Grand Gran

Dallas Baptist outfielder Devlin Granberg put on a hitting display, played two outfield positions during the NCAA Fayetteville Regional and was named MVP after going 12 of 18 with a double, 2 home runs, 7 runs scored and 5 RBI.

Granberg would’ve been 13 of 18 if not for Heston Kjerstad’s home run-saving catch above the left-field fence in the sixth inning Sunday.

All four coaches at the regional sang Granberg’s praises.

“You don’t get him out very much,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. “He reminds me of a righthanded hitting Wade Boggs. He’s always talking to the umpire after every pitch. ‘Was that a strike? Was that a ball?’

“He’s always talking. You try to beat him inside and he gets his hands inside the ball. You try to throw him away, he hits the ball the other way. And he’s got 14 or 15 home runs. He’s like a professional hitter. And I think he’s going to hit with a wood bat. I think he’s going to hit his way to the big leagues.

“How did we pitch him? We pitched him in, we pitched him out. We tried to get him to chase up. We tried to get him to chase down. And then sometimes you just have to throw it over the plate and hope he hits it at somebody.”

The Razorbacks held Granberg to a 2-of-4 night, which included a walk, double, an RBI groundout and the near home run.