ARKANSANS ACROSS THE MINORS

LITTLE ROCK — WHO’S HOT

MICHAEL FAULKNER (Arkansas State) saw his batting average rise to .213. In 10 at-bats during 4 games, Faulkner scored 3 runs on 4 hits and had 1 RBI and 2 stolen bases.

ANDY WILKINS (Arkansas Razorbacks) saw his batting average rise to .225. In 22 at-bats during 7 games, Wilkins scored 8 runs on 7 hits, including a home run, and had 3 RBI.

WHO’S NOT

CHASE HUCHINGSON (Central Arkansas/Fayetteville) picked up two losses and saw his ERA rise 0.11. Huchingson is 5-7 this season with a 4.74 ERA. In losses at Tampa on July 12 and against Brevard County on Wednesday, Huchingson allowed 8 runs (6 earned) on 5 hits, walked 5 and struck out 1 in 1 1/3 combined innings.

HAYDEN SIMPSON (Southern Arkansas/Magnolia) picked up two losses and saw his ERA rise 0.02. Simpson is 3-5 this season with a 5.83 ERA. The losses came July 13 against Vancouver and Wednesday against Yakima, in which Simpson allowed 7 runs (4 earned) on 11 hits, walked 4 and struck out 6 in 6 combined innings.

News & Notes

Pitcher Dallas Keuchel (Arkansas Razorbacks) was called up by the Houston Astroson Friday from Class AAA Oklahoma City. Keuchel, who is 6-4 with a 4.03 ERA this season for the RedHawks, won his last start July 16 at Omaha. He allowed 2 runs (both earned) on 4 hits, walked 5 and struck out 3 in 6 innings.

Pitcher Mitch Mustain, the former Arkansas and Southern California quarterback, is playing baseball again for the first time since he was a sophomore at Springdale. Mustain is 1-2 this season with a 4.15 ERA for the Chicago White Sox’s Class A affiliate in Bristol, Va. “It’s been interesting,” Mustain told Tim Hayes of TriCities.com. “I’m just going with it kind of day by day and week by week. It’s been fun. It’s a good place to play and a good league to start off in.” After professional football opportunities, most notably with the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League, didn’t pan out, Mustain said he began to toy with the idea of a return to baseball. “I’ve wanted to get back into it fora number of years now and the opportunity finally presented itself. I wanted to explore it and see if I still had a little of it and if it was a possibility,” Mustain said. “I didn’t think it would be wise to pass that up. I wanted to at least try it out. And see if it doesn’t work, that’s fine. It’d be nice to know that, not sitting back and looking back on it and wondering if I could have or not.”

Pitcher DJ Baxendale (Arkansas Razorbacks) is off to an excellent start with the Class A Elizabethton Twins. In 6 2/3 innings pitched, Baxendale has allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk and has 16 strikeouts.

Pitcher Josh Sullivan (Little Rock) of the Tulsa Drillers (AA Colorado) is fourth in the Texas League with 12 saves this season.