Good article from BA on you Hogs, Hawger. The'te moving Stanek back to Sunday and Killian up to Friday. I don't think anyone would have seen that one coming.
Arkansas
Preseason Question No. 1: Are key sophomores and redshirt freshmen—Joe Serrano, Brian Anderson and Tyler Spoon—ready to assume leading roles in the offense? Answer: Spoon and Anderson have carried the offense so far, and Serrano has shown flashes.
Spoon, a redshirt sophomore outfielder, has been the Hogs' most dangerous hitter, leading the team in batting (.388), slugging (.537), home runs (three) and RBIs (22). He has entrenched himself in the No. 3 hole in the lineup and delivered a number of big hits in late-innings situations, endearing himself to Arkansas fans.
"Tyler Spoon is really good," an American League area scout said. "He's swinging it, he's aggressive, looks confident to me. The fans have taken a liking to him because of his name too—they'll bring giant spoons to the game and wave them around."
Anderson has also been a productive middle-of-the-order bat, hitting .364/.463/.485. Fellow sophomore Serrano hasn't posted big numbers (.278/.323/.309), but his bat-handling skills make him a good fit in the No. 2 hole. The Hogs needed those three players to take major steps forward in order to contend for a national championship this year, and they have.
Preseason Question No. 2: Can Dominic Ficociello handle a move to second base, and is this the year he maximizes his tantalizing offensive potential? Answer: We don't know—he hasn't been healthy.
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn doesn't mince words when he talks about the impact Ficociello's strained oblique has had on his lineup. "Not having Ficociello messes it up," Van Horn said.
Ficociello was supposed to be the switch-hitting centerpiece of the lineup as a junior this spring, but the injury has limited him to five games. The strain is underneath his right arm, and Van Horn said it bothers him when he hits lefthanded, so he hasn't been available against righthanded pitching. He feels OK when he hits righthanded, and he can run, field and throw without pain. But the Hogs are going to err on the side of caution with him, and he doesn't figure to play much this weekend, if at all.
"We're not going to hurt him—he says he's not ready. We're just waiting," Van Horn said. "I don't know how long it's going to be. When he hits lefthanded, it bothers him, and he's scared of it. I don't blame him. We haven't been able to put our lineup on the field all year that we feel real comfortable with."
Preseason Question No. 3: Can Ryne Stanek avoid his annual slow start? Answer: No.
It took Stanek some time to round into top shape in each of his first two seasons at Arkansas, and it's been the same story this year. The first-team preseason All-American has still shown quality stuff—the scout said he's seen Stanek touch 98 mph and show a good power slider at around 88 mph, to go along with an adequate changeup—but he has worked too many deep counts and left too many balls up. Through four starts, Stanek is 1-1, 3.71 with 16 strikeouts and 10 walks in 17 innings, and the Hogs will move him out of his Friday starter job this week. Freshman Trey Killian will get the nod Friday against Wahl, while Stanek will go Sunday.
"Stanek's been a slow starter every year, that's why I'm not starting him Friday night," Van Horn said. "The problem is his pitch count gets up there too fast—we can't live with that right now. He's got to command the fastball better."
Preseason Question No. 4: Is Trey Killian ready to hold down a weekend starter job as a freshman? Answer: No question about it. Killian has been a sensation for Arkansas, going 2-1, 0.86 with 22 strikeouts in 21 innings and leading the nation in WHIP—he has allowed just one walk and six hits so far. The Razorbacks have supreme confidence in him, which is why they'll start him Friday.
"He should be the Friday night guy—he's been their best pitcher. He and (Barrett) Astin," the scout said. "He gets up to 93 and throws strikes. He isn't intimidated, he's out there in control, confident."
Killian complements his heater with a very good slider and a solid change, and he does a good job pitching at the knees. He's also a good athlete who fields his position well. In short, he's very polished for a freshman, and he has front-line ability.
Preseason Question No. 5: Will Barrett Astin and Colby Suggs make Arkansas' bullpen unbeatable? Answer: It's taken a little while for that dynamic duo to materialize, but it's coming.
With senior lefthander Randall Fant banged up early in the season, Astin spent three weeks in the rotation and thrived. Now Fant is back—Van Horn said he'll throw about 80 pitches in his start Saturday—and Astin is back in the bullpen, where he is a fearsome presence.
Astin served as the closer last year, posting 11 saves and a 1.99 ERA, but fellow junior righty Suggs earned first-team preseason All-America honors heading into this season, based largely on his dominance in the Cape Cod League. But Suggs got off to a slow start himself after tweaking his right oblique in January. He's back to 100 percent now, and Van Horn said he showed his best stuff of the year Wednesday against Alabama A&M, working in the 93-95 range.
"The breaking ball is what was good (Wednesday)—he struck a few guys out on that breaking ball," Van Horn said. "When he's going good, that breaking ball is in the zone, and he'll bounce it when he needs to."
Another midweek development could give the bullpen another boost. Sophomore righthander Chris Oliver pitched sparingly last year, due to immaturity more than lack of ability. He was on a short leash in his start Wednesday against Alabama A&M, and the Hogs wound up pulling him after three innings—not because he was struggling, but because he was so good that the Hogs wanted him available on the weekend. Oliver struck out five over three innings of one-hit, shutout ball, pitching at 92-93 and bumping 95 in the first inning.
With veteran lefty Cade Lynch sidelined again with the headaches that have plagued him throughout his career, Oliver gives the Hogs another quality arm. And sophomore Jalen Beeks has emerged as another quality option from the left side, alongside senior Trent Daniel. Beeks, who spent last year at Crowder CC, has made great strides since his high school days, when the Hogs liked him but didn't think he was ready for the SEC.
"He's a tough kid, and he's gotten stronger and bigger," Van Horn said. "He's a 90 mph lefty with a nasty slider and a really good changeup. He's done a tremendous job for us, and he's a real competitor. We're liking him at the back of the bullpen too—him and Astin, and hopefully Suggs here shortly."
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