The second-ranked Arkansas baseball team is back at it Friday as the Razorbacks head to South Carolina for a three-game SEC series.
Arkansas is coming off its first SEC series loss of the year in the previous weekend. A late collapse saw them lose Game 2 against Alabama and in Game 3 the Diamond Hogs were shutout for the first time in 2024. Still, Arkansas owns the top spot in the SEC West and second overall in the conference, in addition to being second in the nation.
South Carolina hopped into the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll this week, itself. The Gamecocks are No. 21 coming off a series win against Florida and knocking the Gators from the Top 25. Outfielder/infielder Ethan Petry is in the running for SEC Player of the Year as he has an OPS of almost 1.200.
Hagen Smith, Arkansas’ starter in Friday’s opener, is the league’s likely Pitcher of the Year. Smith has a 1.53 earned-run average over 47 innings in which he struck out 89 batters and walked just 17. Opponents are hitting only .138 with five extra-base hits against him.
Arkansas won two of three from the Gamecocks last year in Fayetteville when South Carolina was ranked No. 6 in the nation. First pitch in the opener is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on SEC Network+.
Jun 22, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks starting pitcher Hagen Smith (33) throws against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
- Date: Friday, April 19, 2024
- Time: 6 p.m. (CT)
- Network: SEC Network+
- Streaming: fuboTV (watch here)
Ocala StarBanner
- Util Ethan Petry: .325 AVG, .497 OBP, .693 SLG, 13 HR, 31 RBI
- Catcher Cole Messina: .284 AVG, .425 OBP, .629 SLG, 10 HR, 30 RBI
- Outfielder Kennedy Jones: .316 AVG, .451 OBP, .592 SLG, 6 HR, 22 RBI
Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports
- Infielder Wehiwa Aloy: .279 AVG, .402 OBP, .500 SLG, 9 HR, 36 RBI
- Infielder Peyton Stovall: .327 AVG, .414 OBP, .571 SLG, 6 HR, 6 2B
- Infielder Jared Sprague-Lott: .309 AVG, .458 OBP, .532 SLG
The Greenville News
- 7th season at South Carolina, 15th overall
- Five NCAA Tournament appearances (3 with South Carolina)
- Two Super Regional appearances (both with South Carolina)
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
- 22nd season at Arkansas
- 20 NCAA Tournament appearances
- Seven College World Series…
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