Arkansas QB Connor Noland has impressed Dave Van Horn on diamond
By SDS Staff
Published:
Spring is just around the corner, and that means college baseball is close to getting cranked up.
USA Today recently ranked Arkansas the No. 12 team in the country heading into the season, which Dave Van Horn says his team “over-ranked.” Nonetheless, fresh off a trip to Omaha, the Hogs are ranked in the top 15.
One player who is expected to help the Hogs on the diamond is freshman QB Connor Noland. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound signal caller was 10-0 during his senior season with a .42 ERA. He recorded 123 strikeouts in 66.2 innings pitched, and he led his team to the state championship. Yeah, that’s dealing.
During the Hogs media day Thursday, head coach Dave Van Horn was asked specifically about Noland’s role this spring.
“Well, Connor’s going to pitch on Saturday,” Van Horn said. “He’ll be second. I think he’ll throw right behind Campbell on that side. He’s looked really good in his bullpens. You know, it’s kind of interesting — Coach Hobbs comes in here as a new coach, fresh mind and fresh opinion on everybody. He really likes Connor. Let’s just put it like that. Connor’s got good stuff. Very mature, strong. We think he’s going to be a really big part of our pitching staff.”
Van Horn was then asked how Noland intends to balance baseball and football this spring.
“It’s a little bit of a floating schedule, and what I mean by that is we just have to make sure we don’t double up on anything. … Connor has to manage it. He has to make sure he speaks up to either us or football. Coach Morris was real good about it.”
The Hogs head coach later went into more detail about Noland.
“His velocity is 90-91; it could be more. It’s going to be more. Just give him a little time. Really good breaking ball. I guess talking to Coach Hobbs … basically what he’s been asking him to do with his bullpen, he’s doing it. You want the fastball in; he’s throwing the fastball in to the lefty, or breaking ball down, he’s throwing it down. He’s basically executing pitches, and that’s what pitching is all about.”
Arkansas’s season starts Friday, February 15 against Eastern Illinois.
You can watch Van Horn’s full presser below:
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