College baseball notebook: Punched-up offense helps Arkansas get out to program-best 23-2 start
Arkansas' offseason priority was to add some pop to its offense. The Razorbacks sure did.
Led by six transfers in the everyday lineup, the Razorbacks have put up significantly better numbers and are 23-2 for the best start in program history.
They've scored double-digit runs six times during their seven-game win streak, including in all three of their games in a weekend home sweep of South Carolina.
They're in the top seven nationally in home runs (56), slugging (.605), batting average (.332) and scoring (9.6 runs per game).
'There was a big emphasis on being a lineup that was relentless and powerful and to fight and make adjustments with two strikes,' coach Dave Van Horn said. 'We knew we were going to hit home runs. Doubles turn into home runs. You never know which way the wind is going to blow. We had three different winds this weekend. When you hit the ball through the middle and that's what you work at, good things happen.'
Kuhio Aloy (BYU) is leading the team with a .417 average, eight homers and 37 RBIs. Charles Davalin (Florida Gulf Coast) is batting .408 with seven homers. Logan Maxwell (TCU), Cam Kozeal (Vanderbilt) and Brent Iredale (New Mexico Junior College) all are batting better than .350. Justin Thomas (Florida SouthWestern State) was 5 for 11 with a homer, double and six RBIs in the three games against South Carolina.
Wehiwa Aloy, Kuhio's brother who played at Arkansas last season, is batting .396 with a team-best 10 homers.
'We're not trying to overcomplicate anything,' Iredale said. 'If one guy is down, we've got eight other guys who can do it, and even the guys on the bench. We call can do it. We all have each other's back basically.'
In the polls
Tennessee (22-2) remained the No. 1 team in the D1Baseball.com and Baseball America rankings. The Volunteers, who had started 20-0 to set a program record, lost 7-6 to East Tennessee State last Tuesday and then won two of three at Alabama.
Arkansas (23-2) remained No. 2 in both polls. Georgia (24-2) is No. 3 by D1Baseball, Texas (19-3) is No. 3 by Baseball America.
Perfect for 7
UNCW's Cam Bagwell pitched a seven-inning perfect game Sunday in a 12-0 win over Campbell. The freshman recorded 12 outs on flies, six on grounders and three on strikeouts. He went to a three-ball count just once.
UNLV no-hitter
Carson Lane and Will Marquart combined for UNLV's first no-hitter in 22 years in a 9-0 win over Fresno State on Friday. Lane pitched the first eight innings, striking out nine and walking four. He pitched six 1-2-3 innings. Marquart struck out one and walked one in the ninth. Matt Luca threw the previous UNLV no-hitter against San Diego State in 2003.
SEC struggles
Texas A&M and Florida are out to uncharacteristic 0-6 starts in the SEC, the Aggies for the first time in conference play since 1994 and the Gators for the first time since 2001.
The Aggies (11-12), national runners-up last season and the preseason SEC favorite, brought back the core of their everyday lineup and have struggled offensively under first-year coach Michael Earley. They dropped three at Vanderbilt after getting swept at home by Alabama.
Georgia's three wins at Florida (18-8) over the weekend marked the first time the Gators had been swept at home since April 2022. The Bulldogs outscored Florida 32-6 over the last two games. Florida opened SEC play with three losses at Tennessee.
Cleanup spot
Big Ten co-leader Iowa outscored Ohio State 42-7 over 23 innings in a home sweep. The Hawkeyes have a 115-30 run differential while winning nine of their last 10. ... Clemson overcame a 6-0 deficit to win 7-6 and clinch its series with Wake Forest when Tryston McCladdie scored on a wild pitch with one out in the ninth Sunday. ... Texas freshman left-hander Dylan Volantis earned two saves against LSU. He retired 14 of the 15 batters he faced, striking out seven. He worked a combined 4 2/3 shutout innings without allowing a hit. ... Six Coppin State pitchers combined to hit an NCAA-record 12 batters in a 19-9, seven-inning loss to crosstown rival UMBC on March 18.
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