Arkansas took down Texas on Friday night in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals with plenty of early offense and a whole lot of stellar pitching.
The seventh-seeded Razorbacks scored 3 times each in the first and second innings while silencing the Longhorns bats in an 8-1 victory in Hoover, Ala., that booked Arkansas‘ spot in semifinal Saturday. The Hogs wouldn’t find out their semifinal opponent until late Friday night, with Auburn and Texas A&M battling it out in a quarterfinal matchup.
Arkansas improved to 38-19 while eliminating second-seeded Texas (40-13). The victory over its old rival also improved the Razorbacks’ chances to host a regional.
Camden Kozeal pounded Texas pitching in the victory, belting 2 home runs. He went 3 for 4 with 5 RBIs, and he ignited the Arkansas offense early with a 2-run homer in the first inning and a 3-run shot in the second that gave the Hogs an early 6-1 cushion to work with.
While its offense was on fire to start the game, Arkansas got a scare on the pitching side of things. Ace left-hander Hunter Dietz was forced to leave the game in the bottom of the first after a line drive hit him in the foot. Razorbacks head coach Dave Van Horn told SEC Network during an in-game interview that an X-ray on Dietz revealed no fracture.
Dietz was charged with the only Texas run of the game, but the Hogs’ bullpen had Dietz’s back with stellar relief. Steele Eaves didn’t give up a hit in 2.1 innings of work, and Gabe Gaeckle added 6 scoreless innings to get Arkanas to the finish line on Friday night. Gaeckle struck out 9 and allowed only 3 hits.
Arkansas tacked on 2 insurance runs in the fifth inning on Carter Rutenbar’s RBI single and a run-scoring fielder’s choice.
As SEC teams battle this week in Hoover for conference supremacy, some will also be gearing up for a chance to get to Omaha next month and play for a national championship. Here is what the Kalshi odds are currently saying about the top teams in the mix to be playing for the national championship in June:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
