Two SEC teams very familiar with each other will battle each in the super regionals this weekend as Arkansas hosts South Carolina.
The two teams have faced each other four times already this year with the Razorbacks winning three times. In a three-game series at Baum Stadium back in April the two teams scored a combined 10 runs with scored of 3-2, 2-0 and 3-0. When they met in the SEC Tournament, Arkansas won a shootout 13-8, so who know what we’ll get this weekend.
The Fayetteville Regional may have been the most boring regional and I’m not sure I watched a single game as Arkansas breezed through. South Carolina swept their regional as well, but at least they played some close games.
South Carolina is a team that came on late in the season and has really established themselves as one of the best teams in the country.
Meanwhile, Arkansas has been a top 10 team all year and a favorite to reach Omaha.
I can’t wait to see how this matchup unfolds this weekend.
Pitchers to Watch:
Arkansas – Blaine Knight and Kacey Murphy are their top two pitchers and they have both been very good this year combining for 19 wins. Isaiah Campbell would likely be their third starter. He has great stuff, maybe the best on the team, but has struggled with consistency this year. Jake Reindl and Matt Cronin are the top arms out of the bullpen. Dave Van Horn will rely heavily on those five arms this weekend.
South Carolina – Adam Hill and Cody Morris anchor the South Carolina rotation and have been solid all year, but are probably quite at the level of Knight or Murphy for Arkansas. Eddy Demurias is an arm they rely on out of the bullpen along with Sawyer Bridges.
Hitters to Watch:
Arkansas – The easy thing to say is to watch all of their hitters, because they’re all good. In my opinion, Arkansas has the deepest lineup in the country. SEC Freshman of the Year, Heston Kjerstad, leads the team with a .344 average, 56 runs scored, 13 home runs and 52 RBI. Another freshman, Casey Martin, is second on the team in hitting. Their top seven hitters are batting .281 or better.
South Carolina – This is an offense that has really come together as the season progressed, and as they got healthy. Madison Stokes and Jonah Bride have been two of their best hitters this year. But Justin Row, Jonah Bride and Carlos Cortes give this lineup some depth. Cortes brings the thump with 15 home runs.
Final Thoughts and Prediction:
It’s hard to judge this South Carolina team as they have changed so much over the season and are a much better team now than when they first traveled to Arkansas. The key for the Gamecocks in this series will be their starting pitching. Hill is a great pitcher, but he only lasted four innings in the regional. Their top two starts have to go deep and bridge that gap to Demurias and Bridges in the bullpen.
For Arkansas, they just have to do what they’ve done at home all season, and that’s win baseball games. They are 32-4 at Baum Stadium, which is where these two teams will meet this weekend.
Winner: Arkansas
