Change in Perspective Makes Hogs' Opener More Enjoyable
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – When it comes to looking at Friday's 6-4 season opening against James Madison, it's easy for Arkansas fans who are conditioned to see the worst in things lately to come away a little nervous.
After all, a 30-minute first inning that saw projected All-American pitcher Hagan Smith get into the 40s on his pitch count while giving up three runs is all it took for the PTSD created by failed football and basketball seasons to kick in. Of course there was that long stretch where the Arkansas bats went a little cold also.
However, if Hog fans will take a moment to view the game through a different lens, they will realize it's going to be OK. Please step back from the ledge. In the end, Arkansas came away with a two-run win.
The Razorbacks didn't need the one strike left, 3-run heroics like No. 6 Vanderbilt needed to take down Florida Atlantic, 12-11, nor a mid-game comeback to take down VMI like No. 4 LSU required. It certainly wasn't the 9-5 loss No. 2 Florida took on the chin at the hands of St. John's. Buy yourself a taco and pretend it was free if you knew St. John's even fielded a baseball team.
All it takes to appreciate this game for what it actually was is to simply take Smith's first inning and move it to the ninth. What is left is a game where Arkansas jumps out to a 6-0 lead on the strength of a Will McEntire start where he spread three hits across 52/3 innings while striking out six batters before giving up a run to make it 6-1.
He then turned things over to sophomore set-up man Gage Wood who carved out a nice 21/3 innings, surrendering a single hit and no runs while racking up four K's. At that point, it was time to give Smith a little work so his start in Arlington against a loaded No. 7 Oregon St. hitting line-up in Arlington next Friday wouldn't be his first.
While trying to nail the save, he put up a pair of strikes on the first two hitters he faced despite the fierce wind and harsh cold. Unfortunately, the first eventually walked and he hit the second on an 0-2 count. Briefly shaken, he let a full-count pitch get too far over the middle to a dangerous hitter in Fenwick Trimble, who had an insane day at the plate. He got a pop-up into the wind that would have easily been a routine out, but instead it carried, putting him a triple shy of the cycle to make the game 6-4.
After that, Smith battled his way back to preserve the save and handed the ball off to Brady Tygart to keep things going on Saturday. See. One simple change in perspective and the white knuckle ride a lot of Arkansas fans thought they saw turned into a rather mundane day made mildly interesting in the end with one true pitching mistake.
Smith is going to be fine, McEntire looked the best he possibly ever has in an Arkansas uniform, and other than a ball that got a little high on Wood that carried to the backstop, he couldn't have asked for a more dominant outing. It was certainly a huge leap forward from his debut in Arlington last year.
The wind was at its worst the first inning. It affected the outfielders of both teams as it had them twisting into a pretzel and nearly landing on their heads. The ball moved through the jet stream like a ping pong ball at times, and others, such as Trimble's home run, it shot off like the initial hit of a pinball.
There was nothing typical about that first inning. Without 25+ mph winds, not only is the home run a routine ball, but Diggs easily makes a play in right field for an out. Also, when you take the hand off the panic button, Smith not only put up a pair of strikes on the first two hitters and gave up what should have been a basic pop fly, but he followed it with a groundout, two strikeouts swinging, and a full-count walk.
Even Trimble's wind assisted home run came on a 9-pitch at-bat, during which the ball thrown before the home run appeared to strike him out. The umpire ruled it a foul ball, but there was no sound of contact from the bat, nor did there appear any indication of movement created by the bat on the replay. If Smith gets that call, he gets out of the inning unscathed.
So, everyone settle down. Smith is going to be his regular self this season and the sky isn't falling. Yes, there were a couple of hitters pressing at the plate, but that's to be expected in a season opener. Cold weather, nerves, it's all a big part of it.
There's more than enough pop in this line-up to keep the scoreboard lighting up. Hudson White is going to be trouble in the lead-off. Diggs and Peyton Holt showed they are exactly who you remember from last season, and Ben McLaughliin looks to have grown as a hitter. As for transfer Jared Sprague-Lott, he is gong to have a ton of fans by year's end if Friday's 2-for-2 performance with a home run on the first pitch he saw as a Razorback coupled with a pair of walks is any indication of what he can do.
So, leave all the trauma caused by football and basketball in the past. Don't let it taint the potential enjoyment that can be had this season. There's no need to allow a couple of exes to ruin this new relationship with the 2024 baseball team.
All it takes is a slight shift in perspective to start having fun as a Razorbacks fan once again.
HOG FEED:
NEED FOR SPEED: HOGS LOOKING TO PICK SPOTS TO ADD NEW DIMENSION
TRANSFER THIRD BASEMAN SHINES IN RAZORBACK DEBUT
MCENTIRE BAILS OUT PITCHING STAFF IN SEASON-OPENING WIN OVER JAMES MADISON
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