Preview: Arkansas, Stanford to rematch in Omaha
OMAHA, Neb. — After missing out on the College World Series last season, Arkansas has returned to the college baseball mecca once again this season.
The first team in the Hogs’ way is the No. 2 overall seed Stanford Cardinal, who scored 30 total runs in a super regional win over UConn. Stanford — which won the inaugural Pac 12 Tournament — presents one of the toughest offenses in the country.
Arkansas lost to the Cardinal, 5-0, in a February 27 meeting in Round Rock, Texas. Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said he thinks his team is playing on a higher level than it was then.
Kai Caddy / Round Rock Classic
“Stanford's really good, very physical,” Van Horn said Thursday. “Coach (David) Esquer does a great job. I have so much respect for him. When we played them in February, they were better than us…I feel like we're a better team than we were in April.”
Stanford is hitting .374 and slugging .678 as a team in the postseason, each being the highest of any team in Omaha.
“They swing it well,” Arkansas starting pitcher Connor Noland said. “I think everybody has seen that the past couple of weeks. They're a good team, solid from 1 to 9, and well-rounded throughout that lineup. It's a good challenge for us.”
Things start with center fielder Brock Jones, who is rated as the top prospect in the College World Series according to Baseball America. Jones had a .327 average and slugged a team-high 20 home runs this season.
“Brock Jones has been on our team and in the lineup for the last couple of years and has led us,” Stanford head coach David Esquer said. “And Brock's last two months have been as good as any player in our conference or in the country. That's really led us.”
Despite the success at the plate this season, Jones has trouble with strikeouts. He has 11 hits and three longballs in the postseason, but that has been overshadowed by 16 strikeouts.
The MVP of the postseason for the Cardinal so far has been designated hitter Tommy Troy, who has 20 hits in 35 at bats. He has five homers and a team-high 11 runs scored throughout the Pac 12 Tournament, regionals and super regionals.
Right behind Troy is left fielder Eddie Park, who leads all College World Series players with a .576 postseason batting average. Park has 19 hits, but just three RBIs to go with it.
Stanford will throw senior right-hander and Pac 12 Pitcher of the Year, Alex Williams, who has an 8-3 record to go with a 2.88 ERA, 23 walks and 90 strikeouts in 97 innings pitched.
“Williams, he can just pitch,” Van Horn said. “He's not going to blow you away, but he's got really good off-speed stuff, really good change-up. I'm sure his team loves playing behind him. Fills up the zone.”
Kai Caddy / Round Rock Classic
The Hogs were struck out 10 times by starter-turned-reliever Quinn Matthews back in February. In a close game scenario, Arkansas will likely see Matthews again. He has nine saves, a 2.62 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 96 ⅓ innings pitched.
Righty Tommy O’Rourke and lefty Ryan Bruno are two go-to arms out of the pen for the Cardinal. The pair have the most appearances — 29 and 28, respectively — of any Cardinal arms out of the bullpen.
O’Rourke is more of a pitch to contact type of guy, while Bruno is tough to hit. He has a 2.61 ERA, has allowed just 19 hits and struck out 68 batters in 38 innings pitched.
The Cardinal are 22-2 over their last 24 games, so beating them is going to be a tough task. The Hogs have been a different team since going 0-2 in the SEC Tournament, and the mindset seems to be that they are ready for the task at hand.
“Last year, we obviously got to watch North Carolina State dog pile on our field,” Razorback third baseman Cayden Wallace said. “And you take it to heart…And we knew we wanted to be the one dog piling this year.”
The Razorbacks and Stanford will meet at 1 p.m. CST at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and Fubo.TV.
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