It is easy to see why there is so much uneasiness about tonight's Game 3 vs. South Carolina. Arkansas fans are conditioned to expect heartbreak: 1969 Shootout vs. Texas, U.S. Reed's controversial walk vs. Indiana State in 1979, blowing a 7-0 lead vs. Texas in the 1985 CWS, Clint Stoerner's fumble vs. Tennessee in 1998, Reggie Fish's blunder in the 2006 SEC Championship Game, the 2010 Sugar Bowl vs. Ohio State, Perry Costello's B.S. calls vs. South Carolina in the 2012 CWS, the B.S. calls vs. UNC in the 2017 NCAA Tournament... I could go on and on.
Because of that, Baum Stadium is going to be on edge tonight. Anxiety will be at an all-time high for 11k+ fans in attendance. Scoring early and often is going to be huge for the Hogs, IMO, just to loosen everybody up and put everyone - fans, players and coaches - at ease.
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Having the fate of your season rest on the arm of a guy like Isaiah Campbell, who is very hot and cold, is a terrifying thought... Especially when the last time you saw him, he lasted only three batters.
This is just a gut feeling, but I think he is going to be okay. I don't see him giving the Hogs a Kentucky-like performance (8 IP, 1 ER), but I could see him going 4-5 innings and keeping the Gamecocks somewhat down. At that point, Arkansas would probably like to go Jake Reindl-Matt Cronin to close it out. If Reindl doesn't have it like yesterday or Campbell has to leave the game after a couple innings or less, then maybe you see Kole Ramage. Can the freshman perform under pressure?
Because of that, Baum Stadium is going to be on edge tonight. Anxiety will be at an all-time high for 11k+ fans in attendance. Scoring early and often is going to be huge for the Hogs, IMO, just to loosen everybody up and put everyone - fans, players and coaches - at ease.
***
Having the fate of your season rest on the arm of a guy like Isaiah Campbell, who is very hot and cold, is a terrifying thought... Especially when the last time you saw him, he lasted only three batters.
This is just a gut feeling, but I think he is going to be okay. I don't see him giving the Hogs a Kentucky-like performance (8 IP, 1 ER), but I could see him going 4-5 innings and keeping the Gamecocks somewhat down. At that point, Arkansas would probably like to go Jake Reindl-Matt Cronin to close it out. If Reindl doesn't have it like yesterday or Campbell has to leave the game after a couple innings or less, then maybe you see Kole Ramage. Can the freshman perform under pressure?
