Arkansas to face Kent State or South Carolina Thursday
By: University of Arkansas
Updated: June 21, 2012
Thursday's game will be televised on ESPN2 and also streamed online on ESPN3.com. Mike Patrick, Orel Hershiser and Jessica Mendoza will have the call. The game will also be available on the Razorback Baseball Radio Network from IMG. Chuck Barrett (play-by-play) and former Arkansas Sports Information Director Rick Schaeffer (analyst) will call the action. A live blog and live stats will also be available on ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
Arkansas, 46-20 on the season, reached the bracket title game after defeating South Carolina, 2-1, on Monday night. A Razorback win on Thursday would advance the team to the College World Series championship series. A win by the Gamecocks or Golden Flashes would force another game on Friday night at 8 p.m.
The Razorbacks continued to use the formula of solid pitching and defense and timely hitting to snap the Gamecocks' 22-game postseason winning streak. Ryne Stanek and Barrett Astin combined to give up just one run on four hits, while Dominic Ficociello and Matt Vinson each had a clutch two-out RBI hit.
As a team, the Razorbacks are hitting .273. Arkansas is led offensively by Matt Reynolds, who is hitting .328 with seven homers, 43 RBI and 15 stolen bases. Tim Carver is batting .301 with two homers, 30 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Dominic Ficociello has a .297 batting average with six round trippers and 41 RBI. Joe Serrano has had a strong performance in the NCAA Tournament as he is hitting .521 (11-for-21) in Arkansas' eight NCAA Tourney games.
The Arkansas pitching staff has a team ERA of 2.84. The Razorbacks have given up just two runs in their last 32.1 innings, dating back to the second game of the Waco Super Regional. Junior southpaw Randall Fant will start on Thursday vs. South Carolina or Kent State. Fant has pitched in 14 games, including 13 starts, and is 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA. Fant hasn't allowed a run in his last 12.1 innings of work.
Out of the bullpen, Barrett Astin has appeared in a team-leading 31 games, 28 in relief, and has a 3-5 record with a team-high 11 saves and a 2.04 ERA. Colby Suggs has pitched in 29 games and is 7-0 with a 1.22 ERA. Brandon Moore has seen time in 28 games and has compiled a 5-2 record with three saves and a 2.62 ERA.
