FAYETTEVILLE — With the season officially past the halfway point of of SEC play, Dave Van Horn is pulling out all of the stops get Cody Adcock back on track, including giving him the starting nod in Tuesday’s Arkansas vs UCA midweek matchup.
The right-hander was expected to be one of the Razorbacks’ top arms, but he has been very inconsistent this season. There have been some great moments, most notably six shutout innings in a start against Auburn, but he’s had even more outings in which he’s been hit hard.
This is actually the second straight week Adcock has been tabbed the starter in a midweek game for Arkansas baseball. Last week, he gave up just two earned runs in four innings against Little Rock. On the surface, that doesn’t seem too bad, but he allowed eight base runners by giving up five hits and three walks.
“We just need to get him going,” Van Horn said last week. “It didn’t go very good. We just wanted to him out there to throw the ball over the plate, see if he could get them out. … To me, he’s a little jittery, he’s a little wound up. He’s got to calm down, and we’re trying to get him there.”
In a team-high 15 appearances, which includes three starts, Adcock has a 6.37 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 28 strikeouts and 11 walks in 29 2/3 innings this season. Opponents are hitting .270 against him, with eight of their 31 hits being home runs.
The emergence of redshirt junior Dylan Carter and the freshman trio of Gage Wood, Ben Bybee and Christian Foutch has softened the impact of Adcock’s struggles, but having him as a viable option on the weekends would be a significant boost to an Arkansas pitching staff that has dealt with injuries throughout the season.
As always, Best of Arkansas Sports will be at Baum-Walker Stadium and will provide live, inning-by-inning updates of the Arkansas vs UCA midweek matchup below…
LIVE UPDATES — Arkansas vs UCA
Pregame Tidbits
Senior left-hander Dillan Janak will make his first start of the season for UCA baseball. He has a 4.56 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings across 12 appearances this year. This will be his third time pitching at Baum-Walker Stadium, as he was the first guy out of the bullpen in the Bears’ games in Fayetteville the last two seasons. He allowed 10 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in those two appearances.
Arkansas is 3-0 all-time against UCA. It won both of those meetings in Fayetteville in blowout fashion, 21-8 in 2021 and 21-9 in 2022. However, the last Arkansas vs UCA matchup went extra innings, with the Razorbacks pulling out a 2-1 win at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
While you wait for first pitch, enjoy this savage tweet from former Arkansas pitcher Evan Taylor, in which he takes a shot at a couple of his old teammates.
T-1st: Arkansas 0, UCA 0
Sturgeon drew a full-count walk to start the game, but Adcock settled in after that. He struck out Seldomridge on three pitches and then got Mendolia to fly out to center on a 1-0 pitch. To end the inning, Sturgeon took off for second before Adcock even began his windup. It took a second for him to realize what was going on, but Adcock eventually spun around and got the out.
B-1st: Arkansas 0, UCA 0
Josenberger tried bunting for a hit on the first pitch of the home half of the first, but Janak made a nice play to get to it and fire a strike to first, beating him by half of a step. Stovall followed with a single through the right side. He then stole second on Bohrofen’s strikeout, using a fantastic slide to avoid the tag. He was stranded there, though, as Diggs grounded out to first.
T-2nd: UCA 1, Arkansas 0
UCA didn’t need a hit to take the lead in the second. After a groundout by Johnson, Adcock plunked King and Hafley in back-to-back at bats. During Argenta’s at bat, King stole third and then scored first when Polk tried throwing behind Hafley at first and the ball got away from McLaughlin. The run would have scored without the error because Argenta ended up lining out to left. The inning ended when Bowman grounded into a fielder’s choice.
B-2nd: Arkansas 3, UCA 1
Cali opened the bottom half of the second with a 104 mph rocket into center for a single. McLaughlin followed with a single of his own, but his was a 70 mph blooper into right. Jones worked the count full before his foul tip was caught by the catcher for a strikeout. That brought up Coll, who delivered an RBI single through the left side to tie it up. After Polk reached on an infield single to load the bases, Josenberger singled through the left side to drive in two more runs. That’s it for Janak.
The new pitcher for UCA is left-hander Brady Walker. He got Stovall to pop out on the infield, but then plunked Bohrofen to load the bases. Diggs grounded out to second to strand them loaded, though.
T-3rd: Arkansas 3, UCA 1
Leonard flied out to shallow right to start the inning, with Diggs having to run in for the catch, and then Sturgeon jumped on the first pitch he saw for a double that was just out of the reach of Bohrofen in left-center. Adcock bounced back by striking out Seldomridge and getting Mendolia to ground out to short. He has thrown 35 pitches through three innings.
B-3rd: Arkansas 3, UCA 1
Cali flied out to shallow right to start the third, but McLaughlin followed with a line drive the other way over the third baseman’s head for a single. That prompted a pitching change by the Bears.
The new pitcher for UCA is right-hander Cade Fenton. He struck out Jones and got Coll to line out to left. The latter was hit 103 mph, though.
T-4th: Arkansas 3, UCA 1
Adcock is still on the mound for Arkansas. He threw his first 1-2-3 inning of the night, but it took 17 pitches – his longest inning, from a pitch perspective, of the night. He got Johnson to fly out to right, King to pop out on the infield and then struck out Hafley. He’s at 52 pitches and that might be it for him.
B-4th: Arkansas 3, UCA 1
Polk grounded out to second to start the inning, with the second baseman making a nice play to knock down his sharp grounder, recover and still throw him out at first. Josenberger struck out looking and it appeared it’d be a 1-2-3 inning, but Stovall’s grounder down the line hit the bag and allowed him to reach on an infield single. Bohrofen hit a 107 mph line drive up the middle, but the shortstop was positioned perfectly to catch it.
T-5th: Arkansas 3, UCA 1
Now pitching for Arkansas: freshman left-hander Parker Coil. He got Argenta to ground out to second before Bowman reached on an infield single. Coll got to it, but his throw was a tad late. It would have been a sensational play, though. Leonard flied out to center for the second out, bringing up the top of the lineup. Bowman swiped second and then Sturgeon lined a single into center. It looked like an RBI single, but Josenberger came up firing and made a solid throw to the plate. Still, the runner appeared to slide in safely ahead of Polk’s tag, but he was called out. UCA challenged the call and it was confirmed.
B-5th: Arkansas 3, UCA 1
Diggs singled to left center after fouling off three straight pitches and then took second when the center fielder got his feet tangled up and fell down. Cali popped out to second before a sharp ground out by McLaughlin, the latter of which moved Diggs to third. However, he was stranded there when Jones grounded out to second.
T-6th: Arkansas 3, UCA 1
Seldomridge tried bunting for a hit, but Coil fielded it cleanly and tossed to first for the out. Mendolia reached on a one-out single, but he was stranded when Johnson struck out and King grounded out to short. McLaughlin made a nice pick on a low throw by Coll for the final out.
B-6th: Arkansas 3, UCA 1
Fenton was two strikes away from an immaculate inning after striking out Coll and Polk on three pitches and getting ahead 0-1 against Josenberger, but he ended up hitting a two-out single. Stovall made solid contact toward left center, but his line drive hooked toward the left fielder for an easy out.
T-7th: Arkansas 3, UCA 3
Hafley singled up the middle to start the seventh and was replaced by a pinch runner, former Arkansas outfielder Trey Harris. He was able to jog around the bases because Noah Argenta hit a home run into the left field bullpen. That ties the game at 3-3 and is it for Coil.
The new pitcher for Arkansas is freshman right-hander Christian Foutch, who closed Sunday’s win over Tennessee. He struck out Bowman and then Leonard tried bunting for a hit, but Foutch – like Coil earlier – handled it perfectly. Sturgeon grounded out to second to end the inning. Foutch needed only nine pitches to retire UCA in order.
B-7th: Arkansas 6, UCA 3
Harris did not stay in the game. He was replaced at first base by Jack McLaughlin, the twin brother of Arkansas first baseman Jack McLaughlin. Bohrofen hit a sharper grounder (101 mph exit velocity) to second, but it was an easy play for the first out of the inning. Diggs then hit a fly ball to center, but the center fielder couldn’t find it and it fell for a double. Cali followed with a sharp grounder to third that the third baseman booted. It could have been ruled an error, but the scorer gave him a single.
With runners on first and second, McLaughlin flied out to left. Brady Slavens then pinch hit for Jones and hit a grounder up the middle that the shortstop fielded on the right side of the bag. It looked like he thought about trying to get the runner coming to second, but then tried throwing to first. By that point, it was too late and Slavens beat it out. Diggs never stopped running on the play and the first baseman’s throw home was wild. The run scored and runners moved to second and third. The call at first went to replay review and stood as called.
Coll was hit by a pitch and that’s it for Fenton. The new pitcher is right-hander Mason Griffin. It looked like he struck out Polk in a full count, but his pitch on the corner was called a ball. The walk brought in another run and kept the inning alive. Griffin’s first pitch to Josenberger bounced in front of the plate and got away from the catcher for a run-scoring wild pitch. Josenberger struck out to finally end the inning.
T-8th: Arkansas 6, UCA 3
Foutch is still on the mound for Arkansas. He issued a leadoff walk to Seldomridge and then plunked Mendolia. Johnson hit a 105 mph grounder up the middle, but Stovall was positioned perfectly to start a 4-6-3 double play. That moved Seldomridge to third with two outs. King nearly hit a two-run homer, but his deep fly hooked just foul down the left field line. He ended up walking and stealing second. They were stranded in scoring position when McLaughlin went down swinging.
B-8th: Arkansas 6, UCA 3
Stovall drew a leadoff walk and UCA is making another pitching change. The new pitcher for the Bears is Oliver Laufman, who gave up just one run in seven innings against the Razorbacks last year. Bohrofen hit a pop up in the infield that UCA couldn’t catch, but it got the force out at second, so it’s a fielder’s choice. Diggs and Cali also grounded into fielder’s choice outs.
T-9th: Arkansas 6, UCA 3
Austin Ledbetter is in to pitch for Arkansas in a save situation. He promptly gave up a leadoff single to Noah Argenta. Bowman looked like he grounded into a double play, but Cali had a hard time getting the ball out of his glove, so Arkansas could only get the force at second. Leonard was then hit by a pitch, bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of leadoff man Drew Sturgeon. He struck out after hitting a deep fly that hooked foul. Pinch hitter Connor Flagg hit a ball that looked like it might fall in left, but Coll made a nice running grab to end the game.
FINAL: Arkansas 6, UCA 3
BOX SCORE – Arkansas 6, UCA 3
Starting Lineups – Arkansas vs UCA
UCA Baseball | Arkansas Baseball |
---|---|
1. Drew Sturgeon – CF | 1. Tavian Josenberger – CF |
2. Kade Seldomridge – LF | 2. Peyton Stovall – 2B |
3. AJ Mendolia – 3B | 3. Jace Bohrofen – LF |
4. Kolby Johnson – RF | 4. Kendall Diggs – RF |
5. Mason King – DH | 5. Caleb Cali – 3B |
6. Evan Hafley – 1B | 6. Ben McLaughlin – 1B |
7. Noah Argenta – C | 7. Jayson Jones – DH |
8. Reid Bowman – SS | 8. Harold Coll – SS |
9. Tanner Leonard – 2B | 9. Hudson Polk – C |
Pitching: Sr. LHP Dillan Janak | Pitching: Jr. RHP Cody Adcock |
Baseball Schedule This Week
Tuesday — vs UCA — 6 p.m. CT (SECN+)
Thursday — at Georgia — 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
Friday — at Georgia — 5 p.m. CT (SECN+)
Saturday — at Georgia — 1 p.m. CT (SECN+)
Accountability Check — 2023 Arkansas Baseball Predictions
Best of Arkansas Sports managing editor Andrew Hutchinson published his week-by-week predictions for the 2023 season just before the Razorbacks opened the year at the College Baseball Showdown. Those predictions can be read in full here, but we’ll also be doing weekly “accountability checks” in this space.
Prediction: 2-1 on the weekend / 27-10 overall, 9-6 in SEC play
Ah yes, the series everyone is looking forward to. We were robbed of this matchup last season because of the way the schedules fell, but Arkansas and Tennessee played a heated series in Knoxville two years ago. The Razorbacks came out on top, but what everyone remembers was the postgame spat between Dave Van Horn and Tony Vitello. Attendance records will fall this weekend, assuming the weather is nice, and Arkansas will be fired up, so it at least takes two of three — but I honestly wouldn’t be stunned by a sweep.
Actual: 3-0 on the weekend / 29-7 overall, 11-4 in SEC play
I should have been bold and picked the sweep. Instead, it’s the second weekend in a row that Arkansas has exceeded my preseason pick by one game.
Composite College Baseball Top 25
Unlike football and basketball, which have just the AP and Coaches Polls all year (with football adding the CFP rankings late in the season), college baseball has six major polls.
To get a better feel for how teams stack up, BoAS has combined those rankings into a single top 25 by using a points system in which a No. 1 ranking = 25 points, No. 2 = 24 points and all the way to No. 25 = 1 point. We will update this each week throughout the season…
Team | Conference | Change | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1. LSU | SEC | — | 150 |
2. Wake Forest | ACC | — | 141 |
3. Florida | SEC | — | 138 |
4. Vanderbilt | SEC | — | 134 |
5. Arkansas | SEC | +1 | 127 |
6. South Carolina | SEC | -1 | 119 |
7. Virginia | ACC | — | 109 |
8. East Carolina | AAC | +2 | 107 |
9. Stanford | Pac-12 | -1 | 97 |
10. Louisville | ACC | -1 | 92 |
11. Kentucky | SEC | — | 88 |
12. Campbell | Big South | +2 | 77 |
13. Coastal Carolina | Sun Belt | +6 | 70 |
14. Texas | Big 12 | +3 | 62 |
15. North Carolina | ACC | -3 | 60 |
16. Texas Tech | Big 12 | +4 | 54 |
17. Miami (Fla.) | ACC | +8 | 46 |
18. Arizona State | Pac-12 | +3 | 45 |
19. UConn | Big East | +4 | 40 |
20. Boston College | ACC | -5 | 33 |
21. Oregon | Pac-12 | +9 | 27 |
22. UCLA | Pac-12 | -1 | 26 |
23. Tennessee | SEC | -10 | 18 |
24. Dallas Baptist | C-USA | +5 | 16 |
t-25. Cal State-Fullerton | Big West | +1 | 13 |
t-25. Oregon State | Pac-12 | n/a | 13 |
MOVED IN: Oregon (21), Dallas Baptist (24), Cal State-Fullerton (t-25), Oregon State (t-25)
MOVED OUT: Oklahoma State (16), Florida Gulf Coast (18), USC (24)
Conference Breakdown
- SEC: 7
- ACC: 6
- Pac-12: 5
- Big 12: 2
- AAC: 1
- Big East: 1
- Big South: 1
- Big West: 1
- C-USA: 1
- Sun Belt: 1
***
More coverage of Arkansas baseball from BoAS…