Kjerstad, Shaddy provide positives

Not all was lost for the Arkansas Razorbacks Sunday even as they lost, 7-4, the final game of a series loss to the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, La.

Arkansas (33-15, 14-10 Southeastern Conference), now tied for No. 6 in the USA Today Baseball Coaches Poll after falling two spots from No. 4, may have increased its long-term postseason hopes and short-term encouragement as freshman left fielder Heston Kjerstad and redshirt second baseman Carson Shaddy won their battles of resiliency.

The Razorbacks will be back at home this weekend for an SEC series at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville with the No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies (34-14, 12-12). Arkansas remains best in the SEC West over a game by No. 8 Ole Miss (36-13,

13-11) and No. 22 Auburn (34-14,

13-11).

The weekend series with A&M is scheduled to begin at

6 p.m. on Friday on the SEC Network (Resort Channel 79). Saturday’s 1 p.m. game will also be broadcast on the SEC Network with the noon finale on Sunday scheduled to be shown on ESPN2 (Resort Channel 29).

Kjerstad suffered an inexplicable “platinum sombrero” in Saturday’s 6-4 loss by striking out five times in five at-bats. He went

2-for-4 Sunday with a home run and three RBIs and is now hitting

.357 with 10 home runs and a team-leading 42 RBIs.

“You talk to him a little bit,” Van Horn said at Monday’s Swatters Club meeting of baseball boosters in Fayetteville. “I think (hitting) coach (Nate) Thompson talked to him a little bit after the game. I just talked to him about mental approach. Physical is fine, but he bounced back yesterday, which is really big for me to see. Even after the loss, I went up to him and said, ‘Hey, great bounce back game, man.’ He said, ‘Yeah, I learned a lot yesterday.”

Already hampered, though since recovered, on his left hand from a hit-by-pitch earlier this season, Shaddy had missed eight consecutive games from a more serious deep contusion on his throwing hand. Shaddy was mostly unable to grip since he was hit by a pitch during the second game of three losses at Mississippi State

(26-22, 11-13).

Shaddy returned to the lineup on Sunday to hit 2-for-4.

“I thought he did a great job,” Van Horn said. “Thursday in BP, he was really hurting. We headed down to Baton Rouge and Friday he hit a round or two and kind of pulled himself out. Saturday, he was a lot better and he even said, ‘If you need me off the bench or to pinch hit… There were a couple of times we were looking at him but it wasn’t the right situation.

“Obviously, he was good to go Sunday. BP was really good. He didn’t show us anything like he was in pain and we felt good about him being in the lineup.”

Shaddy leads the team with a .361 batting average to go with nine home runs and 29 RBIs. Reserves Hunter Wilson got two starts at second base in Shaddy’s absence. Regular freshman third baseman Casey Martin started six games at second with Jack Kenley in his place at third.

Van Horn now publicly ponders starting Wilson or Kenley at first base. They are hitting .265 and .250, respectively. The coach said he was not satisfied with the play of alternating first basemen Jordan McFarland and Jared Gates after the LSU series.

“Kenley’s hitting good,” Van Horn said. “Wilson’s been swinging it pretty good too. He’s a team player, can lay down a bunt. He can hit and run. Take a walk. If I ask him to take a pitch or two he won’t get upset. He’ll hit from behind in the count.”

Arkansas stranded nine runners Saturday, including an inning-ending bases-loaded double play with a 1-0 count after LSU pitcher Ma’Khail Hilliard walked in a run on four pitches.

“We should have scored another four or five runs,” Van Horn said. “Just make contact, stay out of the double play, hit a sac fly. Take a walk. We just didn’t do it.”