All-American Knight expected to start Sunday in CWS opener

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Razorbacks junior right-handed pitcher Blaine Knight, of Bryant, was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Associations All-American First Team on Wednesday.

Knight (12-0, 2.84 ERA) is expected to start his 18th game this season in the Razorbacks’ first-round College World Series game against the Texas Longhorns (42-21) at 1 p.m. Sunday at T.D. Ameritrade Park Omaha in Nebraska. Knight’s latest starts include victories over Oral Roberts (38-20) at the Fayetteville Regional and over South Carolina (37-26) at the Fayetteville Super Regional, which propelled Arkansas to the CWS. Arkansas

(44-19) hosted both rounds of the 2018 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament at Baum Stadium.

Sunday’s game is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN (Resort Channel 30).

Knight, a recent third round selection in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, becomes the Razorbacks’ 23rd baseball All-American, starting with eventual Major League pitcher Tim Lollar as a designated hitter in 1978 through Andrew Benintendi, the 2015 Golden Spikes winner and current Boston Red Sox outfielder.

Razorbacks freshman third baseman Casey Martin, of Lonoke, and freshman left fielder Heston Kjerstad, of Amarillo, Texas, both were named Wednesday to the NCBWA’s Freshman All-American Team.

As the Longhorns, beaten 13-4 and 7-5 by Arkansas on March

13-14 at Baum Stadium, prepare their Arkansas scouting reports, don’t be surprised if Texas coach David Pierce spends the most time game-planning against a Razorback not included among top three hitters Martin, a team-leading .344 batting average, 13 home runs and 46 RBIs; redshirt senior second baseman Carson Shaddy, of Fayetteville, .341, 13 home runs and 52 RBIs; and Kjerstad .340, 14 home runs and 54 RBIs.

Junior switch-hitting right fielder Eric Cole hits just a little below them at .329, but is above them in the order as the leadoff hitter with pop. He has 14 home runs and 50 RBIs this season.

“As Cole goes, we go,” coach Dave Van Horn described his Arkansas attack for its last two games, even taking none of the aforementioned three leading hitters, plus senior designated hitter Luke Bonfield, senior first baseman Jared Gates, junior shortstop Jax Biggers and sophomore center fielder Dominic Fletcher.

Arkansas never led off with a man reaching base in Sunday afternoon’s 8-5 super regional loss to South Carolina after beating the Gamecocks, 9-3, Saturday night.

Cole scored five runs to set the table for Monday night’s

14-4 gashing of the Gamecocks in the super regional finale for

Arkansas to advance to Omaha. His walk in the first inning began a five-run frame, he singled to lead off a two-run second inning and doubled to lead off and scored in the fourth inning. He worked a bases-loaded walk with nobody out for an RBI in the fifth inning, when Arkansas scored five runs, and clouted a solo home run with one out in the seventh inning.

“Eric Cole was locked in tonight, and he got us rolling,” Van Horn said.

The Longhorns have already experienced Cole rolling them over.

A Texas native and alum of Southlake Carroll High, Cole turned on Texas pitching during the two nonconference victories at Baum Stadium. Then batting in the two-hole, Cole went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs, triggering the 13-4 lashing of the Longhorns. He only went 1-for-5 in the next day’s rematch with a seventh-inning double, but he scored the sixth run and ultimately put the game away in the sixth inning on first baseman Jordan McFarland’s double.