Hogs healing ahead of Fayetteville Regional

FAYETTEVILLE — It seems like Arkansas will have on hands on deck for the Razorbacks’ home Fayetteville Regional this weekend at Baum Stadium.

Redshirt senior second baseman Carson Shaddy had four days of rest after Arkansas

(39-18) lost, 2-1, Saturday in the semifinals of the 2018 Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Ala. His hand was deeply bruised and nearly broken on March 21 when Mississippi State (31-25) swept the Hogs in Starkville, Miss.

Coach Dave Van Horn said Shaddy’s hand should be better healed for Arkansas’ 2 p.m. regional opener on Friday against Oral Roberts (38-18). Van Horn said the injury bothered the senior during his three hitless games in the SEC Tournament.

Shaddy was 0-for-12 as Arkansas defeated South Carolina

(33-24) in the first round a week ago and No. 1 Florida (42-17),

8-2, on Friday before losing to LSU (37-25) in the semifinals. LSU lost, 9-1, in the finals on Sunday against Ole Miss (46-15).

Junior shortstop Jax Biggers returned to the starting lineup against Florida and went 2-for-3 with a walk. Biggers had been out of the starting lineup since May 11 with a broken finger. He was 1-for-3 against LSU, registering one of only three hits by the Razorbacks. Senior first baseman Jared Gates had the team’s other two hits, including a solo home run for the Razorbacks’ only run.

“Well, I think it’s big,” Van Horn said of Biggers’ return. “It’s big getting that experience out there. It was really good to see him swing the bat well. I think he had six official ABs in the tournament. He had three hits, a couple of walks, something like that. He did a really nice job. Didn’t get a lot of (defensive) action. That first game he played he didn’t even get a ground ball. A couple this last game. It’s good. it gives us some options, and it also gives us a guy who’s been in the middle of it.”

Junior Jack Kenley started all six games Biggers missed at shortstop. Redshirt junior Hunter Wilson has played all over the infield and stunned Florida with an eighth-inning grand slam after entering the game as a pinch runner. Having both options on the bench makes Arkansas the team whose depth was a prime reason so many preseason polls picked the Hogs so high.

“It’s back to where we started at,” Shaddy said. “(Biggers) is grinding through some pain right now, but he brings a lot to the table. You saw his first game back he he had two hits with that finger no even on the bat so that’s pretty impressive. And his speed for sure is a plus.” And the depth.

“Just talking about Kenley and Wilson coming off the bench,” Shaddy mused. “Obviously, you’ve seen they can come in big situations and compete and can help. Wilson’s grand slam and also Kenley filling in for Jax and doing a really good job and being a really good glue guy for us. So, we’re really excited about the depth that we have for sure.”

All helped the Hogs to their national seed, said freshman third baseman Casey Martin, doing more than his share hitting a team-leading .343 with a team-leading 13 home runs. He was the lone Razorback voted to the SEC All-Tournament Team.

“I’m glad to have Jax back for sure,” Martin said. “But Kenley

did an amazing job coming in for Jax when he got hurt. And having Hunter and them … anybody can come off the bench on our team and play just as good as anybody. So, we have a lot of faith in everybody.”

Incidentally, while acknowledging the hand “is still barking at me,” Shaddy said he’s been bitten harder in previous years by injuries, especially an elbow one, he recalled, and played through them.

“I’m not even blaming it on the hand,” Shaddy said of his 0-for-Hoover. “I squared up a lot of balls I took good swings on. I had two games I had two strikeouts each, but the last game against LSU I felt like I had two hits in the bag if (LSU pitcher Zack) Hess didn’t get lucky on the play he made and obviously the shift they made in the last inning.

“My swing was fine. My approach was good. Just one of those things. The baseball gods weren’t with me in my back pocket like they usually are.”

Something he’s pocketed sure seems blossoming. Even after the 0-for-12, Shaddy’s batting average dipped only to .327. The Fayetteville grad has hit 10 home runs and knocked in 27 runs.