Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said his pitching staff was disappointed Friday night, believing it had let the Razorbacks down in the season-ending loss to South Carolina.
Three of Arkansas’ top pitchers — DJ Baxendale, Colby Suggs and Barrett Astin — issued a season-high tying nine walks in the 3-2 loss. While several were the result of some head-scratching work from home plate umpire Perry Costello, the free passes led to the game-tying and game-winning runs in the season-ending loss.
But it didn’t take long for Van Horn to defend them.
He wanted them to know their performance had nothing to do with the season’s end.
“We wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for them,” Van Horn said. “It’s just the frustration, the things you can’t control. You just go out there and do the best you can and can’t control it. Sometimes it helps you and sometimes it hurts you. It could’ve gone either way (Friday).”
Arkansas said in the preseason the pitching staff would be a driving force in its hopes of reaching the College World Series. It proved true. In fact, pitching nearly guided Arkansas into the championship series.
In the end, the Razorbacks finished the NCAA Tournament with a staff earned run average of 1.92. Arkansas finished its four-game stay in Omaha allowing just seven runs. Only one team (Baylor) scored more than four runs on the Razorbacks in an NCAA Tournament game.
“When you’re facing the best hitters and best teams in the nation, to give up only seven runs in the College World Series is unbelievable,” Arkansas third baseman Matt Reynolds said. “It shows what kind of arms we have.”
Said Van Horn: “They backed it up. And they backed it up all the way from the beginning of the year to the end. They didn’t falter.”
The College World Series helped Arkansas wrap up the season with 10 shutouts and a 2.83 earned run average, both of which rank second in school history. The 1976 Razorbacks hold the school record in ERA (2.74). The 1977 team holds the school record for shutouts in a season (13).
Arkansas pitching coach Dave Jorn, who has been with the program for 16 years, made it clear where he thinks the group ranks after the game.
Three of Arkansas’ top pitchers — DJ Baxendale, Colby Suggs and Barrett Astin — issued a season-high tying nine walks in the 3-2 loss. While several were the result of some head-scratching work from home plate umpire Perry Costello, the free passes led to the game-tying and game-winning runs in the season-ending loss.
But it didn’t take long for Van Horn to defend them.
He wanted them to know their performance had nothing to do with the season’s end.
“We wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for them,” Van Horn said. “It’s just the frustration, the things you can’t control. You just go out there and do the best you can and can’t control it. Sometimes it helps you and sometimes it hurts you. It could’ve gone either way (Friday).”
Arkansas said in the preseason the pitching staff would be a driving force in its hopes of reaching the College World Series. It proved true. In fact, pitching nearly guided Arkansas into the championship series.
In the end, the Razorbacks finished the NCAA Tournament with a staff earned run average of 1.92. Arkansas finished its four-game stay in Omaha allowing just seven runs. Only one team (Baylor) scored more than four runs on the Razorbacks in an NCAA Tournament game.
“When you’re facing the best hitters and best teams in the nation, to give up only seven runs in the College World Series is unbelievable,” Arkansas third baseman Matt Reynolds said. “It shows what kind of arms we have.”
Said Van Horn: “They backed it up. And they backed it up all the way from the beginning of the year to the end. They didn’t falter.”
The College World Series helped Arkansas wrap up the season with 10 shutouts and a 2.83 earned run average, both of which rank second in school history. The 1976 Razorbacks hold the school record in ERA (2.74). The 1977 team holds the school record for shutouts in a season (13).
Arkansas pitching coach Dave Jorn, who has been with the program for 16 years, made it clear where he thinks the group ranks after the game.
For original news source visit:
0 comments:
Post a Comment