Spring Break
Diamond Hogs head to Troy
Cory Crawford
Issue date: 2/8/07 Section: Sports
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After a lackluster performance at Louisiana Tech, the Arkansas Diamond Hogs head south to Troy, Ala., to take on the Troy Trojans.
"[The Louisiana Tech series] showed the younger players that it's really tough to win on the road," said Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn. "Losing is easy, but winning is tough."
The No. 6 Razorbacks will be taking their second road trip to a mid-major this season, and Van Horn knows what that means for his club.
"I've coached at a mid-major and those games [against major-conference teams] meant as much to us as a weekend conference series," Van Horn said. "Troy talks about this being the best series it has ever brought to its ballpark, so they are excited for us to go there."
Arkansas took two of three games from the Bulldogs last week, but the starters failed to make it past the fourth inning, and the offense never found its rhythm.
The Hogs' top two pitchers, Sean Seibert and Nick Schmidt, combined for seven innings pitched and gave up four earned runs.
"[Seibert and Schmidt] will need to do a lot better job, though they will be playing a very good offensive team in a fairly lively ballpark," Van Horn said. "They are going to have to pitch around the knees."
The Razorback bullpen was inconsistent from game to game, but pitching 16 innings in three games can be difficult for any pen, Van Horn said. The relievers pitched six scoreless innings last Friday and Sunday, but gave up seven runs in just four innings last Saturday.
"I thought our pitchers had good stuff, but they just didn't locate," Van Horn said. "We've got good arms, but it's early."
Junior college transfer Jess Todd made his presence felt early, recording two saves in two appearances, pitching 3.1 shutout innings.
Troy's offense is nothing to take lightly.
Josh Dew, who belted 17 homers while hitting .317 last season, returns alongside Ian Craze, Edgar Ramirez and Clint Robinson, all of whom hit above .320.
"[The Louisiana Tech series] showed the younger players that it's really tough to win on the road," said Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn. "Losing is easy, but winning is tough."
The No. 6 Razorbacks will be taking their second road trip to a mid-major this season, and Van Horn knows what that means for his club.
"I've coached at a mid-major and those games [against major-conference teams] meant as much to us as a weekend conference series," Van Horn said. "Troy talks about this being the best series it has ever brought to its ballpark, so they are excited for us to go there."
Arkansas took two of three games from the Bulldogs last week, but the starters failed to make it past the fourth inning, and the offense never found its rhythm.
The Hogs' top two pitchers, Sean Seibert and Nick Schmidt, combined for seven innings pitched and gave up four earned runs.
"[Seibert and Schmidt] will need to do a lot better job, though they will be playing a very good offensive team in a fairly lively ballpark," Van Horn said. "They are going to have to pitch around the knees."
The Razorback bullpen was inconsistent from game to game, but pitching 16 innings in three games can be difficult for any pen, Van Horn said. The relievers pitched six scoreless innings last Friday and Sunday, but gave up seven runs in just four innings last Saturday.
"I thought our pitchers had good stuff, but they just didn't locate," Van Horn said. "We've got good arms, but it's early."
Junior college transfer Jess Todd made his presence felt early, recording two saves in two appearances, pitching 3.1 shutout innings.
Troy's offense is nothing to take lightly.
Josh Dew, who belted 17 homers while hitting .317 last season, returns alongside Ian Craze, Edgar Ramirez and Clint Robinson, all of whom hit above .320.
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