White Inspires Razorbacks with Hot Bat Against Mississippi State
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas Razorbacks catcher Hudson White kept hopes high throughout the weekend despite the Razorbacks up-and-down performance throughout the weekend. Sunday afternoon even with an early 6-0 deficit to Mississippi State, White was the lone constant getting on base.
During game one of the series, White was sorely needed with Kendall Diggs out of the lineup due to an injury suffered against Kentucky. He homered twice on the season before the Razorbacks' final home series of the season. He is currently on an eight-game hit streak with 10 of 22 RBI's coming over his last seven appearances in the lineup. Three of his four homers this season have come over the past five games. If anyone is primed for a special postseason it's White. He is flashing the potential which made him a can't miss transfer portal prospect during the offseason.
White's game-tying home run was euphoric for fans as they watched Arkansas slowly chip away at another huge Mississippi State lead. It also boosted his teams confidence as their swagger was unmatched during the remainder of Sunday's rubber match.
ALL HAIL HUDDY WHITE 🙌 pic.twitter.com/GcEMKZ0G1F
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 12, 2024
Hogs coach Dave Van Horn wasn't particularly looking for White to hit a home run. At that point in the middle innings, he was focused on base hits and chipping away at the lead. Van Horn knew White's hit was a goner once it came off the bat.
"Well, I thought he might get a single, Van Horn said. "I wasn’t looking for a home run. I was just wanting to see a base hit and keep it rolling. But right when he hit it, it was no doubt. He hit it really hard. I had a good feeling when I saw the ball leave the bat, I can tell you that. That was a good feeling."
For the weekend, White finished 5-for-12 at the plate with two home runs, six RBI's and was struck out just once. His performance during the series pushed his batting average from .264 going into Friday night and closed the weekend at .279.
His recent surge on offense could be credited to Van Horn and hitting coach Nate Thompson wanting him to play loose.
"His swing is so much freer, Van Horn said. "We talked about it three weeks ago to [White] ‘You haven’t hit a home run, the ball’s not jumping off your bat.’ We felt like he had his hands too far back. You’ve got to relax your hands to get more whip. He just seemed a little stiff. I know Coach [Thompson] and him have worked a lot. It just seemed so much looser and freer and quicker now. So good for him."
It's yet to be known if this is a precursor for things to come out of the Razorback lineup after scoring 21 runs over the past three games. This is the most runs scored in an SEC series this season since scoring 20 against Ole Miss which was also the team's last sweep.
HOGS FEED:
• Bats explode in middle innings, topple Bulldogs after early struggles
• Razorback pitching suddenly has trouble finding the plate
• Early hole dug by Razorbacks too deep for spotty hitting to find way out
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JACOB DAVIS