Razorbacks begin series at Vanderbilt Friday night

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The eighth-ranked Razorback baseball team will take on its fourth ranked opponent of the year and second from the top-10 today when it faces sixth-ranked Vanderbilt in a three-game series at Hawkins Field.

The series is set to start at 7 p.m. on Friday on the SEC Network, while Saturday’s game will be on ESPNU and have first pitch at 8 p.m. Sunday’s series finale will be at 1 p.m. and be broadcast online via SEC Network+.

Follow Live
Mike Morgan (PxP) and Chris Burke (Analyst) will have the call on Friday and Saturday’s national broadcast. All three games can be viewed online via the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com.

Probable Starters
FRI: (ARK) RHP Isaiah Campbell (6-0, 2.29 ERA, 59 K, 10 BB) vs. (VU) RHP Drake Fellows (6-0, 3.44 ERA, 58 K, 22 BB)

SAT: (ARK) RHP Connor Noland (0-1, 4.59 ERA, 22 K, 9 BB) vs. (VU) RHP Kumar Rocker (2-4, 5.90 ERA, 32 K, 8 BB)

SUN: (ARK) TBA vs. (VU) RHP Patrick Raby (5-1, 2.47 ERA, 38 K, 22 BB)

The Razorbacks (25-8, 8-4 SEC) have won three in a row after dispatching Oral Roberts on Tuesday, 15-8. Sophomore outfielder Heston Kjerstad had one of his best days, offensively, this season, hitting two home runs, one being a grand slam. It’s the third time in his career that he’s homered twice in a game and two of those times have been against the Golden Eagles.

Kjerstad is leading the team with nine home runs on the year and hitting .312 with 27 RBIs and 26 runs scored. He ranks in the top-10 in the SEC in home runs (9) and total bases (77) and has two or more RBIs in three of his last four games with a career-high five RBIs coming on Tuesday.

Razorback Prime Nine
>> Arkansas goes to Vanderbilt for the first time since 2015 for a three-game series with the Commodores. The Hogs last won a three-game series in Nashville in 2010.

>> Arkansas won its second road series in conference play last week when it took 2-of-3 from Auburn. It’s the Hogs’ third road series win overall this year, matching their most since 2015.

>> The Razorbacks won a marathon 15-inning game on the backend of a doubleheader with Auburn on Friday. It was the longest game in terms of innings since 2004 (16 innings vs. SE Missouri St.).

>> Freshman Patrick Wicklander has made 13 appearances this year, seven as a starter. In those games as a starter, the San Jose native has a 1.98 ERA, six earned runs allowed and 39 strikeouts.

>> Patrick Wicklander has held opponents to a .186 batting average this season, which is the second-lowest among all freshman pitchers in the SEC.

>> Friday night starter Isaiah Campbell was named to the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List on Wednesday. Campbell has a 6-0 record with a team-best 2.29 ERA and is the only pitcher in the SEC with three wins, a 1.80 or lower ERA and 25 or more strikeouts in conference games.

>> Junior Dominic Fletcher added to his league-best doubles total last week, hitting two against Auburn. He added another against ORU and is tied for the SEC lead (17) with Jake Mangum.

>> Heston Kjerstad hit two homers against Oral Roberts on Tuesday, his third multi-home run game of his career. One of his home runs was a grand slam, a career first.

>> Redshirt senior Trevor Ezell batted in the leadoff spot for the first time this year last week and he responded with a .389 average, including two multi-hit games, two home runs and a team-best seven RBIs.

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