, Van Horn said, after transferring from Crowder (Mo.) College. He redshirted last season, which gave him an opportunity to throw more innings in summer ball while pitching for the Green Bay Rockers of the Northwoods League.
Carter pitched 57 2/3 innings, had a 2.97 ERA, struck out 48 and walked 18 for Green Bay. He played in the all-star game for the Northwoods League last July.
“He came back and had a pretty good fall,” Van Horn said. “We knew he was going to get an opportunity, and if he did well he’d get more. That’s kind of what’s going on.”
Run rule
Jared Wegner became the second Arkansas player to end a game with a home run during the Razorbacks' 18-game homestand that began last week.
Wegner’s two-out homer in the eighth inning of Friday’s game triggered a run rule. It happened one week after Kendall Diggs hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to end a 13-2 victory over Eastern Illinois.
Three of Arkansas' games have ended before the ninth inning. The Razorbacks defeated Oklahoma State 18-1 in seven innings at the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 19.
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said after Friday’s game that he was unsure how he felt about the run rule, which is in place for every game at an SEC ballpark unless a visiting non-conference coach objects.
“If the temperature is cold like this, I’m OK with it,” Van Horn said.
Van Horn added that the early endings have taken away some playing opportunities.
Players said they don’t think about the run rule.
“You just play baseball,” Arkansas first baseman Brady Slavens said. “Whenever they tell you to stop, I guess you just stop.”
McLaughlin update
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said infielder Ben McLaughlin had surgery Thursday to address a knee injury.
McLaughlin is expected to return in three to four weeks.
I guess there are two ways it could go and it went the better of the two as far as what was going on when they got in there,” Van Horn said.
McLaughlin, a transfer from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, has played in four games. He started at first base in the series opener against Eastern Illinois last Friday, and had 2 RBI as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement before getting injured in the second game of the series.
Noteworthy
• Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn won his 1,174th game that counts toward his record in the NCAA record book. He passed former Rice coach Wayne Graham for 33rd-most NCAA baseball victories.
• Harold Coll started at shortstop Friday while regular starter John Bolton got a rest day. Coll went 1 for 4 and scored once.
• Caleb Cali's 438-foot home run to center field was the Razorbacks' second-longest homer of the season. Jared Wegner hit a 442-foot home run to center field against TCU on Feb. 18.
• Arkansas starter Hagen Smith matched his career high with five walks in 4 2/3 innings. Smith walked five in a three-inning start at Texas A&M last year.