Arkansas’ offense flourishes even in the absence of their most potent hitter.
Peyton Stovall struggled at the plate, going 1-for-13 against Mississippi State over the weekend, yet the Arkansas Razorbacks managed to score 21 runs, winning two out of three against the Bulldogs. This marked the highest run total for the Razorbacks in an SEC series since they scored 23 against Missouri at the beginning of conference play.
Notably, the Razorbacks achieved this offensive output largely without significant contributions from Peyton Stovall, who had been a consistent offensive force for the team. Stovall’s lone hit of the weekend came in the form of a two-run homer in a 8-5 loss on Saturday.
Hudson White emerged as the team leader in SEC batting average after a strong weekend performance, going 5-for-12 with two home runs, raising his average to .321, while Stovall’s average dropped to .313. Wehiwa Aloy and Peyton Holt also had productive weekends at the plate, with Jared Sprague-Lott contributing four hits. This collective effort from various players was a departure from previous SEC series where Stovall often carried the offensive load.
“They did it all weekend,” commented Coach Van Horn on the team’s batting performance. “It was really good to see. I know we only got eight hits. We hit a couple of balls hard but we hit three home runs on a day that you needed to hit it to dead left on over to get it out of the park with the wind, the way it was blowing.”
The weekend’s offensive display may bring some much-needed stability to the lineup, which has experienced constant changes throughout the season. Coach Van Horn encouraged the players to focus on hitting, and they delivered at a crucial juncture. However, the pitching staff allowed 19 runs in the series, highlighting the need for improvement in that area as postseason play approaches.
Arkansas will wrap up the regular season with a three-game series against Texas A&M on the road, starting Thursday at 7 p.m., with the game broadcast on ESPN2.
