All Hogs

Razorbacks reeling after LSU’s Anderson shuts Hogs down in CWS opener

Arkansas’ high-powered offense backfires sending the Razorbacks into an elimination game and rewriting the College World Series script
Andy Hodges|
LSU Tigers shortstop Steven Milam (4) scores as Arkansas Razorbacks catcher Ryder Helfrick (27) holds the throw during the eighth inning at Charles Schwab Field.
LSU Tigers shortstop Steven Milam (4) scores as Arkansas Razorbacks catcher Ryder Helfrick (27) holds the throw during the eighth inning at Charles Schwab Field. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

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Arkansas RazorbacksLSU Tigers

OMAHA, Neb. — The script was supposed to be different.

Arkansas arrived at the College World Series with swagger, the best batting average in the SEC, and a bullpen deeper than most major league teams.

But as dusk settled over Charles Schwab Field Saturday night less than a week away from the longest daylight day of the year LSU’s Kade Anderson rewrote the narrative.

His performance left the Razorbacks stunned, their championship dreams suddenly on the brink.

Anderson, a lefthander whose name has been circulating near the top of MLB Draft boards for months, delivered the kind of outing that scouts dream about and hitters whisper about in the dugout.

Seven-plus innings, just three hits, and a single run was a master class in poise and precision.

“He’s got tremendous stuff,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said later. “It’s four pitches for strikes. He’s never boxed into having to throw a certain way, which as a hitting coach makes it tough to plan against him because he can always pivot.”

The numbers tell the story, but they don’t capture the feeling.

The Razorback batters, who came into Omaha hitting .313 as a team, walked back to the dugout shaking their heads.

Anderson faced just two over the minimum before Cam Kozeal’s leadoff single in the eighth inning finally chased him.

By then, the Tigers had built a 3-1 lead, and the Razorbacks never got a runner to second base while Anderson was on the mound.

For the Hogs, the frustration was maddening.

“Early in the game, we left ABs on the table,” outfielder Charles Davalan said. “He was just landing a lot of pitches. We were just a bit timid, which is not our game.”

“The first time we faced him, he struck us out more, but we hit him harder," Hogs coach Dave Van Horn said. “Tonight, when we hit it, we didn’t hit it real hard most of the time.”

Reese Robinett’s sixth-inning solo homer - a 385-foot shot into the right field stands - provided Arkansas a flicker of hope.

But Anderson snuffed it out almost instantly, mixing in more breaking balls and inducing weak contact.

The Razorbacks finished 4-for-29 at the plate, hitless in 12 at-bats with runners on base. It was their lowest run output of the season, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

On the other side, LSU’s offense did just enough.

After Arkansas starter Zach Root cruised through four batters, things unraveled in the second inning. Two walks and a bunt single loaded the bases. By the time the dust settled, LSU had three runs cross the plate.

Root was gone after just 1 2/3 innings, a quick hook that raised eyebrows but made sense to Van Horn.

“Anderson looked really good, seemed like we weren’t getting good swings off him,” he said. “We were already down three runs and I just didn’t feel like we could let them score any more.”

Arkansas’ bullpen, one of its strengths all season, kept the game close.

Gabe Gaeckle, a preseason All-American who lost his spot in the rotation mid-year, delivered six stellar innings in relief, striking out 10 and keeping the Tigers in check.

“I just wanted to eat up some innings to save some guys because we’ve got a lot of games ahead of us,” Gaeckle said.

His performance, a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy evening, might prove huge if Arkansas is to battle its way out of the loser’s bracket.

LSU’s own offensive heroics were understated but timely.

Freshman Derek Curiel, who delivered an RBI single in the eighth, and Chris Stanfield, whose second-inning hit opened the scoring, provided just enough insurance for Anderson’s gem.

The Tigers’ defense was equally sharp. Two double plays wiped out Arkansas threats and kept Anderson’s pitch count manageable.

The crowd of 25,464, the largest for any college baseball game this season, included Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari and social media influencer Livvy Dunne.

They watched as LSU slugger Jared Jones, who leads the Tigers in home runs and RBIs, wore a “platinum sombrero,” striking out five times in a rare display of vulnerability.

After the final out, there was no panic in the Arkansas clubhouse.

The mood, reporters noticed, wasn’t devastated but determined. Memories of 2018’s heartbreak when the Razorbacks let a title slip away seemed distant.

Let's face it, most of the guys on this team were in junior high when that happened.

The more recent 2022 squad, which nearly powered through the loser’s bracket after a tough early loss, is the model here.

“It’s kind of a humbling moment,” pitcher Zach Root said. “It’s hard to go undefeated in the postseason. I’m not saying we needed it, but it’s definitely going to help us and we’re going to come out with a fire under us and play our brand of baseball the next couple days.”

That attitude will be tested quickly. Arkansas now faces Murray State in a must-win elimination game.

The Racers are the Cinderella story this year after knocking off Ole Miss and Duke en route to Omaha, but came up short against UCLA in their opener.

Van Horn has options on the mound, including Gage Wood, but with Murray State hitting .323 against right-handers, a switch to lefty Landon Beidelschies is possible.

To survive, Arkansas must win four games in four days. The odds are long, but the ingredients are there with a deep bullpen, a lineup that usually hits, and a team that’s been here before.

“We need to move on from this one and get over it,” Van Horn told the Hogs. “We need to play good Monday because if we don’t there’s no Tuesday. You just can’t get all uptight about it.”

For Anderson, the game was a personal showcase.

Scouts in the stands scribbled notes and checked radar guns as the 6-foot-2 lefty demonstrated why he’s a consensus top-five pick in this year’s draft.

His ability to mix four pitches for strikes, attack hitters from both sides, and maintain composure under the brightest lights has made him one of the most coveted arms in the country.

LSU, meanwhile, advances to face UCLA, while Arkansas’ season hangs in the balance.

The Razorbacks’ path is steep, but not unfamiliar.

In college baseball, momentum can shift in a single inning, and the teams who adapt are the ones left standing in Omaha’s June heat.

For now, Arkansas is left to regroup, to look in the mirror, and to remember that the College World Series rarely goes according to script.

Sometimes, the stars align for a pitcher like Anderson. Sometimes, the best teams are the ones who refuse to fold when the story takes an unexpected turn.

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Andy Hodges
ANDY HODGES

Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.

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