Earlier in the week, Baseball America – a publication that typically gives the Hogs less credit than they’ve earned — surprisingly ranked Arkansas #4 in their 2012 Preseason Poll.  The Hogs were one of six SEC teams ranked in the top 11.  On Thursday, they found themselves sitting at #8 in the recently released USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be previewing the Diamond Hogs in depth — position by position — as they get ready to start what could be a championship season.  But one thing that has us scratching our heads a bit was the recent decision to move in the fences at Baum Stadium.

Our good friend UnderHog shared some photos with us this week showing the work going on at Baum to bring in the right field fence a reported 10 feet.

Baum Stadium Right Field Fence (Photo Courtesy of UnderHog)

It appears from his photo that reducing the fence 10 feet in the power alley (currently 375) might translate into a bit more than that around the area near the visitors bullpen.

The only reason we raise our eyebrows at the change is due to the fact that Van Horn and pitching coach Dave Jorn have assembled what could be one of the greatest pitching staffs in school history.  Why would they offset that advantage by making it easier for the other side to hit home runs?

Van Horn argues that other schools are using the current Baum Stadium dimensions, coupled with the brisk southerly winds, against the Hogs in recruiting.

“In some games it will help us and in some games it will hurt us, but it will do the same to the other team,” Van Horn said.  “This will show left-handed hitters we have them in mind.”

Current Razorback switch hitter Dominic Ficociello (.335, 4HR, 50 RBIs in 2011) might be the one player who will benefit most from the move.  Some of Dom’s team-high 15 doubles last year will definitely be home runs this season.

Keep a close eye on this change and the resulting effects as the Hogs get underway in 2012.  The Razorbacks host Villanova for a three-game series beginning February 17th.

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Athletic Facilities Master Plan Unveiled

The University of Arkansas Athletic Facilities Master Plan, a long-term vision designed to shape the future of Razorback Athletics, was released on Tuesday by Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Master Plan Presentation (PDF), Jeff Long Press Conference (Video)
• Chris Bahn: Facilities Master Plan To Include Basketball Facility, North End Zone Completion, Razorback AD Shows He’s Not Lacking For Long-Term Vision Or Confidence, Slideshow
• Matt Jones: UA facilities plan unveiled
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas, Long ‘Dream Big’ With Master Plan, Long, Arkansas Unveil Facilities Master Plan

Having a few days to digest the season on the whole, you have to conclude that the Hogs beat expectations in 2011.

Before the season started, Tipster and I made some predictions on this coming season.  I hit the 15-15 conference mark on the nose, but we both missed the “winning the Western Division” part.  No one could have seen that coming given what we lost the previous year (Eibner, Cox, Wilkins, Smyly, Bolsinger).  An unlikely, but sweet divisional championship nonetheless.

“I told the team I was proud of them.  If you would have told me we were going to win 40 games last fall with all these young guys, I’d probably have chuckled a little bit,” Van Horn said.  “Somehow we did it, winning 40 ballgames playing a pretty tough schedule and in a good league.”

What helped them the most seemed to be the leadership shown by catcher James McCann.  McCann had a great year behind the plate, and improved with the bat (.306, 6 HRs, 38 RBIs) to the point where he mainly hit cleanup for the last half of the season.  Mentoring a freshmen-oriented pitching staff, McCann really helped speed up the learning curve for those guys.  He will be missed.

Speaking of the pitching, that carried the Hogs the entire season.  A staff ERA of 3.20 really helped mask some of the offensive problems.  Guys like Barrett Astin, Ryne Stanek and Brandon Moore, just to name a few, will be light years ahead of where they normally would have been in 2012 because of the experience they gained this season.  Pitching Coach Dave Jorn gets two “thumbs up.”

At the plate, it was really a different story.  Finishing last in the SEC again in hitting has many Razorback Baseball fans aiming their frustration at hitting coach Todd Butler.  The knock is justified if you look at the stats.  In Butler’s six seasons at Arkansas, the Hogs batting average has landed them 10th (2006), 10th (2007), 10th (2008), 12th (2009), 4th (2010 — with Eibner, Cox and Wilkins) and 12th (2011) this year in the SEC.

Even if you discount the stats, though, if you watch each at bat, the Hogs are not as aggressive as some would like.  Taking too many pitches — including an inexcusable amount of third strikes — over and over and over is worrisome.  Granted, some players like Jarrod McKinney showed great improvement.  McKinney’s average improved 111 points (.190 in 2010 to .301 in 2011) this season.  But the team statistics don’t lie.

The Hogs have gathered up a slew of good pitchers that can get next year’s team to Omaha.  But if you can’t hit the ball better than the Hogs did this year, we’ll be right back in this same spot.

That said, we’re optimistic about next year.  If you had your choice, you’d take good pitchers over good hitters any day.  But to get to Omaha and to win it all, you have to do both.  That’s where the challenge will be in 2012.

The Arkansas offense broke out with 11 runs on 13 hits and Razorback starter Ryne Stanek took care of the rest, throwing a complete game, allowing just three runs, as No. 19 Arkansas defeated Charlotte 11-3 on Sunday afternoon at Packard Stadium.

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: UA ends season with loss to ASU

Joey DeMichele homered and drove in four runs, while Arizona State starter Mitchell Lambson threw 6.1 strong innings as the 10th-ranked Sun Devils defeated No. 19 Arkansas, 13-4, in the Tempe regional championship game on Sunday night at Packard Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats – Charlotte (PDF), Game Stats – Arizona State (PDF)
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Charlotte: Game Highlights, Post-game Press Conference; Arizona State: Game Highlights, Post-game Press Conference
• ESPN.com: Tempe Regional: Arizona St. 13, Arkansas 4
• Matt Jones: Arkansas eliminates Charlotte, 11-3, Hogs’ season comes to an end
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Ryne Stanek, Dave Van Horn
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas’ Season Ends at Arizona State, Stanek Shines, MLB Draft Begins Tonight

Arkansas starter DJ Baxendale earned his 10th win of the year, throwing eight shutout innings, as No. 19 Arkansas stayed alive at the NCAA Tempe Regional with a 3-0 win over New Mexico on a hot Saturday afternoon at Packard Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Game Highlights (Video), Post-game Press Conference (Video)
• ESPN.com: Tempe Regional: Arkansas 3, New Mexico 0
• Matt Jones: Baxendale brilliant again at Packard
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Dave Van Horn
• Robbie Neiswanger: Baxendale Helps Arkansas Avoid Elimination, Freshman Stanek Gets Nod For Sunday Start

Charlotte scored all three of its runs in the second inning and starting pitcher Andrew Smith allowed just one run on 7.1 innings as the 49ers defeated No. 19 Arkansas, 3-2, on Friday afternoon at Packard Stadium in the opener of the NCAA Tempe Regional.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Press Conference (Video)
• ESPN.com: Tempe Regional: Charlotte 3, Arkansas 2
• Matt Jones: Hogs fail to produce in 3-2 loss
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Dave Van Horn
• Robbie Neiswanger: Fant, Offense Struggle in Regional Loss, Baxendale Expects More Packard Stadium Success

Postseason play is a different animal.  Nearly every year, there’s someone who emerges to play a larger role than they did in the regular season.  In past years, guys like Bubbs Merrill, Andrew Darr and Bo Bigham answered the late-season call and contributed mightily to help the Hogs advance to Omaha.

After his performance last week in Hoover, this year’s candidate looks like pitcher Ryne Stanek.

Stanek’s outing (7.2 IP, 2H, 5Ks, 99 pitches) in a 4-1 win over Alabama reminded us of Drew Smyly’s near no-hitter in the Norman Regional in 2009.

That day Smyly was untouchable, throwing 8 2/3 innings and yielding only one hit while striking out 12.  The win propelled the Hogs to the Super Regional in Tallahassee, where they disposed of Florida State en route to the College World Series.

Smyly that year — like Stanek this year — was mainly a mid-week starter who had showed flashes, but had struggled to put together consistent outings.  His stat line before one-hitting the Sooners (2-1, 5.60 ERA, 12 GS, 45 IP, 28 ER, 41 Ks) is eerily similar to Stanek’s line (2-2, 4.75 ERA, 13 GS, 47.1 IP, 25 ER, 30 Ks) before the Alabama game.

Smyly went on the next year (2010) to put together a tremendous season, going 9-1 with a 2.80 ERA.  He was drafted in the second round by the Detroit Tigers.

You can tell Stanek has that kind of stuff, as well.  Friday against ‘Bama, he threw three different pitches for strikes and looked extremely comfortable on the mound.  His motion was much simpler.  “In the last game (Ole Miss), I was out of control with too many moving parts,” Stanek said.  “I was rushing everything.”

If Stanek can keep it going, that gives the Hogs one more bullet to use down the stretch.  A nice luxury for Dave Jorn and Dave Van Horn to have as the postseason gets underway.

The field of 64 teams competing for the 2011 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship was announced today by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.

Seeding

1. Arizona State (39-16)
2. Arkansas (38-20)
3. Charlotte (42-14)
4. New Mexico (20-39)

Also:

• NCAA.com: Live Bracket, Printable Bracket (PDF)
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Arkansas No. 2 seed in Tempe regional, Press Conference (Video) – Dave Van Horn, James McCann, D.J. Baxendale
• Chris Bahn: Van Horn, Razorbacks Ready To ‘Move On’ From Regional Snub And Focus On ASU
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas’ Destination a Familiar ‘Surprise’

Connor Harrell homered and drove in two runs and Grayson Garvin earned his 12th win of the season as No. 4 Vanderbilt defeated 20th-ranked Arkansas 3-2 on Saturday morning at Regions Park in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Game Highlights (Video), Post-game Press Conference (Video)
• SECSports.com: Vanderbilt Moves On To Title Game, Post-game Quotes (PDF), Game Highlights (Video)

Freshman Ryne Stanek turned in the best outing of his young collegiate career, allowing just one run on two hits in a career-long 7.2 innings, while Kyle Robinson homered and drove in two runs as No. 20 Arkansas defeated Alabama, 4-1, on Friday afternoon at Regions Park.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Game Highlights (Video), Post-game Press Conference (Video)
• SECSports.com: Arkansas Shuts Down Alabama, Post-game Quotes (PDF), Game Highlights (Video)
• Matt Jones: Stanek shines as Hogs march on

Arkansas scored the first five runs of the game, including four in the first inning, and the top five batters in the Arkansas order combined to go 12-for-22 with six runs scored and four RBI as the Razorbacks cruised to a 7-2 win over Mississippi State in an elimination game at the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Game Highlights (Video), Post-game Press Conference (Video)
• SECSports.com: Arkansas Eliminates Mississippi State, Post-game Quotes (PDF)

Alabama scored five runs in the top of the first and Nathan Kilcrease struck out 10 in eight innings of work to lead the Crimson Tide to a 7-4 win over Arkansas on Wednesday morning at Regions Park.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Game Highlights (Video), Post-game Press Conference (Video)
• SECSports.com: Alabama Defeats Arkansas 7-4, Post-game Quotes (PDF)

Arkansas clinched the Southeastern Conference Western Division title, sweeping a doubleheader from Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon at Baum Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Box Score – Game 1 (PDF), Box Score – Game 2 (PDF)
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Game 1 Highlights, Game 2 Highlights
• Matt Jones: Fant, McKinney come up big in win, Arkansas rallies to win SEC West
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Dave Van Horn, D.J. Baxendale, James McCann
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas Sweeps Doubleheader, Wins SEC West, Fant Leads Arkansas to Game One Win
• Razorback Nation (Video): Collin Kuhn, Kyle Robinson, James McCann, Barrett Astin

Ole Miss pitchers Matt Crouse and Jake Morgan combined to allow just one run as the Rebels defeated No. 23 Arkansas 2-1 on Thursday night at Baum Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Game Highlights (Video)
• Matt Jones: Rebels down Arkansas 2-1 in opener
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Dave Van Horn, D.J. Baxendale, Collin Kuhn
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas Stumbles in Series Opener

Of the four leaders (Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State, Alabama), Auburn appears to have the inside track for the division title, as the Tigers visit lowly Tennessee.  The Vols, winners of only five SEC games (5-22) are really bad.  Alabama has the hardest task, facing South Carolina (20-7), especially with the Gamecocks still vying to win the East.

Meanwhile, Mississippi State hosts LSU (11-16).  Despite a disastrous start, the Tigers have won 7 of their last 9 conference games, and are still fighting to make the SEC Tournament.

All in all, the Diamond Hogs have fared well if you look at the last two weekends.  Going 3-3 against top 5 nationally ranked Florida and South Carolina has kept the Hogs in the thick of things, while giving them a big confidence boost for the post season.

The pitching has been tremendous, especially D.J. Baxendale (8-1, 1.57 ERA).  Timely, two-out hitting against the Gators and Gamecocks was good to see, even though the Hogs remain the worst hitting team in the SEC (.271 average).  (Some would say that’s familiar territory for Arkansas hitting coach Todd Butler.)

Ole Miss is led by Alex Yarbrough (.353, 7 HRs, 38 RBIs) and Tanner Mathis (.341, 27 RBIs).  Infielder/Catcher Miles Hamblin (.264, 5 HR, 23 RBIs) will also be in the lineup somewhere.  He is the brother of former Arkansas first baseman, and career home run leader Danny Hamblin.

The 2011 Rebels have more home runs (43), than they do stolen bases (42).  By contrast, the Hogs are middle of the pack with 32 HRs, but lead the SEC in stolen bases with 104.

Our gut tells us that it may take a sweep this weekend to keep up with Auburn.  If the Hogs can win on Thursday night, that might put some added pressure on the other three to keep pace.

Keep your fingers crossed.  See you at the Baum.

Kyle Robinson hit his eighth home run of the season and tied a career-high with five RBI to lead No. 23 Arkansas to a 6-2 win over UT Martin on Tuesday night at Baum Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Game Highlights (Video)
• Matt Jones: Robinson’s 5 RBIs lift Arkansas to win
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Dave Van Horn
• Robbie Neiswanger: Robinson’s Big Night Leads Arkansas To Win, Offense Struggles in Midweek Win
• Razorback Nation (Video): Kyle Robinson, Dominic Ficociello

Steven Neff homered twice and drove in three runs, while Colby Holmes threw 8.2 innings, allowing just one run, as No. 4 South Carolina defeated No. 23 Arkansas 7-1 on Sunday afternoon at Carolina Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF)

Scott Wingo broke a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the ninth with a leadoff game-winning home run to lift No. 4 South Carolina to a 6-5 win over No. 23 Arkansas on Saturday night at Carolina Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF)

The Arkansas offense pounded out 14 hits, led by a four-hit game from Dominic Ficociello and three-hit performances from Jarrod McKinney and Matt Reynolds, and DJ Baxendale threw six strong innings to earn his eighth win of the year as the 23rd-ranked Razorbacks defeated No. 4 South Carolina 6-2 in a game that started on Friday night and ended on Saturday morning at Carolina Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF)
• Chris Dearing: South Carolina offers lots of help

Austin Maddox threw 3.1 shutout innings in relief, while Nolan Fontana homered and had two hits as No. 5 Florida salvaged the series finale against Arkansas with a 5-3 win on Saturday night at Baum Stadium in front of 9,603 fans.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Game Highlights (Video)
• Matt Jones: Gators Avoid Sweep with 5-3 Win
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Dave Van Horn