Diamond Hogs and Ole Miss Set to Face Off in Hoover

After finishing the regular season with a series win over Tennessee, Arkansas earned the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament. Now the Hogs will face Ole Miss in the quarterfinal round. Ole Miss advanced with a 3-1 win over No. 10 seed Florida on May 21. While the Razorbacks enter the game well rested after receiving a double bye. The first time the two teams met, Ole Miss took game one in Oxford. Arkansas responded and won the series to open SEC play.

Previewing Ole Miss

The Rebels enter the tournament at 38-18 overall and 16-14 in SEC play. As a team, Ole Miss is hitting .287, the seventh-best average in the conference, and ranks fourth in the SEC with 102 home runs. Five Rebels have hit 10 or more home runs this season. Luke Hill leads Ole Miss with a .343 batting average and 72 hits. Judd Utermark and Austin Fawley are tied for the team lead with 16 home runs each, and Utermark also leads the team with 59 RBIs.

The Rebels’ pitching staff ranks in the middle of the pack in the SEC with a 4.62 team ERA, good for 10th in the league. Opponents are hitting .247 against Ole Miss. The Rebels have tallied 595 strikeouts while allowing 456 hits and 297 runs. Riley Maddox will get the start against the Hogs. In 59 1/3 innings, he has a 5.46 ERA with 60 strikeouts, allowing 60 hits and 38 runs. In the last meeting, Maddox pitched four innings, allowing four hits and three runs while walking two and striking out three.

Previewing the Hogs

The Hogs leads the SEC in team batting average at .316 and ranks third in the conference with 109 home runs. SEC Player of the Year and Golden Spikes semifinalist Wehiwa Aloy leads the Razorbacks with a .358 batting average and 18 home runs. With 82 hits he is tied for the team and conference lead with Charles Davalan. Joining Wehiwa Aloy on the All-SEC First Team were Davalan, Kuhio Aloy, and pitcher Zach Root. Cam Kozeal earned Second Team All-SEC honors.

The Razorbacks boast a team ERA of 4.12, which ranks in the top five in the SEC. They have limited opponents to a .234 batting average while recording 574 strikeouts and allowing just 412 hits and 227 runs. Zach Root will get the start for the Hogs against Ole Miss. In 75 2/3 innings this season, he has posted a 4.16 ERA with a team-leading 102 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .230 against him with 66 hits and 35 earned runs allowed.

Broadcast Information

Arkansas and Ole Miss will play at 3 p.m. CT on Thursday, May 23, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. The game will be televised on SEC Network.