Hogs 5th in baseball preseason rankings
FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas baseball team will begin the 2020 season in an increasingly familiar situation: Highly ranked.
The Razorbacks were ranked No. 5 in the preseason USA Today coaches poll that was released Thursday. It is the program’s second-highest preseason ranking ever in the poll, and highest since Arkansas was ranked No. 1 to begin the 2013 season.
It is the fifth time since 2007 that Coach Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks have started the season ranked in the coaches top 10 and the second time in three years. They were ranked No.
6 to begin the 2018 season and No. 12 to start last year.
Counting this year’s preseason poll, Arkansas has been ranked in 42 consecutive coaches polls dating to March 2017.
Arkansas is coming off a 46-20 season that included a share of the SEC Western Division championship and an appearance in the College World Series for the second consecutive year. The Razorbacks return six position starters and two weekend starting pitchers from last year but must replace multiple top relievers, including two-year ace closer Matt Cronin.
Outfielder Heston Kjerstad and shortstop Casey Martin, both juniors,
are consensus preseason All-Americans. Arkansas also returns All-SEC players in designated hitter Matt Goodheart, outfielder Christian Franklin and pitchers Connor Noland and Patrick Wicklander. Goodheart was second-team all-conference along with Kjerstad and Martin last season, and Franklin, Noland and Wicklander were on the league’s all-freshman team.
Arkansas is one of nine SEC teams ranked in the coaches poll and one of six in the top 10. Reigning national champion Vanderbilt received 20 of 31 first-place votes in the poll and will begin defense of its title ranked No. 1.
The Commodores are followed by Louisville (No. 2), Texas Tech (3), Georgia (4) and Arkansas. Louisville received 10 first-place votes, and Florida received one first-place vote in the poll.
Other ranked SEC teams are Mississippi State (6), Auburn (9), Florida (10), LSU (12), Texas A&M (21) and Ole Miss (23).
The Razorbacks are scheduled to host Georgia and Florida from the SEC East and play every SEC West team this season. None of Arkansas’ scheduled nonconference opponents are ranked, but Oklahoma, Texas and South Alabama received votes in the poll, as did South Carolina and Tennessee, the Razorbacks’ other cross-divisional opponents.
Arkansas is scheduled to begin preseason practice Saturday with a noon scrimmage at Baum-Walker Stadium that is open to the public, weather permitting. The first practice was rescheduled from Friday because of a forecast that includes snow flurries and temperatures in the 30s.
The Razorbacks are scheduled to begin the season Feb. 14 with the first game in a three-game home series against Eastern Illinois.