Hogs’ Van Horn names starting pitchers
ARLINGTON, Texas — Left-handers Hagen Smith and Hunter Hollan will sandwich veteran righty Will McEntire in the starting rotation for No. 6 University of Arkansas in the season-opening College Baseball Showdown this weekend in Arlington.
Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn, entering his 21st season, announced the rotation Wednesday, two days before the Razorbacks open against No. 24 Texas at Globe Life Field.
Smith, a sophomore from Bullard, Texas, has been at the forefront of the staff throughout preseason scrimmages, when he allowed 1 earned run on 3 hits and 4 walks with 15 strikeouts in 9 innings. A 15-game starter last season, Smith went 7-2 with a 4.66 ERA and earned 2 postseason saves.
“He’s throwing the ball as well as I’ve ever seen him throw the ball,” Arkansas pitching coach Matt Hobbs said. “He’s been much better than he was at any point last season. He’s been throwing the ball great.”
Smith is likely to oppose Texas left-hander Lucas Gordon, a junior preseason All-Big 12 selection after posting a 7-2 record and 3.05 ERA in 85 2/3 innings last year.
The loss of projected weekend starter Jaxon Wiggins to Tommy John surgery made the decision to roll with McEntire (2-2, 2.59) and Hollan, a lanky 6-5, 200-pound junior college transfer, more apparent for Van Horn and Hobbs.
“It was either going to be McEntire or Hollan … who was going to stay in the pen when Wiggins was in,” Van Horn said. “Now he’s out, they’re both in. It’s easy. That’s kind of the way we see it.”
Van Horn said 6-4 right-hander Cody Adcock, a Texarkana native who signed with Ole Miss and transferred from Crowder (Mo.) College, also was under consideration for a starter’s job. Adcock, a standout pitcher for Arkansas High, was rated the No. 3 right-handed pitcher in the state of Arkansas in 2020.
“I thought Cody Adcock has thrown really well,” Van Horn said. “But he’s very versatile.
So we can use him out of the pen.”
McEntire is scheduled to face No. 17 TCU in Saturday’s 7 p.m. game. The Bryant native came on strong late last season, providing key innings in a series-clinching win at Auburn on May 8. The Razorbacks were 9-3 in games McEntire pitched. He logged 212/3 innings in the postseason, including a 7-inning, bullpen-saving stint in an 11-1 win over Auburn at the College World Series.
Hollan, like Smith, will be pitching near his hometown in Sunday’s start against No. 8 Oklahoma State. Hollan, who hails from Hallsville, Texas, transferred from San Jacinto (Texas) College.
“When we got Hunter, I don’t know that we were expecting the stuff to be as good as it is,” Hobbs said last week. “The strikes were always something we knew he did — at San Jac he was a really good strike thrower — but the stuff has gotten a lot better. We got a lot more than we expected out of him and I think he’s got a chance to have a really big year.”
Van Horn said he felt Hollan was up to the task of plugging into the rotation for a team that has participated in three of the last four College World Series.
“Hunter is a strike-throwing lefty,” Van Horn said. “I don’t feel like he’s intimidated by too much. He knows this is a big year for him personally. He’s worked extremely hard and takes it serious. He wants to have a big year.”
Van Horn said Hollan was hitting 95, 96 mph on the radar gun in the fall, causing the coaching staff to think “this is automatic in the ninth [inning],” but thought Hollan would be better with a larger workload.
As for the long-relief and closer’s roles, Van Horn said time on the mound is up for grabs.
Veterans like lefty Zack Morris (6-1, 2.31, 1 save), who has had a rough preseason, and right-handers Brady Tygart (3-4, 3.82, 8 saves) and Austin Ledbetter (0-0, 2.84) will be in the mix along with a large crop of newcomers in what Van Horn has said is the deepest pitching staff of his tenure.
Tygart turned into the primary closer last season, and he is a strong candidate to land that role again, along with Morris and righthanders Gage Wood, Cooper Dossett, Koty Frank and others.
“There’s options there,” Van Horn said. “A couple of them are young options. We just feel good about what we’ve seen for the most part.
“Really, closing, long relief, Brady Tygart has the experience. His season dating back into the fall until now has been a little bit up and down. He’s really shown some pitch-ability as far as more than just a breaking ball. His fastball is good and it’s got movement. He’s learning how to pitch more with three pitches instead of maybe two.
“You could use Morris in that role. We like Gage Wood a little bit towards the end of the game. I think even Cooper Dossett has done really well.”
Dossett, who did not pitch in the fall, has battled through some arm injuries but is healthy now and has a good repertoire.
“Middle relievers, long relievers, you could go with Austin Ledbetter and any of the guys I just mentioned,” Van Horn said. “We even like freshman Parker Coil. He’s got a good breaking ball, throws the ball right around 90 mph and he throws a lot of strikes.
“Again, they’re freshmen. But we’re going to have to put some of these guys out into the fire early and just see what they can do.”
Another interesting bullpen option is left-hander Sean Fitzpatrick, a freshman from Spring, Texas, who has a lower arm slot. Fitzpatrick has worked a couple of times each of the plast two weekends, indicating he could see spot duty against left-handed hitters.
“He kind of throws a high-carry fastball,” Van Horn said. “It’s not overpowering. He’s got a good slider. He’s different. More sidearm, herky-jerky. Kind of hard to pick up. If he could be a guy who can come out of the pen and just get us some lefties a few times a week, that’d be great.”