PREVIEW: Kentucky and Arkansas clash on diamond this weekend
All eyes around the college baseball world will be on Lexington this weekend, as No. 8 Kentucky hosts No. 2 Arkansas for a three-game weekend series.
Kentucky enters the series 33-9, but is tied for the best record in the SEC with Arkansas at 16-5 (39-7 overall). The Cats and Razorbacks are currently tied for the No. 1 seed in the looming SEC Tournament, but Tennessee and Texas A&M (15-6) are right behind them. This weekend will be a major factor in divvying out the top four seeds in Hoover.
These teams last met in 2022, where Arkansas swept Kentucky in Fayetteville. The Cats’ last series victory over the Hogs came back in 2012, when Kentucky was ranked No. 3 in the country.
Arkansas
The Razorbacks are led by left-handed phenomenon Hagen Smith, who has dominated the SEC and college baseball as a whole this season.
Smith is 6-0 in conference play with a league-best 1.05 ERA. His 71 strikeouts also lead the SEC, and are 15 more than Vanderbilt’s LHP Carter Holton, who is in second place. Even when batters put the ball in play against Smith, they are hitting just .139 against the lefty. Smith has already all but wrapped up SEC Pitcher of the Year honors. He’ll be going against Kentucky’s Trey Pooser Friday night.
The Arkansas pitching staff as a whole has been the best in the SEC this season, boasting a conference best 3.12 ERA. The Arkansas staff leads in nearly every team stat, including opposing batting average (.203), strikeouts (549), hits allowed (293), earned runs allowed (140), and home runs allowed (33). It will certainly be a challenge for Kentucky, who is the SEC’s fifth best offense in batting average (.295).
It’s a good thing the Razorback pitching staff has been so dominant, because their offense has been the opposite. Arkansas’ .272 batting average is the 11th best in the league, just above Auburn, Ole Miss, and Missouri (three of the four SEC teams who will likely not make the NCAA Tournament).
They are led offensively by junior second baseman Peyton Stovall (.350 BA, 7 HR, 31 RBI), senior outfielder Peyton Holt (.333 BA, 3 HR, 15 RBI), senior first baseman Ben McLaughlin (.316 BA, 7 HR, 32 RBI), and senior third baseman Jared Sprague-Lott (.316 BA, 6 HR, 19 RBI). Stovall (.323) and Holt (.321) are the only two Razorback hitters batting over .300 in conference play however.
Arkansas has lost just one SEC series this season, which came at Alabama in mid-April.
Kentucky
Kentucky enters the weekend in a bit of a spiral, as it is just 2-4 in its last six games and has lost back-to-back series for the first time this season.
However, taking a series over the No. 2 ranked team in the country for the first time in 12 years would be a great way to get back on track.
This series will truly come down to pitching. Where Arkansas has a stellar pitching staff, Kentucky’s has been less than stellar lately. But where Arkansas isn’t great offensively, that’s where the Cats shine.
Left-handed pitcher Dominic Niman and right-hander Mason Moore will round out the final two games on the mound for Kentucky. Niman has failed to reach the second inning in each of his last two starts, and Moore boasts a 13.70 ERA over his last two starts. The Arkansas offense is a step down from Tennessee and South Carolina, so a true opportunity presents itself for these arms to get back on track.
Right-hander Trey Pooser has the honor of going up against one of college baseball’s finest Hagen Smith on Friday, but he seems up for the challenge. Where Niman and Moore struggled against Carolina and Tennessee, Pooser shined. He allowed just nine hits and four earned runs in 13 combined innings pitched against two of college baseball’s best offenses over the last two weeks.
Although it was shutout in the series finale against Carolina, Kentucky’s batting average in SEC play rose to .295, which is fifth best in the conference. Outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt has been a key cog in this operation, as he has been more than excellent in SEC play.
Waldschmidt leads the conference in stolen bases (14), is second in hits (35), batting average (.422), and OBP (.524), and is seventh in OPS (1.247). He looks well on his way to earning All-SEC honors as he continues to be one of the hottest hitters in the SEC.
Waldy isn’t the only Wildcat succeeding against SEC competition, as six total Kentucky batters are hitting over .300 in conference play. Waldschmidt (.422) is joined by first baseman Ryan Nicholson (.364), outfielder Nolan McCarthy (.361), shortstop Grant Smith (.324), DH Nick Lopez (.317), and 3B Mitch Daly (.301). Nicholson’s 12 home runs in SEC play are fifth most in the conference.
With just nine conference games remaining, each game is monumental in insuring that the Cats grab a potential bye in Hoover.
Probable Starters
ALL-TIME SERIES: Arkansas leads 46-26
Game 1: Friday, May 3, 2024 (Kentucky Proud Park – 6:30 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: RHP Trey Pooser (3-0, 3.75 ERA) vs ARK: LHP Hagen Smith (8-0, 1.35 ERA)
Game 2: Saturday, May 4, 2024 (Kentucky Proud Park – 2:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: LHP Dominic Niman (7-3, 5.00 ERA) vs ARK: RHP Brady Tygart (4-1, 2.68 ERA)
Game 3: Sunday, May 5, 2024 (Kentucky Proud Park – 1:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network
UK: RHP Mason Moore (7-1, 5.08 ERA) vs ARK: LHP Mason Molina (3-1, 3.47 ERA)
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