From @RStew32
arkansas.rivals.com
The No. 5 Diamond Hogs took two of three games from the Ole Miss Rebels over the weekend, notching their first road series win of 2023.
A complete performance to prevail in the first half of Friday's doubleheader preceded a loss that featured 11 runners left on base, but Arkansas atoned for the dud with a 6-4 victory in Saturday's rubber match.
Here are five key takeaways from the weekend's action at Swayze Field:
The Razorbacks made all the plays they could have while Ole Miss didn't.
Defense cost the Rebels runs in both facets of the game, as their errors proved costly, and Arkansas' athleticism and intelligence prevented crooked numbers in the home halves of innings.
"Our defense played outstanding," second baseman Peyton Stovall said. "We really preach that here at Arkansas."
The first instance came in the bottom of the fourth, when third baseman Caleb Cali realized he had no play. Instead of trying to make a futile tag, he fired a strike to Stovall, nabbing Ole Miss catcher Calvin Harris as he tried to stretch a single into a double.
"I saw a kind of powder blue jersey running to second base," Cali said. "It was a key thing through my eye and I just tried to get it as quick as I can and let go of it and (Stovall) made a good tag."
The Rebels tied the score later in the inning, but they could not scratch the go-ahead run across.
Arkansas plated two unearned runs the next half inning, capitalizing on shortstop Jacob Gonzalez's fielding error, and once again, Ole Miss botched a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth.
Starting pitcher Will McEntire helped himself out of some trouble, picking off third baseman Ethan Lege, who led off with a single. Gonzalez hit a game-tying homer after the right-hander left the game, and the first out loomed even larger.
The eventual game-winning run was also unearned, and outfielders Jared Wegner and Tavian Josenberger kept the defensive clinic rolling with a pair of sparkling grabs to rob the Rebels of hits in the ninth.
"Those guys weren’t backing down easy," said reliever Gage Wood, who recorded a nine-out save. "They put up a fight, but our defense, they came to play, and that’s a big reason we ended up getting this series win."
In addition to his heads-up play Saturday afternoon, Cali had himself a strong weekend at the plate.
In 11 at-bats, the junior college transfer collected four hits, two of which were home runs, tripling both totals during SEC play.
"It feels good to be in the lineup, obviously, these past two weekends, because I feel like I’ve contributed to some wins that we’ve gotten," Cali said.
While Cali is still only slashing .222/.355/.508 on the year, those figures are immensely better since March 1, when he clobbered a 376-foot home run against Illinois State for his first hit of the year.
Over the last six weeks, Cali's slash line reads .264/.391/.604, and his on-base-plus-slugging percentage is good for fourth-best among Razorbacks with at least 50 at-bats.
In league play, only designated hitter Kendall Diggs has a higher OPS, minimum 25 at-bats.
"Cali was our third baseman going into the spring, but it just didn’t work out for him offensively," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. "But as of now, yeah, he’s definitely our third baseman."
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HawgBeat - Five takeaways from Arkansas’ series win at Ole Miss
HawgBeat provides key takeaways from the Diamond Hogs' road series win against Ole Miss.
arkansas.rivals.com
The No. 5 Diamond Hogs took two of three games from the Ole Miss Rebels over the weekend, notching their first road series win of 2023.
A complete performance to prevail in the first half of Friday's doubleheader preceded a loss that featured 11 runners left on base, but Arkansas atoned for the dud with a 6-4 victory in Saturday's rubber match.
Here are five key takeaways from the weekend's action at Swayze Field:
Defense, lack thereof essential to Saturday’s outcome
The Razorbacks made all the plays they could have while Ole Miss didn't.
Defense cost the Rebels runs in both facets of the game, as their errors proved costly, and Arkansas' athleticism and intelligence prevented crooked numbers in the home halves of innings.
"Our defense played outstanding," second baseman Peyton Stovall said. "We really preach that here at Arkansas."
The first instance came in the bottom of the fourth, when third baseman Caleb Cali realized he had no play. Instead of trying to make a futile tag, he fired a strike to Stovall, nabbing Ole Miss catcher Calvin Harris as he tried to stretch a single into a double.
"I saw a kind of powder blue jersey running to second base," Cali said. "It was a key thing through my eye and I just tried to get it as quick as I can and let go of it and (Stovall) made a good tag."
The Rebels tied the score later in the inning, but they could not scratch the go-ahead run across.
Arkansas plated two unearned runs the next half inning, capitalizing on shortstop Jacob Gonzalez's fielding error, and once again, Ole Miss botched a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth.
Starting pitcher Will McEntire helped himself out of some trouble, picking off third baseman Ethan Lege, who led off with a single. Gonzalez hit a game-tying homer after the right-hander left the game, and the first out loomed even larger.
The eventual game-winning run was also unearned, and outfielders Jared Wegner and Tavian Josenberger kept the defensive clinic rolling with a pair of sparkling grabs to rob the Rebels of hits in the ninth.
"Those guys weren’t backing down easy," said reliever Gage Wood, who recorded a nine-out save. "They put up a fight, but our defense, they came to play, and that’s a big reason we ended up getting this series win."
Caleb Cali is here to stay
In addition to his heads-up play Saturday afternoon, Cali had himself a strong weekend at the plate.
In 11 at-bats, the junior college transfer collected four hits, two of which were home runs, tripling both totals during SEC play.
"It feels good to be in the lineup, obviously, these past two weekends, because I feel like I’ve contributed to some wins that we’ve gotten," Cali said.
While Cali is still only slashing .222/.355/.508 on the year, those figures are immensely better since March 1, when he clobbered a 376-foot home run against Illinois State for his first hit of the year.
Over the last six weeks, Cali's slash line reads .264/.391/.604, and his on-base-plus-slugging percentage is good for fourth-best among Razorbacks with at least 50 at-bats.
In league play, only designated hitter Kendall Diggs has a higher OPS, minimum 25 at-bats.
"Cali was our third baseman going into the spring, but it just didn’t work out for him offensively," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. "But as of now, yeah, he’s definitely our third baseman."
CONTINUE READING HERE
