Arkansas vs Ole Miss: Detailing Hogs’ Path to Getting Back to Connor Noland on Thursday

Connor Noland

Two days. Two games. Two wins. It’s really as simple as that.

Arkansas’ path back to the College World Series finals couldn’t be more straightforward. Arkansas simply must beat red-hot Ole Miss on consecutive days starting tonight. That’s won’t be easy, as Arkansas baseball players found out on Monday night in a 13-5 loss.

But the prospect of beating the Rebels becomes a lot more imaginable with Razorback ace Connor Noland pitching from the mound. In case anybody forgot, Noland has been sensational lately, especially in Saturday’s dominant performance against Stanford:

So, you have to feel good about Arkansas’ chances if the Razorbacks can make it to Thursday, when Noland would likely next be available to pitch (although Dave Van Horn did say he would consider him for tonight.) The big issue is if the other guys can keep stepping up, like they did with resounding effect on Tuesday night.

Arkansas’ pitching, after all, was supposed to be its weakness this year. For a bulk of the season, it wasn’t. At least, not on paper. The Razorbacks were second in the SEC in earned-run average and strikeouts and third in the best baseball conference in the land when it came to opponents’ batting average.

Arkansas’ Will McEntire put on an absolute show from the mound in a dominant 11-1 win over Auburn. McEntire allowed just one run on three hits with a career-best nine strikeouts – the second-most by a Razorback in CWS history – over a career-best seven innings to earn the win.

Now, Arkansas turns its attention back to Ole Miss. Can someone else step in the same way Noland and McEntire already have?

As Arkansas sports radio host Josh Bertacinni sees it, Arkansas’ best chances of winning come through one of two Razorback freshman All-Americans. On Tuesday, he said he sees Hagen Smith starting and the whole bullpen getting thrown at the Rebels (they will be fresher than ever after not having to throw much on Tuesday). That’s a lot of pressure, of course, for two talented freshmen, but throughout the season they have certainly shown they are capable of rising to the occasion:

On Tuesday night, Razorback reporter Otis Kirk Tweeted: “Don’t be surprised if Hagen Smith is the starter” on Wednesday night. “He had an outstanding game against Ole Miss on April 30 at Baum-Walker Stadium. The Hogs beat Ole Miss and Elliott, who was Monday night’s starter. Smith pitched six innings that night allowing 7 hits, 2 runs 2 walks 8 Ks.”

Arkansas Baseball vs Auburn Recap

In his eighth start of the season, McEntire was spectacular in shutting down the Tigers’ lineup. The redshirt sophomore pitched with the lead all night after the Hogs quickly scored a run in the top of the first thanks to a leadoff double from Braydon Webb and an RBI single from Peyton Stovall, who also had a historic night.

McEntire used his defense in the bottom of the first to work a 1-2-3 inning when a double play from Jalen Battles erased a one-out walk. McEntire took it from there, striking out the next six Tigers.

Those six strikeouts were part of nine straight retired by the Bryant, Ark., native before Sonny DiChiara singled with two outs in the fourth. McEntire responded, however, by collecting his seventh strikeout of the night to end the inning.

The big righty hung zeroes in the fifth and sixth, allowing only a single before Auburn finally got on the scoreboard with a solo homer from Bobby Pierce to lead off the seventh.

With McEntire cruising, the Razorbacks kicked it into high gear at the plate in the third with three runs to stretch their lead. A two-out walk to Michael Turner extended the inning and put runners on first and second for Chris Lanzilli, who punched a single through the right side to score Stovall from second. Robert Moore’s two-run double found the left field corner to cap the two-out rally in the third.

Stovall, Turner and Lanzilli were in the mix again as part of a four-run fourth as Stovall’s double followed Webb’s one-out single before Turner found some more two-out magic with a two-run double down the right field line. Lanzilli followed all that with his second home run of the CWS, a two-run homer deep into the left field seats.

Stovall impressed with the first five-hit game of his collegiate career. Moving up to the two-hole in Dave Van Horn’s lineup on Tuesday, the freshman produced three singles, a double, three RBI and two runs scored.

His five-hit game made him the 16th player in CWS history to record five-plus hits in a game and the first since North Carolina’s Dustin Ackley vs. Southern Miss in 2009. Stovall’s five hits are the most by a player in the history of Charles Schwab Field and match the most ever by a freshman at the CWS.

Stovall was one of five Hogs to record multi-hit games in the win. Webb, Turner, Lanzilli and Moore all contributed multiple hits to the Hogs’ 16 total base knocks. The offense was clutch all night, going 8-for-18 (.444) with 10 two-out RBI.

 It was simply Will McEntire’s night on Tuesday at Charles Schwab Field as he led Arkansas to an 11-1 win over Auburn in an elimination game at the College World Series.

In his eighth start of the season, McEntire was spectacular in shutting down the Tigers’ lineup. The redshirt sophomore pitched with the lead all night after the Hogs quickly scored a run in the top of the first thanks to a leadoff double from Braydon Webb and an RBI single from Peyton Stovall, who also had a historic night.

McEntire used his defense in the bottom of the first to work a 1-2-3 inning when a double play from Jalen Battles erased a one-out walk. McEntire took it from there, striking out the next six Tigers.

Those six strikeouts were part of nine straight retired by the Bryant, Ark., native before Sonny DiChiara singled with two outs in the fourth. McEntire responded, however, by collecting his seventh strikeout of the night to end the inning.

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The big righty hung zeroes in the fifth and sixth, allowing only a single before Auburn finally got on the scoreboard with a solo homer from Bobby Pierce to lead off the seventh. McEntire allowed just one run on three hits with a career-best nine strikeouts – the second-most by a Razorback in CWS history – over a career-best seven innings to earn the win.

With McEntire cruising, the Razorbacks kicked it into high gear at the plate in the third with three runs to stretch their lead. A two-out walk to Michael Turner extended the inning and put runners on first and second for Chris Lanzilli, who punched a single through the right side to score Stovall from second. Robert Moore’s two-run double found the left field corner to cap the two-out rally in the third.

Stovall, Turner and Lanzilli were in the mix again as part of a four-run fourth as Stovall’s double followed Webb’s one-out single before Turner found some more two-out magic with a two-run double down the right field line. Lanzilli followed all that with his second home run of the CWS, a two-run homer deep into the left field seats.

Stovall impressed with the first five-hit game of his collegiate career. Moving up to the two-hole in Dave Van Horn’s lineup on Tuesday, the freshman produced three singles, a double, three RBI and two runs scored.

His five-hit game made him the 16th player in CWS history to record five-plus hits in a game and the first since North Carolina’s Dustin Ackley vs. Southern Miss in 2009. Stovall’s five hits are the most by a player in the history of Charles Schwab Field and match the most ever by a freshman at the CWS.

Stovall was one of five Hogs to record multi-hit games in the win. Webb, Turner, Lanzilli and Moore all contributed multiple hits to the Hogs’ 16 total base knocks. The offense was clutch all night, going 8-for-18 (.444) with 10 two-out RBI.

Arkansas vs Ole Miss is tonight at 6 p.m. on ESPN. (via Razorback Communications):

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