Connor Noland dominated Stanford with his gem of a performance Saturday in Arkansas 17-2 win over the Cardinal.

Through 5 innings, Noland had thrown just 41 pitches, and all total, he threw 79 pitches in 7.2 innings of work. He allowed just 6 hits and 2 earned runs in the blowout win.

Following the game, Noland was asked about silencing one of the most powerful offenses in Stanford in the opening round.

“I just threw it over the dish. I mean, I just trusted my defense,” Noland said. “It’s the best defense in the country, and I knew they would make plays behind me. So, I made it really simple. Obviously, they swung the bat a lot, but just looked to our guys.”

Noland was breezing through the game, and he was asked about the rhythm as he settled in.

“I was rolling. It was great to have that feeling and just making pitches one after another,” Noland said.

Arkansas offense put up an impressive 17 runs on 21 hits. Every Arkansas starter had at least 2 hits against Stanford’s pitching. Getting a big lead and playing strong defense is a great combination for any pitcher.

“It’s comfortable. I can attack the zone with fastballs,” Noland said about his team getting a big lead. “You know, throw really any pitch that I need to, and (catcher) Michael Turner called a great game. So, I credit a lot of that to him.”

Hopefully for Arkansas, this won’t be the only time that its ace will take the mound in Omaha. The Hogs will take on the winner of Ole Miss and Auburn on Monday.

You can catch Michella Chester’s full interview of Noland below.