CAMDEN — FAYETTEVILLE - Asked what he knows about the Texas A&M Aggies, Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn says knowing the Aggies is to know them completely.
“I know they are a complete team,” Van Horn said. “They can pitch and they can really field the ball and they are one of the best hitting teams in the country and the best hitting team in the SEC so far.”
The Aggies, 33-8 overall and best in the SEC, 12-6, play Van Horn’s Razorbacks, 25-16, 6-12 in the SEC West, in a 3-game SEC series starting tonight at Baum Stadium.
Game times are 6:30 tonight on the Internet on SEC +, 2 p.m. and network televised by ESPN2 at 2 p.m. Saturday and by ESPNU at 1 p.m. Sunday.
A doubleheader could be incorporated Saturday or Sunday if tonight’s forecast for thunderstorms comes to fruition.
The impressive figures beyond 33-8 that Van Horn references to the Aggies, coached by Rob Childress who coached Nebraska’s pitchers when Van Horn head coached Nebraska, include team earned run average of 3.02 starting with the 1.74 ERA of Brigham Hill, 6-0, and tonight’s A&M starter.
As a team, the Aggies hit .328. Seven Aggies hit from Nick Banks’
.305 to Boomer White’s .432 while Hunter Melton hits .377 with nine home runs and 54 RBI.
“They are very difficult to beat,” Van Horn said. “That’s why they have only lost a handful of games all year and are sitting at the top of the West and a very physical team, very experienced team and very confident team.”
However with the formerly struggling Hogs winning 4 of their last 5, Tuesday triumphs nonconference over nationally ranked Creighton and nationally ranked Oklahoma State at Baum bookend winning 2 of 3 SEC games last weekend at Kentucky, there are two confident teams at Baum this weekend.
“They are good, but so are we,” Arkansas third-year sophomore Carson Shaddy said. “ We are going to come at them.”
Arkansas’ 4 of 5 roll started with freshman Cody Scroggins inserted at third moving Shaddy, coming off Tommy John arm surgery while leading the Hogs in hitting at .344, seven home runs and 31 RBI, to center and center fielder Clark Eagan to first.
Displaced first baseman Cullen Gassaway, .308 has been able to rest a shoulder not completely right since an early season collision at first, Van Horn said, and resurfaces tonight as the designated hitter.
In the Thursday through Saturday series at Kentucky, the Razorbacks derived superb starts from Dominic Taccolini, Thursday’s 10-inning complete game 1-0 victory, and Zach Jackson, a complete 2-0 victory with last Friday’s rainout dictating a 7-innings Saturday doubleheader in Lexington.
Arkansas starter Keaton McKinney, 1-2, 6.46, struggling this season coming off hip surgery, was beaten in the Kentucky finale.
Van Horn said he’s leaving Sunday’s to be announced after Taccolini starts tonight and Jackson starts Saturday.
Van Horn said it’s weakened the bullpen moving Preseason All-American closer Jackson to a starting role necessitated when Taccolini and McKinney simultaneously struggled starting.
However freshman right-hander Blaine Knight of Bryant came on to strand an OSU runner saving Tuesday’s 7-6 triumph over Oklahoma State.
“ He is a guy we could finish games with, an inning here, a couple there,” Van Horn said. “He’s got a good arm and it’s built up and he’s got good stuff.”
An early-season starter who lost his rotation spot, Knight seems well suited to finish what others start, said, Jackson, who knows about finishing with 15 saves since 2014.
“I don’t think he’s had a bad outing of the pen yet,” Jackson said. “I don’t know if it’s because he’s not as nervous not having to think about what he’s got to do but pretty much every time we’ve put hm in a clutch situation he has come in there and done the job.”