Hog newbies finding road rough

Arkansas Business, April 7, 2008

KEEPING WITH OUR MONTHLY feature of reviewing an Arkansas Razorback major sport with a former Hog, ArkansasSports360.com turns its attention to UA baseball. Lucky for us, we have a former Razorback pitcher in the house, Brent Birch. We blindsided him with questions after the Hogs' 2-6 start in Southeastern Conference play through March 30.

After the hot 11-1 start, why have the Hogs struggled the past few weeks?

The biggest reason is the level of competition has escalated. Playing ranked teams on the road is tough for any ball club, but with the Hogs relying on so many newcomers, many of them true freshmen, road victories are going to be hard to get. Coach [Dave] Van Horn's 2008 team lacks a true ace on the mound to get them off on the right foot to start a three-game series. Baylor transfer Cliff Springston (4-0, 2.49 ERA, 24 strikeouts) has done a decent job in that No. 1 spot picking up a Friday night win over Georgia.

After Springston, inconsistency is an accurate description of this year's pitching staff--look great one outing, ineffective the next. The Razorbacks hoped junior Shaun Seibert would return to the form he showed before his Tommy John surgery last year but it hasn't happened. Sophomore lefty Dallas Kuechel (2-1, 3.67 ERA, 24 Ks) has been effective and should lock up one of those conference starter spots behind Springston after a great outing in a loss to LSU. Injuries to key players haven't helped. It seems the Hogs have more key players dinged up than in recent years and some true freshmen have been pressed into duty likely before they are ready.

Who are the newcomers to watch?

I really like Andy Wilkins and Brett Eibner offensively. Wilkins (.330 average, 8 doubles, 7 home runs, 31 RBI) out of Broken Arrow, Okla., is a sweet-swinging lefty with good power. Should be one of those high .300, 12 to 15 home run guys for the Hogs. Eibner (.318, 4 2B, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 2-1) is a two-way player that has been starting in centerfield but also should help on the mound. He turned down his hometown Houston Astros after being selected in the 2008 draft to come to Fayetteville. Eibner is a great-looking athlete with lots of tools that big-league scouts covet. Freshman right-hander Kendall Korbal (0-4, 4.22 ERA), also out of Houston, has been the tough-luck loser with each of his losses coming against ranked teams. Korbal has a chance to crack into that SEC rotation in 2008.

How will the Hogs fare in SEC play?

They haven't exactly gotten off to a hot start. Looked promising after the opening win over Georgia but they went on to drop two out of three at home including blowing a 10-1 lead against the Bulldogs. Losing two of three at LSU and dropping two in a rain-shortened series against No. 9 Vanderbilt has them in a huge hole. The SEC West appears to be a tad weaker but there are no automatic wins in the best baseball conference in the country. The Razorbacks will have to find a way to steal a couple on the road and hopefully slip in a sweep or two at home to get back in the hunt. The inability to get the big hit in clutch spots must be resolved. With them relying so heavily on newcomers offensively, that might be too much to ask. This year is going to be tough but I like the talent Van Horn has assembled and he could be building for something special in the future.

Brent Birch, who lettered for the Arkansas Razorback baseball team 1990-93 and still ranks in the top 10 in career innings pitched, is director of Little Rock-based FLEX360 Web Development, a division of Arkansas Business Publishing Group.