STARKVILLE, Miss. — Arkansas’ baseball team took advantage of a friendly early schedule that saw the Razorbacks play 19 of their first 22 games at home.
Now comes the hard part.
No. 3 Arkansas (20-2, 3-0 SEC) begins a six-game SEC road swing tonight when it opens a three-game series against Mississippi State (15-7, 1-2) at 6:30 p.m. Central at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, Miss. The Razorbacks wrap up their road trip next weekend with a three-game series against LSU in Baton Rouge.
Arkansas has won 10 consecutive games after beating Nevada 10-2 on Wednesday to conclude its second 10-game homestand at Baum Stadium. The Razorbacks, who are 18-1 at home, opened SEC play with a three-game sweep over Alabama last weekend, while Mississippi State dropped 2 of 3 games at LSU.
Tonight’s game will feature a stellar pitching matchup between Arkansas right-hander DJ Baxendale (5-0, 2.30 ERA) and Mississippi State righthander Chris Stratton (4-0, 2.12 ERA), the SEC’s pitcher of the week.
Stratton struck out 17 in a 3-2 loss to LSU last Friday night. He allowed only four hits over 8 2/3 innings and left with the game tied 1-1. Stratton’s 17 strikeouts are the most by a Mississippi State pitcher since B.J. Wallace struck out 19 in a regional tournament game in 1992.
Baxendale is a preseason All-American who has won seven consecutive games dating to last season.
“Most Friday night matchups are pretty good, and that’s a great one,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. “You’ve got one guy that’s really experienced in Baxendale that throws four pitches, and you’ve got Stratton that’s really going to live off his fastball and slider that has big-time velocity.
“It will be like every Friday. It usually comes down to one play.”
Baxendale will try to return to form tonight after consecutive subpar performances against Binghamton and Alabama. Baxendale allowed 8 hits and 3 runs over 5 innings against Binghamton, then lasted 5 1/3 innings against Alabama and was bailed out of a jam in the sixth inning by reliever Cade Lynch, who retired Austen Smith on a double play to end the inning.
“Baxendale is the real deal and Arkansas is very good, as their record indicates,” Mississippi State Coach John Cohen said. “We’re going from playing a good club in LSU to a phenomenal club in Arkansas.”
Arkansas’ only experience on the road this season came at the Houston College Classic, where the Razorbacks beat Texas 7-3 and Texas Tech 3-1 and lost 4-1 to Houston. Baxendale and Ryne Stanek earned the victories in those games, while Randall Fant took the loss.
Mississippi State will not be at full strength against the Razorbacks. The Bulldogs started five freshmen against LSU last Saturday after losing outfielders Brent Brownlee, C.T. Bradford and Taylor Stark and third baseman Daryl Norris to injuries the previous week.
Despite those injuries, Mississippi State lost by only one run in two games against LSU and beat the Tigers 7-1 on Sunday behind Kendall Graveman, who pitched a complete game.
“I know they can really pitch,” Van Horn said of the Bulldogs, who have a 2.62 team earned run average. “They do have a couple of their main guys out right now, but their pitching is keeping them right there. They could have easily won 2 of 3 from LSU.
“I know they’re good, and we’ve just got to find a way to score.”
Mississippi State is 15-3 at home, including victories over Washington State, Kansas, Penn State and Mercer.
“It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re prepared for it,” Razorbacks outfielder Jacob Morris said of Arkansas’ first SEC series away from home. “We’re on spring break, so we don’t have school work to worry about.
“It’s not about fun and games. It’s about going there and winning ball games.”
Tonight’s game
ARKANSAS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE
WHEN 6:30 p.m. Central WHERE Dudy Noble Field, Starkville, Miss. RECORDS Arkansas 20-2, 3-0 SEC. Mississippi State 15-7, 1-2. RADIO RSP statewide radio network, which includes KQSM-FM, 92.1 in Fayetteville; KURM-AM, 790, in Bentonville-Rogers; KASR-FM, 92.7, in Conway; KHGG-FM, 103.1, in Fort Smith; KELDFM, 106.5, in El Dorado; and KOMT-FM, 107.5, in Mountain Home. Not all games will be carried by affiliates. Check local listings. INTERNET www.arkansasrazorbacks. com PITCHING MATCHUP Arkansas: DJ Baxendale (RHP, 5-0, 2.30 ERA). Mississippi State: Chris Stratton (RHP, 4-0, 2.12 ERA). Stratton leads the SEC with 44 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings. SHORT HOPS Arkansas won all three games at Mississippi State in 2010, but the Bulldogs lead the overall series 43-35. Arkansas took 2 of 3 from Mississippi State at home last season, then beat the Bulldogs 7-2 in the SEC Tournament at Hoover, Ala. ... Matt Reynolds leads Arkansas with a .366 batting average that includes 3 home runs and 16 RBI. ... Arkansas has a team batting average of .292, which is sixth in the SEC, and an earned run average of 2.25, which leads the league. ... Mississippi State is hitting .232 and has a 2.62 earned run average.
THE WEEK AHEAD TODAY at Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY at Mississippi State, 2 p.m. SUNDAY at Mississippi State, noon MONDAY off TUESDAY off WEDNESDAY off THURSDAY off
Sports, Pages 21 on 03/23/2012