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.

Randall Fant and Barrett Astin held down the Florida offense, allowing just three runs and retiring the final 14 batters of the game, while Franco Broyles and James McCann each had two hits as Arkansas posted a series-clinching 5-3 win over Florida on Friday night in front of 9,032 fans at Baum Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Game Highlights (Video)
• Matt Jones: Hogs Take Series With 5-3 Win
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Dave Van Horn, Barrett Astin
• Robbie Neiswanger: Staff Pitches Arkansas to Series Win
• Razorback Nation (Video): Kyle Robinson

Arkansas catcher James McCann capped a four-run ninth inning rally with a towering three-run, walk-off home run to left field to give the Razorbacks a 4-3 victory on Saturday night in front of a Baum Stadium-record crowd of 11,103 fans and a national television audience watching on ESPNU.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats, Game Highlights (Video)
• Matt Jones: McCann’s Home Run Downs LSU
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Dave Van Horn, James McCann
• Robbie Neiswanger: McCann’s Home Run Beats LSU
• Clay Henry: Strong Tower
• Razorback Nation (Video): James McCann

James McCann drove in the game-tying and game-winning run with a two-run infield single in the bottom of the eighth, while Arkansas pitchers Cade Lynch and DJ Baxendale combined to allow just one run as the Razorbacks defeated No. 2 Vanderbilt 2-1 on Friday night in front of 7,937 fans at Baum Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats, Game Highlights (Video)
• Matt Jones: Hogs’ Late Rally Upends Gray, Vandy
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Dave Van Horn
• Razorback Nation (Video): James McCann, D.J. Baxendale, Cade Lynch
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas Rallies To Beat Vanderbilt
• Clay Henry: Arkansas 2, Vanderbilt 1

James McCann and Kyle Robinson each had two hits, while five Arkansas pitchers combined to allow just two runs as the Razorbacks defeated Kansas 4-2 on a sunny Tuesday afternoon at Baum Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Game Highlights (Video)
• Matt Jones: Hogs Make Quick Work of Kansas
• Dudley Dawson: Arkansas 4, Kansas 2
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Dave Van Horn
• Razorback Nation (Video): Kyle Robinson, Ryne Stanek

James McCann and Matt Reynolds each had two hits and two RBI, while Arkansas pitchers Geoffrey Davenport and Ryne Stanek combined to allow just two runs and strike out 14 batters as the Razorbacks defeated Delaware State 9-2 on Saturday afternoon in front of 7,710 fans at Baum Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Game Highlights (Video)
• Matt Jones: Hogs Turn in Complete Win
• WholeHogSports.com (Video): Dave Van Horn, Matt Reynolds, Ryne Stanek
• Razorback Nation (Video): Geoffrey Davenport, Ryne Stanek

This is the first of a two part series previewing the 2011 Razorback Baseball squad.

After two seasons of deep runs into the post season, Dave Van Horn’s 2011 Diamond Hogs don’t seem to be rebuilding, even after losing four key players to the MLB draft.

Andy Wilkins, Zach Cox, Drew Smyly and Brett Eibner had great careers and will be missed, but a pretty good nucleus of players with experience remain.  The Hogs may be reloading instead of rebuilding this season.

Much has been made of the switch to a ‘less lively’ bat this season.  Of the Razorback returnees in 2011, none of them really relied on the home run anyway as a big part of their game.  Even though Collin Kuhn hit 16 HRs last year, the closest is probably catcher James McCann (9 HRs in 2010).

This year’s version of the Hogs will rely more on speed – a new, important equalizer for some teams given the new bats.

So, without further ado, here’s a position-by-position look at 2011 Diamond Hogs starting with the infield:

Catcher

Not much of a question mark here.  James McCann (.286, 9HRs, 34 RBIs in 2010) is one of the best catchers in the SEC.  The two year starter is again one of the Hogs captains.  Great defensively, with a great arm, McCann made strides at the plate last year, raising his average some 44 points.  Freshman Jake Wise (6-0, 200, Houston, TX) will likely back up James and get some mid-week work.

“He’s the guy we can’t afford to lose,” Van Horn said of McCann.  “He’s such a great leader.  He’s great at handling our young pitchers.  I’ll let him catch all 56 games if he can do it.” 

Middle Infielders

One of the returning strengths, second baseman Bo Bigham and shortstop Tim Carver will be one of the best defensive tandems in the league.  Bigham (.316, 3HRs, 30 RBIs) is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but has looked good in pre-season practices.  Bo is tremendous in the field and has great speed on the bases (14 steals in 2010).  He, most likely, will hit second behind Kuhn.

At short, Carver (.267, 4 HRs, 36 RBIs) has always been a good glove, but showed surprising pop at the plate last year.  He is versatile, and can play second and third as well if needed.

The new ‘franchise player’ fans will get to know quickly though is Dominic Ficociello.  Dominic is a 6’4” shortstop from Fullerton, California who, in pre-season practices, looks advanced with the glove.  He is a switch hitter, and if he can hit, will play somewhere…possibly at first base.  He has been working at third, short and first since arriving on campus.  Keep an eye on number 20.

Corner Infielders

With Cox and Wilkins gone, the Hogs are starting over at these two spots.  Matt Reynolds will be moving from shortstop over the third this season.  Reynolds (.203, HR, 5 RBIs), a hot prospect last year out of Tulsa, struggled through a injury plagued freshman year.  A stress reaction in his shin held Reynolds out of SEC action, as he only managed four extra base hits all season. 

You can tell, Matt has bulked up this year, and looks like he is ready to make strides.  Van Horn noted that Reynolds will play third and hit third.

First base is the big question mark, as it appears the Hogs are still searching here, and may very well use the early non-conference games as a “tryout” of sorts.  Ficociello looks to be the lead candidate, even though he’d be playing out of position.  Returning senior Kyle Robinson (.353, 5 RBIs in 2010) could figure in at first, designated hitter or in the outfield.

In part 2 of our series, we’ll take a look at the outfield and pitching prospects.  Stay tuned.

Coach Dave Van Horn (22nd year, 904-419 overall) finds his team ranked 24th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll that was released yesterday.  A rebuilding year finds the team still ranked in the Top 25 – a vote showing the respect Coach Van Horn has earned in just eight short years at his alma mater.

The familiar ‘ping’ that normally resounds around Baum Stadium’s batting cage will be replaced by a ‘thud’ this season.  Much has been written about the NCAA’s move to less-lively bats this year.  Nobody likes it — players, coaches, fans included — typical of most decisions made by the modern day NCAA.

“If this were football, instead of first-and-10, now we’re looking at first-and-20,” Razorback hitting coach Todd Butler said.  “If it were basketball, the goal just got moved up from 10 feet to 15 feet.”

If the fall practices were any indication, home runs become routine fly balls; sure extra-base hits in the gap are now likely to be cutoff, holding runners to long singles.  Flares no longer drop in front of outfielders, they are caught by infielders.  It’s a new game.

You can tell the new name of the game is speed, defense and pitching.  Van Horn likened the game to the mid-1980s version of the St. Louis Cardinals.  That team was dominated by speedsters Vince Coleman, Ozzie Smith, Tom Herr, and Willie McGee.

“You go back to the Cardinals of the ’80s; I think that’s what a team is going to have to be like now.” — Dave Van Horn

Even at the corner infield positions, college coaches are going to opt for speed over power.  Teams will certainly be trying to steal more, bunt more, hit-and-run more.  Fewer runs and faster games will certainly become the norm.

One of the areas where teams can help themselves in this new game is by holding runners closer and having a catcher with a cannon.  Strong-armed, junior catcher James McCann (.286, 9 HRs, 34 RBIs in 2010) will be an even more valuable commodity for the Hogs in 2011.

Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be previewing the 2011 squad and making our predictions for the coming season.  Three weeks from today, the Hogs will host Delaware State in the season opener.  See you at the Baum.

Monk Kreder had three hits and James McCann drove in three runs as the No. 15 Arkansas baseball team downed Ball State, 9-3, Sunday afternoon at Baum Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats, Game Highlights (Video)
• Razorback Nation (Video): Razorbacks beat Ball State in series finale

In part one of this series, we took a quick look back at 2009 and examined the lofty preseason expectations of this year’s team.

Now here’s a position-by-position look at the 2010 Diamond Hogs.

Catcher

Like a lot of good teams, success on the field starts with the guy behind the plate.  It was no surprise that James McCann was voted by his teammates as one of the three Razorback captains for 2010.  As a freshman, McCann (.242, 1 HR, 11 RBIs) took over full-time catching duties midway through last season, and became one of the catalysts that spurred the Hogs to Omaha.

Hog fans may not recognize the 6-3 McCann right away, since he’s gained 25-30 pounds of muscle since last season, and is now up to 225.  His arm is strong and accurate — definitely a weapon that will throw to any base at any time.  Van Horn and pitching coach Dave Jorn have indicated they may let McCann call pitches at times throughout the year…something they have not done in recent years.

Backing up McCann will be junior college transfer Monk Kreder.  Originally signed by Texas Tech, by way of Howard Community College, Kreder (6-1, 230) has impressed with his bat in the early going and, according to Van Horn, is a power hitter.  He will get a chance to play at DH when not behind the plate.  Senior catcher Tom Hauskey (.308 avg in 2009) has shown to be a good pinch hitter, and will likely fill that role again in 2010.

Infield

Not too hard to fill out a lineup card when your corner infielders are All-Americans.  Andy Wilkins (.319, 19 HRs, 58 RBIs) and Zack Cox (.266, 13 HRs, 39 RBIs) lead this group and are looking to improve on their stellar 2009 campaigns.  Cox set the freshman record for home runs in a season (13) last year.  6-5 freshman Derrick Bleeker from Longmont, Colorado will back up both.

Second base has been nailed down by last year’s late season star Bo Bigham.  Bigham (.280, 1 HR, 6 RBIs) subbed late in the year after injuries to the starters, and showed speed, athletic ability, great fielding and clutch hitting.  Bigham is likely to leadoff for the Hogs.

The real battle is at shortstop where freshman Matt Reynolds and sophomore Tim Carver are vying.  “Carver was our best offensive player in the fall,” Van Horn recently said.  Reynolds, the highly recruited Tulsa Bishop Kelley star, has good power and a great arm from the hole.  Both should see action.

Outfield

For the third straight season, Brett Eibner will man the center field spot when he’s not on the mound blowing hitters away.  Eibner, who hit one of the most memorable home runs in Razorback history against Virginia in the CWS, also joins Wilkins and Cox on the Baseball America All-American team.

Hitting below .200 for most of the 2009 season, Brett finally found his stroke down the stretch and finished at .231, with 12 HRs, 34 RBIs.  He’s a better hitter than that and, when he’s not pitching (5-5, 5.00 ERA, 72 IP, 67 Ks), must improve at the plate for the Hogs to reach their ultimate goal.

Collin Kuhn in left and Jarrod McKinney in right look to get most of the playing time to start the season, but freshman Matt Vinson is raising some eyebrows early on.  Van Horn recently said Vinson, the multi-sport star from Alma, “may be the best athlete on our team.”

Kuhn (.256, 2 HRs, 11 SB) has great speed, and will man center when Eibner pitches.  McKinney (.197 avg in 2009), who showed flashes as a freshman, looks like a football player.  And, in fact, had a chance to play that sport for Texas Tech before signing to play baseball with the Hogs.  He has to improve at the plate to remain in the Hogs outfield rotation.

Designated Hitter

According to Van Horn, look for backup catcher Monk Kreder to get a lot of at bats in this slot.  Junior outfielder Travis Sample (.263, 2 HRs, 16 RBIs) could figure here as well.

In our final preview installment later this week, we’ll take a look at the pitchers and make a few predictions for 2010.

The No. 21 Arkansas Razorback baseball team pounded out a season high 20 hits including three or more from Ben Tschepikow, Scott Lyons, Andy Wilkins and James McCann to remain undefeated in the NCAA Norman Regional with a 17-6 victory over the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners at L. Dale Mitchell Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday night.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Box Score, Post-game Press Conference (Video)
• SoonerSports.com: Post-game Quotes, Arkansas vs. Oklahoma Highlights (Video)
• Ryan Malashock: Arkansas Builds Lead, Responds Late Tops Sooners, Plenty Of Hog Fans Show In Norman
• Rick Fires: Hogs hammer Sooners
• Chris Cocoles: Razorbacks’ leadoff hitters get the ball rolling, Norman Regional Report

Updated 5/31/09 9:30 p.m.

Scott Lyons and James McCann each had two hits, but three runs over the opening two innings were not enough for the No. 16 Arkansas baseball team against the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels at Baum Stadium on Friday night in Fayetteville, 9-3.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Box Score, Arkansas vs. Ole Miss Highlights (Video)
• Ryan Malashock: Arkansas’ SEC Losing Streak Continues, Costly Reversal
• Rick Fires: Rebels rally past Hogs
• Chris Cocoles: Around the Horn
• Nate Allen: On the chin
• Brandon Marcello: Baserunning collision benches hot-hitting Lyons

Updated 5/16/09 10:30 a.m.