Observations & Notes: Texas A&M Series

Arkansas displayed new tools as a team, individually; Home field important for playoffs this year

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Apr 29, 2023 6:40 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A week after getting swept at Georgia, the Arkansas Razorbacks are back on track with a sweep of Texas A&M, which brings them to 33-11 overall and 14-7 in SEC play.

Following weekends that were polar opposites, here are the observations that can be taken away.

The Razorbacks had better secure home field advantage all the way to the College World Series

With the sweep of the Aggies, Dave Van Horn's club moves to 28-3 at home. That's quite impressive. However, what's not impressive is how the Razorbacks have performed away from Baum-Walker Stadium. Arkansas is 5-8 outside of Fayetteville city limits. Half of those losses came this past week to what was then a struggling Georgia team and a middle of the road Missouri State team.

Fans were awful quiet with a sweep on the line

Considering how overly vocal Arkansas fans were when complaining about the Hogs getting swept for the first time in five years last weekend, it would stand to reason that Razorback fans would be at their best when it came time to lock up the sweep against a Texas A&M team that usually gets fans worked up. To boot, Jim Schlossnagle may only be No. 2 to Tennessee's Tony Vitello as far as coaching targets go for Hog fans.
Yet, despite all of this, Saturday's crowd featured one of the most docile Razorback crowds in years. Even after Arkansas built an 8-0 lead, most fans weren't willing to look up from their phones or Nintendo Switches long enough to provide the team the energy needed to run-rule the game. With no mental game messing with the Texas A&M hitters, the Aggies were able to battle back against Zach Morris and make a game of it. Yes, it was cold. Yes, the game was slow at times. However, there were fans who only looked up from their phones to go to the bathroom and grab concessions. There were definitely a lot of people present to be seen and not heard.

Jace Bohrofen earned himself a pay raise Saturday

The crafty outfielder from Oklahoma has already shown a wide array of skills, but Major League scouts are looking to see evidence of the less celebrated tools when it comes to differentiating prospect levels.
In the 5th, Schlossnagle called for a shift to combat the lefty's scouting report. However, Bohrofen held back, driving a solid shot down the third base line with a delayed swing that set up a huge inning for the Razorbacks that turned out to be the difference in a sweep and heading into a daunting final SEC stretch on a low. He later scored on a good bunt dropped by Hunter Grimes that led to an error on the throw to first and eventually five runs in the inning.
Speaking of players who may have earned MLB attention through less celebrated tools, shortstop John Bolton's perfectly placed push bunt in the bottom of the third was a thing of beauty. With first baseman Jack Moss playing back at first and a left-hander on the mound falling away from first base, it was the perfect opportunity to take a chance, but there was little room for error and Bolton delivered. Little things like that will cause a team that doesn't see him as an everyday starter to take a chance on him as a defenisve back-up who can come in and do exactly what he did in a high pressure pinch-hitting situation.

The long ball gets the girl, but small ball gets the win

It's been an unusual spring this year pretty much everywhere. Even down in Texas where it's often in the mid-90s by this time of year, temps have barely crept into the lower 80s, and that was just a few times. It's been borderline winter at times in Fayetteville.
Because the Razorbacks have faced cold, heavy air in Fayetteville made even heavier by high humidity, it's been hard to rely on the long ball. There were at least two balls hit by Arkansas Saturday that would have left the yard on a warm, spring day. However, continuously dealing with the weather caused Van Horn to implement the bunt quite heavily this series in hopes of manufacturing runs. The Hogs bunted more against the Aggies than they have all season.
Not only did it generate offense, it creates a great deal more stress on Mississippi State, South Carolina and Vanderbilt as they review this series for the scouting report. Teams will now make adjustments they normally wouldn't make, giving Van Horn another move to make on the chess board that can continue to add to the win column while waiting for the roster to continue to heal.

Most impactful injury of the season might not be who Hog fans think

As Dave Van Horn scraped the bullpen for whatever was left in an attempt to hold onto what once was an 8-0 lead, it became apparent how devastating the season-ending injury to rock solid middle reliever Koty Frank has been to this team.
By the time the 8th rolled around, the Razorbacks were out of options for actual pitchers, so part-time infielder and designated hitter Ben McGlaughlin, who also serves as an emergency pitcher, had to warm up in the bullpen multiple times while continuing to serve as a batter. There is a little bit of relief coming in the form of Brady Tygart, who returned from injury to pitch one inning as the Game 2 starter, but it's clear Van Horn is going to be cautious with his return.

Finishing .500 will do it

The Razorbacks finished the regular season last year with 38 wins. To reach that mark, Arkansas has to go 5-5 over its final 10 games against Lipscomb in Little Rock, at Mississippi State, home against South Carolina and at Vanderbilt. Based on the Razorbacks' current stats, they will win three games away from Baum, which means the Hogs will need to go 2-for-3 against No. 3 South Carolina in Fayetteville.