No. 8 Alabama will look to continue its red-hot stretch of baseball against No. 22 Arkansas this weekend.
The Razorbacks advanced to the College World Series last season but have gotten off to a rough start in SEC play, posting a 5-7 record and losing five of their last six SEC games.
Razorbacks head coach Dave Van Horn has been at the helm for 23 years with a lifetime winning record of 1538–725 and has made it to Omaha 10 times in his tenure.
“Dave Van Horn is a winner,” Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn said. “That’s what stands out to me, like Dave Van Horn is the winner of winners.”
Pitching matchups
Righty Gabe Gaeckle will get the start Friday night for the Razorbacks. Thus far this year, in eight starts, he has posted an ERA of 4.17, a 1.64 WHIP, a .285 opponents’ batting average and 41 strikeouts in 36.2 innings pitched. Gaeckle will face off against Crimson Tide ace Tyler Fay.
Vaughn said the Razorbacks and Gaeckle have “arm talent out the wazoo.”
Saturday’s matchup will feature a battle of left-handed twirlers, Hunter Dietz and Zane Adams. Dietz is coming off an 11-strikeout performance against No. 15 Auburn. He has posted an ERA of 3.80, 1.16 WHIP, .218 batting average against and 69 punchouts in 41.1 innings.
On Sunday, freshman Myles Upchurch, who had an injury scare on Saturday in Norman after rolling his ankle, will take the mound for the Crimson Tide. Lefty Colin Fisher will toe the rubber for the Razorbacks. In eight starts, Fisher has boasted an ERA of 4.37, 1.17 WHIP, .239 opponents’ batting average and 41 strikeouts in 35 innings.
Razorbacks offensive leaders
The Razorbacks’ offense is led by catcher Ryder Helfrick, who was recently ranked the No. 2 backstop in the SEC by D1Baseball. Helfrick is hitting .306, the most home runs on the team with 12, 30 RBIs and the highest OPS on the team at 1.114. He also has more walks than strikeouts, proving to be a tough out for any pitching staff.
“Ryder Helfrick is probably the best backstop in the country, if not one of the best, and can really hit,” Vaughn said.
Second baseman Camden Kozeal is the second-best hitter in the Razorbacks starting nine with a .310 batting average, eight homers, a team-leading 37 RBIs and a 1.001 OPS. Center fielder Maika Niu has been a key contributor for the Razorbacks’ offense, hitting .296, with five home runs, 28 RBIs and a .850 OPS.
The Razorbacks will be without starting left fielder and batting average leader Damian Ruiz due to a knee injury.
Keys to success
The Crimson Tide’s pitching staff will have to prevent the Razorbacks’ offense, which has been a bit quiet in SEC play, from heating up. Vaughn described their offense as a “ticking time bomb.”
“I was talking to coach Brock Bennett, actually, this morning from Georgia, and we were talking because they go to Fayetteville next weekend,” Vaughn said. “And we’re both saying that it’s like man, it’s coming, like that team is going to get it at some point.”
The Crimson Tide bullpen must keep its foot on the gas and hold the Razorbacks’ offense, which is poised to break out, at bay. Over the Crimson Tide’s last two SEC series against then-No. 5 Auburn and No. 11 Oklahoma, the bullpen has held two intimidating offenses to just five runs in 22.1 innings.
The series will kick off Friday at 6 p.m. CT at Sewell-Thomas Stadium and can be streamed on SECN+.
“It’s a group that hasn’t had a ton of success, but you know, it is coming,” Vaughn said. “So we’re gonna have to have two really good days of preparation getting ready for them on Friday.”
