Baseball begins fall practice Friday

FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas Razorback baseball team returns to the field on Friday as it officially begins fall practice. The first practice of the fall is set for 2 p.m. on Friday at Baum Stadium. All Razorback baseball practices and scrimmages are open to the public.

The opening weekend of fall practice will also include a pair of scrimmages. The Razorbacks will scrimmage on Saturday at approximately 11:30 a.m., while Sunday’s scrimmage will begin at approximately 2 p.m.

The fall season culminates with the annual Cardinal-White series. Dates and game times for the series will be announced at a later date.

Arkansas is coming off a 2012 season that saw the team advance to the College World Series for the second time in the last four years and for the seventh time in program history. The Razorbacks finished the season with a 46-22 record and a No. 3 national ranking. The 46 wins were the most for Arkansas under head coach Dave Van Horn and the most in a season since the 1990 team won 47 games. Overall, the 46 wins were the sixth-highest single-season total in school history.

On the mound, the Razorbacks return all but two pitchers that saw significant innings during the 2012 season. Arkansas returns a pair of weekend starters from last year’s team in junior right hander Ryne Stanek and senior left hander Randall Fant. Stanek, who earned All-SEC honors from SEBaseball.com, started 17 games for Arkansas as a sophomore and finished the year with an 8-4 record and a 2.82 ERA. Fant pitched in 15 games, including 14 starts, in 2012 and compiled a 2-3 record with a 3.27 ERA.

Out of the bullpen, junior right-handed pitcher Barrett Astin appeared in a team-high 32 games and had a 3-5 record with a team-leading 11 saves and a 1.99 ERA. Junior right hander Colby Suggs made 30 appearances and went 7-1 with a 1.38 ERA. Junior righty Brandon Moore went 5-2 with three saves and a 2.43 ERA in 29 outings.

Offensively, Arkansas returns six position players that made 30 or more starts during the 2012 season. Junior infielder Dominic Ficociello finished his sophomore season with a .290 batting average, six homers and 41 RBI. Sophomores Brian Anderson and Joe Serrano became regulars in the starting lineup in the second half of the 2012 season. Anderson hit .283 with a pair of homers and 11 RBI, while Serrano batted .333 with seven RBI. In the NCAA Tournament, Serrano hit .444 (12-for-27) with a pair of RBI. Other returning position players that had 30 or more starts in 2012 include senior second baseman Jacob Mahan, redshirt junior outfielder Jacob Morris, senior outfielder Matt Vinson and junior catcher Jake Wise.