Transfers, freshman pitcher shine as Arkansas baseball claims series win over James Madison
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas baseball opened the 2024 season in solid fashion, taking three out of four games at home against James Madison.
After losing on Sunday, the No. 4 Razorbacks (3-1) had to wait until the finale to clinch the weekend's spoils, and a true freshman tossed a gem to ensure the Hogs earned a series win.
"The guys knew that we really needed to play well in this game," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said about Monday's victory. "Win or lose, we needed to play well, but we really needed to try and find a way to win it, and we did."
Here are four takeaways from the first four games of the Arkansas season.
The Arkansas baseball transfers are alright
According to D1 Baseball, the Razorbacks brought in the No. 6 transfer class in the country for the upcoming season, and the newcomers are off to a flying start in their Arkansas careers.
Ty Wilmsmeyer (Missouri), Hudson White (Texas Tech) and Jared Sprague-Lott (Richmond) were all impactful. White hit leadoff in three games and scored a team-high five runs with an on-base percentage of .526. Wilmsmeyer went 5-for-15 with five RBIs. Sprague-Lott hit the first home run of the season and drove in four runs.
The lone transfer who didn't get his Arkansas career off to a fast start was Wehiwa Aloy (Sacramento State), who was arguably the crowned jewel of the class. Aloy did go 2-for-4 with an RBI Monday to up his batting average to .294.
Pitch counts get too high for weekend starters
Hagen Smith and Mason Molina threw a combined 114 pitches over 4 2/3 innings this weekend.
There's plenty of context that went into their short starts. Temperatures were frigid throughout the weekend, and Dave Van Horn opted to play it safe with his preseason All-Americans.
More: COLUMN: Arkansas baseball knocks off JMU on Opening Day as hope returns to Fayetteville
More: Unfazed by the hype: Hagen Smith ready to lead Arkansas baseball in 2024
However, high pitch counts have been a problem for both Smith and Molina in previous years. Smith, in particular, threw just one inning and gave up a three-run homer in the series opener. Throwing more strikes was a major focus of Smith's offseason, and he needs to go deeper into games this year to set up the Hogs' bullpen.
It's nowhere close to panic time, but it is something to monitor. Thankfully, Arkansas has some reliable arms out of the bullpen. Will McEntire gave up just one run in 7 2/3 innings across two games, while Koty Frank and Gage Wood were flawless in 5 2/3 innings.
Defense shines, calms concerns
National outlets had some preseason doubts about the Arkansas defense, but the Razorbacks committed just three errors across the four-game series.
Remember in T-ball where your shortstop would just run all over the field to get outs? That’s how I feel about this play by @RazorbackBSB Wehiwa Aloy pic.twitter.com/Ayz3e3a6w4
— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) February 19, 2024
Wilmsmeyer robbed a home run in centerfield Saturday, Aloy was outstanding at shortstop and Peyton Holt looked comfortable playing second base in place of the injured Peyton Stovall. Aloy made one of the best defensive plays of the weekend in the finale, ranging well into left field for an over-the-shoulder grab.
Most importantly, the routine plays stayed routine, and it looks like any defensive concerns can be put to bed.
Great weekend for freshmen pitchers
Three true freshmen combined to give up just three runs across 7 2/3 innings this weekend.
Colin Fisher provided the surprise of the series Monday, pitching five scoreless innings in his first collegiate start. He gave up just three hits and zero walks, earning the win and providing the best pitching performance of the weekend for either team.
"My mindset was kind of throw strikes and trust the defense, because they were making some great plays," Fisher said. "If they’re making plays like that, you might as well throw it in the zone and let them hit it."
Tate McGuire faced five batters Sunday and didn't give up a run, and Gabe Gaeckle provided two flawless innings before being charged for three runs in his third inning of work. Gaeckle's took the loss, but his late slip came thanks to two perfectly executed drag bunts by James Madison.
A deep pitching staff for Arkansas looks even better if the freshmen can eat innings.
Up Next
Arkansas baseball will head to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas to face No. 7 Oregon State, Oklahoma State and Michigan (Feb. 23 - 25) in the Kubota College Baseball Series.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas baseball claims season opening series against James Madison
