Last preseason game story of the year. See y'all in Arlington 
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Happy game week to those who celebrate. Preseason scrimmages are behind us, and the College Baseball Showdown lies ahead at the end of this week.
The Diamond Hogs took the field at Baum-Walker Stadium three times over the last four days, going through their final tune-ups before hitting the road for Arlington, Texas. Here are HawgBeat’s takeaways from the action Thursday, Saturday and Sunday:
Caleb Cali struggles for first time, snaps out of it
During the first two weeks of scrimmages, Cali raked as the Razorbacks' No. 3 hitter, recording two or more hits in all four appearances. This weekend was less kind to him, as he started 1-11 with eight strikeouts. His lone hit was a double, although Hunter Grimes could have easily made the play if he took a good route to the ball.
"It's been going pretty well for me consistently since I've been here," Cali said Sunday. "I think it was good for me to go through that little stretch, and then I figured it out today, which is good, leading into the season."
Figure it out Cali did, completing his Sunday with two balls hit 110 miles per hour — a single through the left side against right-hander Dylan Carter and a 443-foot blast that one-hopped the gate separating the Hog Pen from Razorback Road off righty Gage Wood.
"I see a big-league approach," left-handed pitcher Hunter Hollan said of Cali. "He's probably the most professional hitter, approach-wise, that I've seen. He doesn't go in, he doesn't swing at bad pitches, he sticks to his guns and whatever he goes into that at-bat thinking, he sticks to it. He might get beat, but he gets beat because that pitcher made really good pitches."
Starting rotation becomes clear following Jaxon Wiggins' season-ending injury
The Hogs lost their ace before he could even take the mound for the second straight season Thursday, when it was announced Wiggins needed Tommy John Surgery to repair a torn UCL.
Head coach Dave Van Horn indicated at Monday's Swatter's Club meeting that Hollan and fellow lefty Hagen Smith will get the chance to start next weekend, and based on pitching coach Matt Hobbs' comments, it seems that right-hander Will McEntire will round out the trio.
All three players started during the final round of scrimmages, with Smith throwing Thursday, McEntire on Saturday and Hollan on Sunday. They combined to work 12 innings, allow eight runs on 11 hits, walk four batters and strike out 17.
"With (Wiggins), we would be a lot better, but without him, we're still gonna be a really good pitching staff," Hollan said.
Van Horn is expected to address the media Tuesday, so hopefully he will reveal the rotation then. If this weekend told us anything, however, expect to see Smith start Friday night against Texas, McEntire on Saturday versus TCU and Hollan against Oklahoma State on Sunday.
Kendall Diggs injured
HawgBeat's projected starting designated hitter was not hurt enough not to take swings during this weekend's scrimmages, but he barely made any attempt to run the bases in the last two.
Although Diggs has been confined to the designated hitter spot with whatever issue he is dealing with, it has not stopped him from leading off for the second-teamers or being productive at the plate. The sophomore went 3-7 with a double, a walk and four RBIs in eight plate appearances over the past two games.
His status should be clearer come Tuesday.
Sean Fitzpatrick: Appearances machine
If the action over the past three weeks means anything about what is to come during the regular season, left-handed pitcher Sean Fitzpatrick will take over Evan Taylor's role out of the bullpen.
The freshman has logged work in five of the past six scrimmages, including three scoreless appearances this week. He retired Reese Robinett, Mason Neville and Hudson Polk in order with his team trailing by one run Thursday, got Isaac Webb to bounce it back to him to preserve a tie Saturday and sent Ben McLaughlin, Parker Rowland and Robinett back to the dugout Sunday, all on called third strikes.
He has plenty of competition for playing time with what Van Horn called the deepest pitching staff he has ever coached, but even as a freshman, Fitzpatrick has made a case to see somewhat regular action this season that cannot be ignored.
Too early to write off struggling pitchers
Left-hander Zack Morris and righty Brady Tygart have not fared well throughout the offseason. Both players appeared in three scrimmages this winter, and Tygart was the only one to get through an outing without allowing two or more runs.
The statistics may be some cause for concern, Hobbs said Monday, but it is also important to consider that the 2023 Razorbacks have only seen outside competition twice. Hollan mentioned that he faced the first-teamers for the 14th or 15th time Sunday.
Facing the same hitters over and over will naturally inflate ERAs. It is not worth panicking about Morris and Tygart in particular — definitely not now, and probably not until a few weeks into the campaign.
Jared Wegner is one of the toughest outs on the team
An oblique injury in the fall limited Wegner's playing time, and players such as Cali andPeyton Stovall have spent more time in the spotlight in both the fall and the winter, but the Creighton transfer's ability to work at-bats should not be ignored.
Wegner only managed one hit in 12 plate appearances during the last three scrimmages, but he has a .500 on-base percentage to show for it, thanks to four walks and a hit-by-pitch. In addition to his go-ahead, bases-clearing double Sunday, he lined out to the center fielder Neville, one of the only hard-hit balls Hollan allowed all day.
The left fielder has proven he is more than just a threat in the batter's box as well. During the past three scrimmages, he has stolen five bases, including two as the lead runner on a double steal.
"He can run, and he’ll fool you," Van Horn said Jan. 20. "He doesn’t tell you about anything — not gonna tell you about how good he can hit, how far he can hit it or how fast he is. You just see it, and you’ve gotta like that. He just kind of shows you."
Wegner has been hitting fifth with the first-teamers during the last three weeks, so expect him to remain there as a critical piece of the offense.
Jace Bohrofen quietly heating up
The team captain has not stood out for any reason over the offseason to this point, similar to Wegner, but he had a nice final weekend at the plate.
Bohrofen took right-hander Ben Bybee deep the other way Thursday, drew a pair of walks Saturday and collected two knocks Sunday.
The second-year Razorback is expected to start in right field, and the steady playing time should be good for his confidence.
"The guys are going to look up to me to lead this team," Bohrofen said Jan. 20. "Last year was a freak deal that happened. Sometimes that’s just baseball. Everyone has their own journey. I’m just really excited to get on to this season and play and win games and get to Omaha and hopefully win the last game of the season."
Box scores
The table feature is better on the message board than it is in the body of a story, so follow this link for a thread.
HawgBeat - Takeaways from Diamond Hogs' final weekend of scrimmages
Here are HawgBeat's notes, observations and stats from the last three scrimmages.
arkansas.rivals.com
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Happy game week to those who celebrate. Preseason scrimmages are behind us, and the College Baseball Showdown lies ahead at the end of this week.
The Diamond Hogs took the field at Baum-Walker Stadium three times over the last four days, going through their final tune-ups before hitting the road for Arlington, Texas. Here are HawgBeat’s takeaways from the action Thursday, Saturday and Sunday:
Caleb Cali struggles for first time, snaps out of it
During the first two weeks of scrimmages, Cali raked as the Razorbacks' No. 3 hitter, recording two or more hits in all four appearances. This weekend was less kind to him, as he started 1-11 with eight strikeouts. His lone hit was a double, although Hunter Grimes could have easily made the play if he took a good route to the ball.
"It's been going pretty well for me consistently since I've been here," Cali said Sunday. "I think it was good for me to go through that little stretch, and then I figured it out today, which is good, leading into the season."
Figure it out Cali did, completing his Sunday with two balls hit 110 miles per hour — a single through the left side against right-hander Dylan Carter and a 443-foot blast that one-hopped the gate separating the Hog Pen from Razorback Road off righty Gage Wood.
"I see a big-league approach," left-handed pitcher Hunter Hollan said of Cali. "He's probably the most professional hitter, approach-wise, that I've seen. He doesn't go in, he doesn't swing at bad pitches, he sticks to his guns and whatever he goes into that at-bat thinking, he sticks to it. He might get beat, but he gets beat because that pitcher made really good pitches."
Starting rotation becomes clear following Jaxon Wiggins' season-ending injury
The Hogs lost their ace before he could even take the mound for the second straight season Thursday, when it was announced Wiggins needed Tommy John Surgery to repair a torn UCL.
Head coach Dave Van Horn indicated at Monday's Swatter's Club meeting that Hollan and fellow lefty Hagen Smith will get the chance to start next weekend, and based on pitching coach Matt Hobbs' comments, it seems that right-hander Will McEntire will round out the trio.
All three players started during the final round of scrimmages, with Smith throwing Thursday, McEntire on Saturday and Hollan on Sunday. They combined to work 12 innings, allow eight runs on 11 hits, walk four batters and strike out 17.
"With (Wiggins), we would be a lot better, but without him, we're still gonna be a really good pitching staff," Hollan said.
Van Horn is expected to address the media Tuesday, so hopefully he will reveal the rotation then. If this weekend told us anything, however, expect to see Smith start Friday night against Texas, McEntire on Saturday versus TCU and Hollan against Oklahoma State on Sunday.
Kendall Diggs injured
HawgBeat's projected starting designated hitter was not hurt enough not to take swings during this weekend's scrimmages, but he barely made any attempt to run the bases in the last two.
Although Diggs has been confined to the designated hitter spot with whatever issue he is dealing with, it has not stopped him from leading off for the second-teamers or being productive at the plate. The sophomore went 3-7 with a double, a walk and four RBIs in eight plate appearances over the past two games.
His status should be clearer come Tuesday.
Sean Fitzpatrick: Appearances machine
If the action over the past three weeks means anything about what is to come during the regular season, left-handed pitcher Sean Fitzpatrick will take over Evan Taylor's role out of the bullpen.
The freshman has logged work in five of the past six scrimmages, including three scoreless appearances this week. He retired Reese Robinett, Mason Neville and Hudson Polk in order with his team trailing by one run Thursday, got Isaac Webb to bounce it back to him to preserve a tie Saturday and sent Ben McLaughlin, Parker Rowland and Robinett back to the dugout Sunday, all on called third strikes.
He has plenty of competition for playing time with what Van Horn called the deepest pitching staff he has ever coached, but even as a freshman, Fitzpatrick has made a case to see somewhat regular action this season that cannot be ignored.
Too early to write off struggling pitchers
Left-hander Zack Morris and righty Brady Tygart have not fared well throughout the offseason. Both players appeared in three scrimmages this winter, and Tygart was the only one to get through an outing without allowing two or more runs.
The statistics may be some cause for concern, Hobbs said Monday, but it is also important to consider that the 2023 Razorbacks have only seen outside competition twice. Hollan mentioned that he faced the first-teamers for the 14th or 15th time Sunday.
Facing the same hitters over and over will naturally inflate ERAs. It is not worth panicking about Morris and Tygart in particular — definitely not now, and probably not until a few weeks into the campaign.
Jared Wegner is one of the toughest outs on the team
An oblique injury in the fall limited Wegner's playing time, and players such as Cali andPeyton Stovall have spent more time in the spotlight in both the fall and the winter, but the Creighton transfer's ability to work at-bats should not be ignored.
Wegner only managed one hit in 12 plate appearances during the last three scrimmages, but he has a .500 on-base percentage to show for it, thanks to four walks and a hit-by-pitch. In addition to his go-ahead, bases-clearing double Sunday, he lined out to the center fielder Neville, one of the only hard-hit balls Hollan allowed all day.
The left fielder has proven he is more than just a threat in the batter's box as well. During the past three scrimmages, he has stolen five bases, including two as the lead runner on a double steal.
"He can run, and he’ll fool you," Van Horn said Jan. 20. "He doesn’t tell you about anything — not gonna tell you about how good he can hit, how far he can hit it or how fast he is. You just see it, and you’ve gotta like that. He just kind of shows you."
Wegner has been hitting fifth with the first-teamers during the last three weeks, so expect him to remain there as a critical piece of the offense.
Jace Bohrofen quietly heating up
The team captain has not stood out for any reason over the offseason to this point, similar to Wegner, but he had a nice final weekend at the plate.
Bohrofen took right-hander Ben Bybee deep the other way Thursday, drew a pair of walks Saturday and collected two knocks Sunday.
The second-year Razorback is expected to start in right field, and the steady playing time should be good for his confidence.
"The guys are going to look up to me to lead this team," Bohrofen said Jan. 20. "Last year was a freak deal that happened. Sometimes that’s just baseball. Everyone has their own journey. I’m just really excited to get on to this season and play and win games and get to Omaha and hopefully win the last game of the season."
Box scores
The table feature is better on the message board than it is in the body of a story, so follow this link for a thread.
