Arkansas heads to ORU on Tuesday
FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas plays its final non-conference road game of the 2011 regular season on Tuesday evening when it travels to Tulsa, Okla., to face Oral Roberts. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.Tuesday’s game will be televised by CST with Mike Morgan and Ron Swoboda on the call. Also, the game will be broadcast on the Razorback Baseball Radio Network from IMG College. Three-time Arkansas Sportscaster of the Year Chuck Barrett will call the action. Live stats and a live blog will be available on ArkansasRazorbacks.com.Arkansas, ranked as high as 12th in the country, enters Tuesday’s game with a 26-9 overall record. The Razorbacks have fared well against non-conference foes this season, posting an 18-2 record against non-SEC competition. Arkansas picked up a series victory last weekend against Mississippi State, taking two of three games against the Bulldogs. Senior Kyle Robinson was named SEC Player of the Week on Monday after going 5-for-9 with two homers and six RBI in the series against MSU.Freshman Dominic Ficociello leads Arkansas with a .352 batting average on the season to go with a homer and 29 RBI. Robinson is hitting .322 with a team-high seven homers and 33 RBI. Junior Bo Bigham is also hitting over .300 on the season, hitting .306 with a homer and 10 RBI to go with 13 stolen bases.Arkansas has not announced a starting pitcher for Tuesday’s game. Freshman closer Nolan Sanburn has appeared in a team-leading 16 games and has a 2-1 record with seven saves. Freshman Barrett Astin has pitched in 15 games, 13 in relief, and has compiled a 4-1 record with a 2.41 ERA. Redshirt sophomore Trent Daniel is 1-0 with a 1.90 ERA in 14 relief outings.Oral Roberts is 17-13 on the season, including a 9-3 record at home. The Golden Eagles have played some of their best baseball in recent games, winning eight of their last 10 contests. ORU already has non-conference wins against Arizona State, Baylor and San Diego State. As a team, Oral Roberts is hitting .267, while the pitching staff has posted a 3.80 ERA.
At the plate, the Golden Eagles are led by Nick Baligod, who is hitting .344 with a homer and 18 RBI. Chris Elder is swinging the bat at a .305 clip with two home runs and 23 RBI. Brandon King leads ORU with three homers and 25 RBI and is batting .282. Joey Winiecki has swiped a team-high 11 stolen bases.
Oral Roberts has not announced a starting pitcher for Tuesday’s game. Sean Johnson has been one of the most effective relievers for the Golden Eagle bullpen, appearing in 11 games, 10 in relief, with a 2-2 record and a 1.54 ERA. Tyler Sparks is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in nine relief outings. Lars Liguori has pitched in a team-high 17 games and is 1-1 with a 3.97 ERA. Matt Rush has saved five games for ORU and is 1-2 with a 4.84 ERA in 13 games.
Arkansas holds a 63-35 lead in the all-time series against Oral Roberts. The Razorbacks are 28-20 when playing the Golden Eagles in Tulsa. Arkansas has won three straight in the series.
