The 2024 Arkansas Baseball season is here! They got the season started with a convincing, yet cold outside, win, 6-4, on Friday followed by a dominating. 15-5, win on Saturday, the opening series had not been challenging. The Sunday game of this four-game series would prove to be more challenging as James Madison would humble the home crowd with a 7-5 win. With this, we will enter the Monday matchup with Arkansas leading the series, 2-1, and looking to close this out starting at noon on ESPN+.
As the Arkansas Razorbacks prepare to finish off a resilient James Madison team, we analyze the early season statistics that have shaped their performance thus far.
The Razorbacks, led by 22-year coach Dave Van Horn, have come out swinging with an impressive team batting average of .337, a clear indication of their offensive ability to make contact and get on base. Patience at the plate is also a strength, as evidenced by their 22 walks. However, their plate discipline will need to be maintained as they’ve been struck out 18 times. Despite this, their on-base percentage (OB%) of .472 is a testament to their aptitude for creating scoring opportunities.
With 98 at-bats, the team has compiled 24 runs and 33 hits, including 10 doubles and 4 home runs, contributing to a robust slugging percentage of .561. The lack of triples thus far is an area where the team could improve to add more dynamism to their game. The Razorbacks have also shown some aggression on the bases, with 3 successful steals out of 4 attempts. However, they might look to increase their frequency of attempts to pressure opposing defenses further.
Defensively, the Razorbacks have been almost impeccable with a fielding percentage of .977, backed up by 93 putouts and 34 assists. The team has committed just 3 errors, an encouraging sign of their reliability in the field.
On the mound, the Razorbacks have an ERA of 5.19, which suggests that there’s room for improvement in their pitching staff as they’ve given up a fair amount of runs early in the season. However, the team’s 2-1 record and 2 saves from 2 appearances point to their ability to close out games when it counts. The pitching staff has accumulated 34 strikeouts over 26.2 innings, showing they can overpower hitters. The opposing batting average of .228 against the Razorbacks is a positive sign, indicating that hitters generally struggle to make effective contact.
Individual leaders are setting the pace for the Razorbacks. Kendall Diggs and Ty Wilmsmeyer are batting .417 and .600 respectively, with Jared Sprague-Lott not far behind at .417. Diggs and Wilmsmeyer also lead in hits with 5 apiece. Home run contributions come from Lott, Wilsmseyer, and Hudson White, all with 1. Wilsmseyer tops the RBI chart with 5, while Diggs and White lead in doubles with 3 each.
On the mound, Brady Tygart and Will McEntire have been particularly effective. Tygart boasts an ERA of 1.80 over 5 innings, allowing just 1 hit and 1 run while striking out 4. McEntire has been equally impressive with an ERA of 1.59, giving up only 3 hits and 1 run, along with a single walk and 6 strikeouts.
As the Razorbacks continue their season, they will look to maintain their strong offensive production while seeking to tighten up their pitching to match the high standard set by their defense. If they can achieve this balance, they will undoubtedly be a formidable force for any opponent.
