Homestand closes with UW-Milwaukee
FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas looks to end its longest homestand of the season on a winning note as it hosts Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a three-game series at Baum Stadium. Game times are scheduled for 3:05 p.m. on Friday, 2:05 p.m. on Saturday and 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.All three games of the series will be available through the RazorVision portal on ArkansasRazorbacks.com and on the Razorback Baseball Radio Network from IMG College. Phil Elson will have the call for Friday’s game, while Kyle Kellams will handle play-by-play duties on Saturday. Three-time Arkansas Sportscaster of the Year Chuck Barrett (play-by-play) and former Arkansas Sports Information Director Rick Schaeffer (analyst) will call Sunday’s action. Live stats and a live blog of all three games of the series will be available on ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
Single-game tickets for all three games of this weekend’s series are still available. Tickets are $10 for reserved seats. Season tickets are also available for the rest of the 2011 home schedule. Season tickets are $175 for adults and $125 for University of Arkansas staff, youth and senior citizens. Single-game or season tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-982-HOGS (4647), by visiting the online ticket center at ArkansasRazorbacks.com and on game day at Baum Stadium, while supplies last.
The Razorbacks, ranked as high as No. 16 in the country, have posted a 7-1 record through the first eight games of the 11-game homestand. After opening the season with consecutive sweeps of Delaware State and Utah, Arkansas split a two-game series with McNeese State earlier this week. Kyle Robinson continued his red-hot start to the season against McNeese, going 6-for-8 over the two games. Robinson went 4-for-4 in the opener and had a first inning grand slam in the second game of the series, finishing the contest with two hits and four RBI. For the season, Robinson is hitting .531 with a homer and a team-leading 14 RBI. Robinson is a scorching 14-for-21 with runners in scoring position this year.Dominic Ficociello, James McCann and Matt Reynolds are all hitting over .300 on the year. Ficociello is batting .304 with nine RBI, while McCann is hitting .320 with five runs driven in. Reynolds has scored a team-leading 11 runs and is hitting .355 with six RBI. Reynolds hit .500 with five runs scored in the two games vs. McNeese State.Arkansas will use its third different starting rotation of the season this weekend. Freshman Ryne Stanek will make his second start of the season and third appearance overall on Friday. Stanek is 0-0 with a 1.86 ERA, giving up two runs in 9.2 innings pitched this season. On Saturday, freshman Brandon Moore is scheduled to take the mound. Moore has picked up wins in his first two starts this season, compiling a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings of work. Fresh off a win in Wednesday’s game vs. McNeese State, sophomore transfer Cade Lynch will start Sunday’s series finale. Lynch threw four innings against the Cowboys, allowing just one run to earn the win. For the season, Lynch is 1-0 with a 0.90 ERA in three appearances.
The Razorback bullpen has posted a 1.57 ERA in 34.1 innings of relief this season. Sophomore DJ Baxendale has made four appearances on the season, three in relief, and has a 2-0 record with two saves and has yet to allow a run in 9.2 innings. Randall Fant and Barrett Astin have also appeared in three games out of the bullpen. Fant has not allowed a run in four innings of work, while Astin has a 1-0 record with a 1.12 ERA in his three relief outings. Freshman Nolan Sanburn has pitched in two games and has not allowed a hit in 3.2 innings.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee enters the weekend series with a 1-4 overall record. The Panthers are coming off a pair of losses to Illinois State last weekend at the Austin Peay Classic. UWM picked up its only win of the season in the series finale at Tennessee in the season’s opening weekend.
The Panthers are hitting .302 as a team. Doug Dekoning and Phil Striggow lead Wisconsin-Milwaukee at the plate as both players are hitting over .400. Dekoning is batting .429 and is tied for the team lead with six RBI. Striggow is batting .444 with three RBI. Sam Sivilotti is swinging the bat at a .389 clip with a homer and three RBI.
On the mound, Wisconsin-Milwaukee has compiled a team ERA of 8.18. Right-handed pitcher Eric Semmelhack will start the series opener. Semmelhack has appeared in one game this season and has a 10.80 ERA, allowing four runs in 3.1 innings. The Panthers will start righty Jordan Guth on Saturday. In two starts this season, Guth is 0-0 with an 8.31 ERA. Right hander Chad Pierce will start Sunday’s series finale. Pierce is 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA in two starts this season.
Out of the bullpen, Greg Blohowiak has appeared in three games on the year. Blohowiak has not allowed a run in 4.2 innings and has a 1-0 record. Cuyler Franzke has the only save of the season for the Panthers and has a 2.70 ERA in two appearances this season. Kaleb Engelke (0-0, 0.00) and Cale Tassi (0-0, 2.70) have also made two relief appearances on the year.
Arkansas and Wisconsin-Milwaukee have played six times previously, all in Fayetteville, with the Razorbacks winning all six meetings. The Razorbacks swept a three-game series from the Panthers last season.
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