Baseball hosts KU on Tuesday
FAYETTEVILLE – Coming off a 3-1 road trip at San Diego State last weekend, the Arkansas baseball team returns to Baum Stadium on Tuesday, hosting Kansas. First pitch against the Jayhawks is set for 3:05 p.m.
Tuesday’s game will be available through the RazorVision portal on ArkansasRazorbacks.com and on the Razorback Baseball Radio Network from IMG College. Three-time Arkansas Sportscaster of the Year Chuck Barrett (play-by-play) and former Arkansas Sports Information Director Rick Schaeffer (analyst) will call the game. Live stats and a live blog of the contest will also be available on ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
The Razorbacks, 13-2 on the season and ranked as high as No. 14 in the country, posted a series win on their first road trip of the season last weekend at San Diego State, taking three of four games from the Aztecs.
Junior catcher James McCann had a strong series against San Diego State, hitting .583 (7-for-12) with a home run, four RBI and five runs scored. Freshman infielder Dominic Ficociello went 9-for-18 at the plate against the Aztecs, scoring six runs and hitting five doubles on the weekend.
Ficociello leads the Razorbacks with a .431 batting average and is second on the team with 20 RBI. Ficociello has also hit a team-high nine doubles. Senior outfielder/infielder Kyle Robinson is also hitting over .400 on the season, batting .403 with a team-high three homers and 21 RBI. McCann (.367, 1 HR, 10 RBI) and Matt Reynolds (.346, 2 HR, 10 RBI) are both hitting better than .300 on the season.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Ryne Stanek will get the start in Tuesday’s game. Stanek is 0-0 in his rookie season with one save and a 6.19 ERA in four appearances and three starts. The Kansas City, Kan., native started the series opener at San Diego State and went 1.2 innings, allowing three runs on two hits with three walks.
Out of the bullpen, freshman righty Barrett Astin has been Arkansas’ most called upon reliever. Astin has appeared in seven games in relief and is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA. Trent Daniel, Randall Fant and Nolan Sanburn have each appeared in five games out of the bullpen. Daniel is 0-0 with one save and a 4.26 ERA, while Fant is 0-1 on the year with a 4.05 ERA. Sanburn has not allowed a run in 6.1 innings and has one save on the year.
Kansas is 7-8 on the season, including a 1-2 record on the road. The Jayhawks dropped two of three games at home to Eastern Michigan over the weekend. Kansas is hitting .224 as a team and has posted a 3.38 team ERA.
Offensively, the Jayhawks are led by Jake Marasco, who is hitting .389 with a homer and five RBI. James Stanfield is hitting .350 with three runs scored. Kaiana Eldredge has driven in a team-best seven RBI and is batting .150.
Kansas has not announced a starting pitcher for Tuesday’s game. In relief, Nolan Mansfield and Colton Murray have each appeared in a team-high five games. Mansfield is 0-1 with a 1.00 ERA, while Murray has picked up four saves and is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA. Frank Duncan has turned in three scoreless outings out of the bullpen.
Arkansas and Kansas have met 47 times previously with the Razorbacks holding a 35-12 advantage in the all-time series. Arkansas is 32-9 when the two teams meet in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks claimed a 15-3 win against Kansas last season.
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