Why Hogs' Matt Hobbs Says You 'Need Hogs' to Win in March

Arkansas pitching coach Matt Hobbs didn’t hesitate Thursday morning on the Chuck and Bo Show on ESPN Arkansas.

He talked with hosts Chuck Barrett and Bo Mattingly about toughness. He talked about trust. And he talked about what it means to be a Razorback.

It started with a moment before batting practice ahead of the Razorbacks' 1-0 win over Arkansas State on Wednesday.

“When Coach (Nate) Thompson came up to me kind of just like with this look on his face after BP, I was inside with throwing a bullpen with Dece and he's like, ‘Hey, Cam Kozeal's not playing,’" Hobbs said. "I was just like, ‘This dude must be like on his deathbed if he's not playing.’ That's like the toughest kid on the team.”

It set the mood of the team Wednesday for a game after they were blasted by Red Wolves the day before. Toughness matters inside this Hogs' clubhouse.

After a week with highs and lows, Hobbs said he saw that fight show up again.

“Yesterday showed us that we can bounce back from some stuff, which is good," Hobbs said. "You get beat pretty pretty soundly on Tuesday by a good team. Then be able to come back and and do what we did yesterday is big.”

Arkansas lost to a TCU team that was playing well in Arlington last week, then came back and won a tight game, walking it off. They followed that by winning another close game against Tarleton.

“That shows you there's a little bit of toughness, a little bit of fight,” Hobbs said.

He pointed to the bullpen depth and offensive resolve.

“Showed an ability to win some close games which is is a good sign," Hobbs said. "It means you probably got enough in your bullpen to be able to hang on if you if you do get in a spot and then you got enough fight offensively to be able to to do it when it matters.”

Hobbs admitted the offense hasn’t fully clicked yet. It's pretty much like any other sport where you don't want to be playing your best to start the season.

“I know the results haven't been like great so far on the offensive side of the ball, but that's coming for those guys," Hobbs said. "They're too well coached by our hitting group and they're too talented to continue to to be in the middle a little bit.”

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Sorting Out Roles on Pitching Staff

The Hogs have arms. Lots of them. The question is how to use them, although a one-hit shutout Wednesday could be used as a day when they got it right.

“It's tough because we have a couple guys that can fill different roles,” Hobbs said.

One is Cole Gibler, who could start, but is working out of the bullpen. He's probably not the only one doing that right now.

“He's pitching out of our pen and he's kind of closing for us, but he's throwing the back half of a game," Hobbs said. "He's not really a closer. Just a guy that finishes the game after after (Gabe) Gaeckle comes out.”

Hobbs then broke down most of the staff with the exception of Friday starter Gabe Gaeckle that he's obviously positive about.

Steel Eaves has pitched in multiple spots. Parker Coil has entered early and also finished games like he did Wednesday.

Jackson Kircher has been sick, but is highly regarded. James DeCremer has moved from bullpen to starting.

Tate McGuire has been stretched out and pitched short. Ethan McElvain is an option late.

Joey Lorenzini hasn’t been seen yet, but Hobbs said, “I love him.” Mark Mercy has closed out a game.

“I just bounced around a lot,” Hobbs admitted. “But I think it's it's difficult because I believe that there's a lot of guys that can fill different roles in different spots.”

It’s a good problem.

“It's good because I have a lot of guys that can fill different roles in different spots,” Hobbs said.

Razorbacks pitcher Colin Fisher delivers during a scrimmage Sunday at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Colin Fisher: A Different Look on Sunday

When Hobbs talked about left-hander Colin Fischer, his comparison stood out.

“Colin Fisher is — I think this is a good parallel," Hobbs said. "It's like an SEC team going to play at the Air Force Academy.”

Fischer isn’t the typical high-velocity arm.

“He's different," Hobbs said. "It's hard to prepare for him because he's so much different than the rest of the stuff you see around the country. It's not like a super high carry fast ball with tons of velocity.

"It's like a real sinker that's 90 to 93 and it's really good stuff, but he's just so much different and he pitches different.”

Hobbs pointed out catcher Ryder Helfrick has helped manage that style.

“Our catcher does such a good job mixing and matching his stuff and calling a good game with him on the mound,” he said.

He called Fisher a “throwback left-handed pitcher.”

The Razorbacks have power arms and finesse arms. When all of that is juggled right it's a problem for opponents.

“We have both ends of the spectrum," Hobbs said. "We have firepower on Saturday and Dietz throws a million… and Fish does it super economically.”

Friday Night Mentality at Arkansas

In college baseball, Friday night starters carry weight. Hobbs knows it.

“There's an aura about a Friday guy,” Hobbs said.

He talked about past Arkansas starters like Isaiah Campbell, Conor Noland, Hagen Smith, and Zack Root. Each carried themselves differently, but they all projected confidence.

“They all carry themselves like they're the guy,” Hobbs said.

Now, Gaeckle steps into that role.

“I feel good on Friday night because I think Gaeckle's finally ready to do that.”

Hobbs believes Gackle’s pitch mix has grown.

“What I'm seeing from him is a true pitch mix that didn't used to be there," he said. "Like a change up versus less now that he throws. It's it's a pretty good pitch mix. It's four real pitches.”

Advanced numbers support that growth.

“His pitches grade out towards the top if you look at stuff like plus scores and some other advanced analytics things we use.”

Just that stuff isn’t always going to be enough.

“I love the question about, there's a difference between having stuff and being a Friday guy because there certainly is.” Hobbs said.

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Trust Between Pitcher, Catcher

Hobbs spent a lot of time praising Ryder Helfrick.

“It makes your job a lot easier,” Hobbs said, pointing out how that showed up especially with Coil in the ninth inning in Wednesday's win. “In the ninth inning, he completely changes his script and throws a ton of heaters all of a sudden.”

That shift came from the pitcher and catcher talking.

“That's our catcher," Hobbs said. "That's him and our catcher talking between innings and saying, ‘Hey, you know what? This is now we're getting back to a guy that's going to have seen you twice.’”

Hobbs prefers to let that relationship develop.

“Just get out of the way and let the players play,” Hobbs said.

Hobbs says they have something special that can happen when pitcher and catcher trust each other.

“When you get competitors that have some education, that trust each other, that love each other, and that want to compete, man, it can get real special back there,” he said.

NIL, Portal and What Still Matters

As usual in college sports these days, things eventually got around to talking about NIL and the transfer portal.

“It makes your roster construction certainly very interesting,” Hobbs said, admitting outside income can help attract players.

But he returned to a simple idea.

“It really just still comes down to the game,” he said, pointing out that's what happened in Tuesday's 12-4 loss. “They just outplayed us.”

Sometimes, everybody just has to admit that, then move on to the next game. The Hogs did that Wednesday and Hobbs pointed to the win.

“We just decided we were going to win that game,” Hobbs said.

The Hogs used a transfer pitcher and homegrown players.

“We did it with guys that wanted to be here, guys that wanted to be Razorbacks,” Hobbs said. “When it's time to win, like yesterday when it's time to win, like you need Hogs on the field and I hope we have that.”

Why It Matters at Arkansas

Hobbs has coached places where crowds were thin. He knows the difference. Baum-Walker doesn't have that very often if the weather cooperates.

“Playing at a place where it does matter and there are people [in the stands]," Hobbs said. "I've coached places where it doesn't matter and it's not any fun.”

The passion is huge a positive in Hobbs' opinion.

“Would you like them to not care?" Hobbs asked. "Would you like them to not show up? I want our players to love our fans and our fans to love our players.”