Friday NCAA
- Thread starter 1837
- Start date
UT baseball preview: Arkansas at Tennessee
By Mark Burgess
March 30, 2007
# Where: Lindsey Nelson Stadium
# When: 7 tonight; 4 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.# Series Record: Tennessee leads 22-18 dating to 1992.
# Probable Starting Pitchers: Tonight - Arkansas' Nick Schmidt (Jr., LHP, 5-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. UT's James Adkins (Jr., LHP, 3-3, 3.00); Saturday - Arkansas' Duke Welker (Jr., RHP, 4-1, 3.19) vs. UT's Craig Cobb (Sr., RHP, 5-2, 4.50); Sunday - Arkansas' (TBA) vs. UT's Lance McClain (Soph., LHP, 5-2, 4.58).
# Arkansas (19-8, 4-2 SEC): The No. 7-ranked Razorbacks are coming off a 5-3 loss Tuesday at Oral Roberts. The team picked by coaches to win the SEC West already has SEC series victories against Kentucky and Vanderbilt. All-America left-handed pitcher Nick Schmidt starts tonight and was a teammate of UT's J.P. Arencibia and Julio Borbon on the 2006 USA National Team. Offensively, Arkansas is led by junior left fielder Casey Coon with a .347 average and 36 RBIs. Senior first baseman Danny Hamblin adds pop to the lineup with a team-high seven home runs. Sophomore third baseman Logan Forsythe is hitting .366.
# Tennessee (17-9, 4-2): The Vols have won 11 of their past 13 games and five in a row. UT pitcher James Adkins is second in the SEC with 58 strikeouts. Another bonus attraction tonight is Borbon making his return to center field for the first time since suffereing a broken left ankle in preseason. Sophomore shortstop Tony Delmonico is hitting .455 in SEC games. Junior right fielder Andy Simunic leads the Vols with his .355 average and 17 stolen bases. Freshman first baseman Yan Gomes has a team-high five home runs and 21 RBIs.
By Mark Burgess
March 30, 2007
# Where: Lindsey Nelson Stadium
# When: 7 tonight; 4 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.# Series Record: Tennessee leads 22-18 dating to 1992.
# Probable Starting Pitchers: Tonight - Arkansas' Nick Schmidt (Jr., LHP, 5-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. UT's James Adkins (Jr., LHP, 3-3, 3.00); Saturday - Arkansas' Duke Welker (Jr., RHP, 4-1, 3.19) vs. UT's Craig Cobb (Sr., RHP, 5-2, 4.50); Sunday - Arkansas' (TBA) vs. UT's Lance McClain (Soph., LHP, 5-2, 4.58).
# Arkansas (19-8, 4-2 SEC): The No. 7-ranked Razorbacks are coming off a 5-3 loss Tuesday at Oral Roberts. The team picked by coaches to win the SEC West already has SEC series victories against Kentucky and Vanderbilt. All-America left-handed pitcher Nick Schmidt starts tonight and was a teammate of UT's J.P. Arencibia and Julio Borbon on the 2006 USA National Team. Offensively, Arkansas is led by junior left fielder Casey Coon with a .347 average and 36 RBIs. Senior first baseman Danny Hamblin adds pop to the lineup with a team-high seven home runs. Sophomore third baseman Logan Forsythe is hitting .366.
# Tennessee (17-9, 4-2): The Vols have won 11 of their past 13 games and five in a row. UT pitcher James Adkins is second in the SEC with 58 strikeouts. Another bonus attraction tonight is Borbon making his return to center field for the first time since suffereing a broken left ankle in preseason. Sophomore shortstop Tony Delmonico is hitting .455 in SEC games. Junior right fielder Andy Simunic leads the Vols with his .355 average and 17 stolen bases. Freshman first baseman Yan Gomes has a team-high five home runs and 21 RBIs.
Arkansas vs. Tennessee matchups
FAYETTEVILLE ? Position-byposition matchups for this weekend?s SEC series between Arkansas and Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn.:
Catcher
A huge part of the Volunteers? heart and soul was missing when junior J. P. Arencibia (. 274, 2 HR, 14 RBI ) injured his lower back. His bat is still slow to arrive like it has been in the past, but his presence has made an impact in Tennessee?s recent surge. Arkansas is hoping the grand slam Brian Walker (. 206, 4 HR, 18 RBI ) hit last week will signal the junior?s annual spring uprising. The past two seasons suggest it will come in late April rather than late March.
ADVANTAGE Tennessee
First base
Danny Hamblin could already be Arkansas? all-time home run leader if the Razorbacks played more games at Oral Roberts, where in four games Hamblin (. 220, 7 HR, 24 RBI ) has hit five of his 42 home runs. He is tied for second with Jeff King and is 14 behind all-time leader Ryan Lundquist. Freshman Yan Gomes (. 347, 5 HR, 21 RBI ), part of Tennessee Coach Rod Delmonico?s Miami pipeline to Knoxville, has thrived in his first season.
ADVANTAGE None
Second base
Tennessee?s newcomer of the year will be tricky since so many rookies are having solid seasons. Danny Lima (. 309, 1 HR, 17 RBI ), a junior college transfer from Miami, has some pop in his bat with nine extrabase hits in 97 at-bats. Arkansas will need a healthy Ben Tschepikow (. 333, 1 HR, 19 RBI ) this weekend. Tschepikow, who has been bothered by a kidney stone, leads the team with a. 469 average (15 for 32 ) with runners in scoring position.
ADVANTAGE Arkansas
Shortstop
Volunteers sophomore Tony Delmonico (. 323, 4 HR, 18 RBI ) is everything you?d expect from a coach?s son ? scrappy, determined and fearless. The bad news for Tennessee?s future opponents is in Rod Delmonico?s gene pool. He has two more talented sons playing high school baseball in the Knoxville area. Arkansas sophomore Matt Willard (. 262, 1 RBI ) will likely get a middle infield start and perhaps spell freshman shortstop Tim Smalling (. 300, 1 HR, 13 RBI ) at some point.
ADVANTAGE Tennessee
Third base
Tennessee native Logan Forsythe (Memphis ) would like nothing more than to start another hitting streak against the Volunteers. Forsythe (. 366, 4 HR, 20 RBI ) had his streak snapped at 10 games at Oral Roberts on Tuesday but is the Razorbacks? surprise leading hitter. Tennessee?s Cody Brown (. 266, 3 HR, 19 RBI ) also has shown a lot of improvement from his freshman to sophomore seasons.
ADVANTAGE Arkansas
Outfield
Julio Borbon?s return from a broken leg has left him with designated hitter duties, but the Volunteers replaced speed with speed. Right fielder Andy Simunic (. 355, 14 RBI, 17 SB ) is another impact junior college transfer, and Jeff Lockwood (. 275, 2 HR, 15 RBI ) will start somewhere. Center fielder Jarred Frazier (. 233, 11 RBI ) and right fielder Shawn Griffin (. 284, 1 HR, 8 RBI ) are trying to heat up. Razorbacks left fielder Casey Coon (. 347, 5 HR, 36 RBI ) will play somewhere despite a sore knee. Center fielder Jake Dugger (. 289, 3 HR, 10 RBI ) needs to reach base more and is hitting just. 167 in SEC play.
ADVANTAGE Tennessee
Designated hitter
The Razorbacks prefer to have red-hot junior Jeff Nutt (. 281, 1 HR, 18 RBI ), who is batting. 474 in SEC play. But if Casey Coon?s knee is sore enough for him to play DH, Nutt may not have another spot. He could play one game at catcher for Brian Walker. The Vols have been forced to play star outfielder Julio Borbon (. 300, 3 RBI ) in this spot until he?s healthy enough to start in center. He could play in the field this weekend.
ADVANTAGE Arkansas
Starting rotation
The Volunteers? Friday and Saturday starters, James Adkins (3-3, 3. 03 ERA ) and Craig Cobb (5-2, 4. 50 ), are grizzled veterans of SEC play. They?ll bring different looks: Adkins a hard-throwing junior left-hander and Cobb a senior right-hander who depends on getting ground-ball outs from his off-speed pitches. The Razorbacks will have ace Nick Schmidt (5-0, 1. 80 ) complemented Saturday by improving junior right-hander Duke Welker (4-0, 3. 19 ). Arkansas hasn?t decided on a Sunday starter yet, but Tennessee will go with sophomore Lance McClain (5-2, 4. 58 ), who threw five important innings of relief last Sunday when the Vols completed a sweep of Georgia.
ADVANTAGE None
Bullpen
Arkansas can?t keep depending on three pitchers ? starters Nick Schmidt and Duke Welker and ace reliever Jess Todd (3-2, 4. 34 ) ? if it wants to make a run to the College World Series. Travis Hill (1-1, 6. 16 ) has been up and down as a junior transfer, while seniors Brian McLelland (1-1, 5. 65 ) and Chris Rhoads (2-0, 4. 32 ) have excelled before but are unpredictable. Tennessee leans on closer Jeff Lockwood (2-0, 0. 55 ). Freshman left-hander Nick Hernandez (2-2, 7. 33 ), who started last Sunday?s game against Georgia, will likely pitch in relief this weekend.
ADVANTAGE Tennessee
Intangibles
It?s an even matchup statistically. The teams have similar records (Arkansas 19-8, Tennessee 17-9 ), and each is hitting. 291. The Volunteers? staff ERA of 4. 42 is slightly higher than Arkansas? 4. 14, but Arkansas is ranked seventh and Tennessee is still out of the poll. The difference for Tennessee scoring a series upset could be Lindsey Nelson Stadium, a facility that has been unkind to recent Razorbacks teams. Coach Dave Van Horn?s clubs are just 1-5 in two trips to Knoxville, though the one victory was by tonight?s starter Nick Schmidt, who can get the Razorbacks off to a quick start. Still, Tennessee?s record is deceiving considering its two best players, J. P. Arencibia and Julio Borbon, have missed a combined 26 games. The Razorbacks already scored an impressive series victory at Kentucky to open SEC play, but Tennessee has faced adversity while the Wildcats hadn?t. Throw in the Knoxville factor and Arkansas? thin pitching depth, and the Volunteers should win a tight series.
ADVANTAGE Tennessee
FAYETTEVILLE ? Position-byposition matchups for this weekend?s SEC series between Arkansas and Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn.:
Catcher
A huge part of the Volunteers? heart and soul was missing when junior J. P. Arencibia (. 274, 2 HR, 14 RBI ) injured his lower back. His bat is still slow to arrive like it has been in the past, but his presence has made an impact in Tennessee?s recent surge. Arkansas is hoping the grand slam Brian Walker (. 206, 4 HR, 18 RBI ) hit last week will signal the junior?s annual spring uprising. The past two seasons suggest it will come in late April rather than late March.
ADVANTAGE Tennessee
First base
Danny Hamblin could already be Arkansas? all-time home run leader if the Razorbacks played more games at Oral Roberts, where in four games Hamblin (. 220, 7 HR, 24 RBI ) has hit five of his 42 home runs. He is tied for second with Jeff King and is 14 behind all-time leader Ryan Lundquist. Freshman Yan Gomes (. 347, 5 HR, 21 RBI ), part of Tennessee Coach Rod Delmonico?s Miami pipeline to Knoxville, has thrived in his first season.
ADVANTAGE None
Second base
Tennessee?s newcomer of the year will be tricky since so many rookies are having solid seasons. Danny Lima (. 309, 1 HR, 17 RBI ), a junior college transfer from Miami, has some pop in his bat with nine extrabase hits in 97 at-bats. Arkansas will need a healthy Ben Tschepikow (. 333, 1 HR, 19 RBI ) this weekend. Tschepikow, who has been bothered by a kidney stone, leads the team with a. 469 average (15 for 32 ) with runners in scoring position.
ADVANTAGE Arkansas
Shortstop
Volunteers sophomore Tony Delmonico (. 323, 4 HR, 18 RBI ) is everything you?d expect from a coach?s son ? scrappy, determined and fearless. The bad news for Tennessee?s future opponents is in Rod Delmonico?s gene pool. He has two more talented sons playing high school baseball in the Knoxville area. Arkansas sophomore Matt Willard (. 262, 1 RBI ) will likely get a middle infield start and perhaps spell freshman shortstop Tim Smalling (. 300, 1 HR, 13 RBI ) at some point.
ADVANTAGE Tennessee
Third base
Tennessee native Logan Forsythe (Memphis ) would like nothing more than to start another hitting streak against the Volunteers. Forsythe (. 366, 4 HR, 20 RBI ) had his streak snapped at 10 games at Oral Roberts on Tuesday but is the Razorbacks? surprise leading hitter. Tennessee?s Cody Brown (. 266, 3 HR, 19 RBI ) also has shown a lot of improvement from his freshman to sophomore seasons.
ADVANTAGE Arkansas
Outfield
Julio Borbon?s return from a broken leg has left him with designated hitter duties, but the Volunteers replaced speed with speed. Right fielder Andy Simunic (. 355, 14 RBI, 17 SB ) is another impact junior college transfer, and Jeff Lockwood (. 275, 2 HR, 15 RBI ) will start somewhere. Center fielder Jarred Frazier (. 233, 11 RBI ) and right fielder Shawn Griffin (. 284, 1 HR, 8 RBI ) are trying to heat up. Razorbacks left fielder Casey Coon (. 347, 5 HR, 36 RBI ) will play somewhere despite a sore knee. Center fielder Jake Dugger (. 289, 3 HR, 10 RBI ) needs to reach base more and is hitting just. 167 in SEC play.
ADVANTAGE Tennessee
Designated hitter
The Razorbacks prefer to have red-hot junior Jeff Nutt (. 281, 1 HR, 18 RBI ), who is batting. 474 in SEC play. But if Casey Coon?s knee is sore enough for him to play DH, Nutt may not have another spot. He could play one game at catcher for Brian Walker. The Vols have been forced to play star outfielder Julio Borbon (. 300, 3 RBI ) in this spot until he?s healthy enough to start in center. He could play in the field this weekend.
ADVANTAGE Arkansas
Starting rotation
The Volunteers? Friday and Saturday starters, James Adkins (3-3, 3. 03 ERA ) and Craig Cobb (5-2, 4. 50 ), are grizzled veterans of SEC play. They?ll bring different looks: Adkins a hard-throwing junior left-hander and Cobb a senior right-hander who depends on getting ground-ball outs from his off-speed pitches. The Razorbacks will have ace Nick Schmidt (5-0, 1. 80 ) complemented Saturday by improving junior right-hander Duke Welker (4-0, 3. 19 ). Arkansas hasn?t decided on a Sunday starter yet, but Tennessee will go with sophomore Lance McClain (5-2, 4. 58 ), who threw five important innings of relief last Sunday when the Vols completed a sweep of Georgia.
ADVANTAGE None
Bullpen
Arkansas can?t keep depending on three pitchers ? starters Nick Schmidt and Duke Welker and ace reliever Jess Todd (3-2, 4. 34 ) ? if it wants to make a run to the College World Series. Travis Hill (1-1, 6. 16 ) has been up and down as a junior transfer, while seniors Brian McLelland (1-1, 5. 65 ) and Chris Rhoads (2-0, 4. 32 ) have excelled before but are unpredictable. Tennessee leans on closer Jeff Lockwood (2-0, 0. 55 ). Freshman left-hander Nick Hernandez (2-2, 7. 33 ), who started last Sunday?s game against Georgia, will likely pitch in relief this weekend.
ADVANTAGE Tennessee
Intangibles
It?s an even matchup statistically. The teams have similar records (Arkansas 19-8, Tennessee 17-9 ), and each is hitting. 291. The Volunteers? staff ERA of 4. 42 is slightly higher than Arkansas? 4. 14, but Arkansas is ranked seventh and Tennessee is still out of the poll. The difference for Tennessee scoring a series upset could be Lindsey Nelson Stadium, a facility that has been unkind to recent Razorbacks teams. Coach Dave Van Horn?s clubs are just 1-5 in two trips to Knoxville, though the one victory was by tonight?s starter Nick Schmidt, who can get the Razorbacks off to a quick start. Still, Tennessee?s record is deceiving considering its two best players, J. P. Arencibia and Julio Borbon, have missed a combined 26 games. The Razorbacks already scored an impressive series victory at Kentucky to open SEC play, but Tennessee has faced adversity while the Wildcats hadn?t. Throw in the Knoxville factor and Arkansas? thin pitching depth, and the Volunteers should win a tight series.
ADVANTAGE Tennessee
