By Otis Kirk
FAYETTEVILLE -- No. 6 Arkansas takes to the road this weekend to face Mississippi State in SEC action.
Arkansas (33-12, 14-7) is currently 1.5 games behind LSU for first place in the SEC West. Mississippi State (24-20, 6-15) is in sixth place in the West, but there's likely no chance Arkansas overlooks them. They are in a familiar position Georgia was in the SEC East when the Hogs went there April 20-22 and got swept.
The Hogs are battling injuries and lost to Lipscomb 8-6 in 11 innings Tuesday night in the final regular season midweek game. Dave Van Horn is very aware of it won't be an easy series.
"And then as far as Mississippi State, everyone I talk to will use the lingo ‘They’re better than their record. They’re a dangerous team,'" Van Horn said. "So I think that’s probably due to things that maybe haven’t gone their way. They can really hit. Then you throw in the fact that each team has nine games left and they’ve got to get some wins. I try to teach these guys when they walk in the door that they all count the same. They all mean the same. A win’s a win a loss is a loss when the season’s over, as far as regular season. We’re just going to go down there and do everything we can to win the first game and go from there."
The Hogs will have a different look as far as the pitching mound this weekend. Van Horn explained his plans for Hunter Hollan, the normal Friday starter, and others.
"First one the pitching rotation, what we’re going to do is we’re going to let Hollan have a couple more days to rest," Van Horn said. "We’ll either throw him game 2 or game 3, hopefully and let that leg continue to rest.
"So we’re going to just flip it. We’ll start Hagen Smith and then we’ll just TBA it for Saturday and Sunday. I mean obviously there’s a really good chance Tygart gets the ball in one of those games and then we’ll just piggyback off of him. We’re just not sure which day we want to do it yet."
Smith has appeared in 12 games this season exactly half of them starts. He has two saves out of the bullpen. Smith is 6-1 with a 2.64 ERA. He has struck out 71 hitters in 47.2 innings of work. Van Horn was asked if Smith can give them five or six innings on Friday?
"Yeah, he needs to give us that many or more," Van Horn said. "He’s known for a week he was going to do this, so he’s had plenty of time to prepare. He’s been preparing anyway with his bullpens throughout the season. I think he’s looking forward to going out there and starting the game."
Former Batesville standout Gage Wood's emergence in the bullpen has helped Van Horn feel comfortable moving Smith back to the starting rotation.
"Wood’s been consistent probably his last four or five outings," Van Horn said. "I think he kind of likes that role, finishing the game and coming in, getting maybe six outs or so. He’s been good at it. Throws a lot of strikes. He can throw three or four pitches for a strike. Yeah, it definitely helps saying, ‘OK, we’re not going to pitch Hollan in the first game.’ The way we’ve been running it is bringing in Smith off of him if we were probably tied or winning. Now you’re going to go with a person who can semi close it for you to start. So you’ve gotta have somebody take that role and I would say he’s the main guy and I think he likes it. We do have a lot of confidence in him."
Hollan is coming off a somewhat rough outing against Texas A&M. The Hogs managed to win the game, but Hollan only lasted four innings. He allowed six hits, four runs, walked two and only struck out one of the 20 batters he faced. His velocity was down in that game according to Van Horn. Could he just sit him for a series to help rest his arm?
"I feel like that we will pitch him," Van Horn said. "That’s always a possibility, but he’s been doing what he’s supposed to do to get ready to pitch and start a game as far as working on the mound, throwing his bullpen and pretty much everything he can do. He’s healthy except he’s got a leg that’s been bothering him. It seems to be getting better, so we feel like, as of today, that he’s going to get on the mound in Starkville."
As if being without Tavian Josenberger and Jared Wegner wasn't enough now the Hogs will be missing second baseman Peyton Stovall this series. Stovall has tendinitis in his shoulder and has battled the injury for awhile now. Without the two outfielders and Stovall still feel the offense can generate enough runs to win?
"Yeah, you know, hitting, it’s so hard and pitching is so good in the league, stuff is so good," Van Horn said. "It’s hard to get them all rolling. But if you can get four or five guys in your lineup that have a good weekend, man you’ll be tough to beat. Because runs are hard to get now. You never know when you’re going to break loose and just have that weekend where it just jells and you’ve got six guys that are getting after it, just everything’s going their way, they’re confident and seeing the ball good.
"I don’t know it’s going to happen. I know we would love it with just all that’s gone on, you know with the injuries. For example, Stovall probably will not play this weekend. I don’t even think I’m going to put him on the roster. It’ll let him rest that shoulder another five or six days. He’s not ready yet. You’re going to have either (Peyton) Holt in there or possibly (Harold) Coll. So we’ve got to have some guys pick it up."
Key bullpen righty Dylan Carter is now lost for the season joining Jaxson Wiggins and Koty Frank. What is the reason for all the injuries?
"I just think it’s just kind of the luck of the draw," Van Horn said. "I mean, same schedule, same just about everything, honestly, and the injuries, you look at it for the most part, it’s been older pitchers. Guys who’ve thrown a lot. Big-time summer ball last summer for Dylan, then fall ball. It starts to add up. I would say just about every pitcher that’s been playing ball and is a guy that’s been playing a lot, the elbow injury is just around the corner. I mean it’s just a matter of time.
"Did you guys know Hagen Smith had Tommy John when he was a junior in high school? You look in the big leagues, too. It's the same way. The other injuries, on the position players, are just injuries that happen - hamstrings, sore shoulders, tendonitis. It's just the way it is."
Friday's game will begin at 6 p.m. and televised on the SEC Network+. Saturday's game also begins at 6 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2. Sunday's 1 p.m. game is back on the SEC Network+.