FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas was struggling. So was shortstop Brett McAfee.
The Razorbacks dropped to 11-12 with a 5-4 loss to Memphis on March 24 at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. McAfee's batting average fell to .222 after he went 0-3.
Up next
NO. 23 ARKANSAS AT ALABAMA
WHEN 6:05 p.m. Thursday
WHERE Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, Hoover, Ala.
RECORDS Arkansas 26-18, 2-3 SEC. Alabama 23-21, 8-13.
RADIO Razorbacks Sports Radio Network. Not all games will be carried by affiliates. Check local listings.
TELEVISION SEC Network
SPORT HOPS The first two games of the series will be televised on the SEC Network and the third game will be on ESPN2. … Alabama is playing its home games in Hoover this season because its stadium in Tuscaloosa is undergoing renovations. … Arkansas moved up from No. 25 to No. 23 in this week’s Baseball America poll after taking 2 of 3 games from Mississippi State last weekend.
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY Off THURSDAY at Alabama, 6 p.m. FRIDAY at Alabama, 6 p.m. SATURDAY at Alabama, noon SUNDAY Off MONDAY Off TUESDAY Off
A month later, Arkansas and McAfee are on a roll going into this weekend's series against Alabama, which starts Thursday night in Hoover, Ala.
The Razorbacks (26-18, 11-10 SEC) are ranked No. 23 nationally in the latest Baseball America poll and McAfee's batting average has risen to .287.
McAfee is batting .357 (15 for 42) over his past 16 games. He drove in 2 runs in an 8-2 victory at Texas A&M and went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI during a 6-1 victory over Mississippi State in the past two SEC series.
"I'd say the biggest difference has been my approach," said McAfee, a redshirt junior. "I've been staying relaxed, not trying to do too much at the plate. Just letting it happen rather than trying to do something that's not there."
McAfee was bothered by a sore neck earlier in the season.
"I woke up one morning and I just had a bad crick in my neck," he said. "I literally couldn't turn my neck at all. I couldn't even look at the pitcher to hit."
It was the latest in a series of injuries McAfee has dealt with going back to his senior year at Longview (Texas) Pine Tree High School in 2011, when he was sidelined for the entire baseball season after undergoing elbow surgery.
The next year as a freshman at Panola (Texas) Junior College, a hamstring injury limited McAfee to 15 games.
McAfee played 50 games for Arkansas in 2013, hitting .263, but a lower back injury last season shut him down after 15 games.
Over the past month, McAfee finally is playing loose and pain-free.
"I'm happy for him because he's had some serious injuries since he's been here," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "I feel like for the first time, he's confident and healthy at the same time."
McAfee, who received a medical redshirt last season, has SEC experience now to go with a healthy body.
"My first year here, it was a little bit different," he said. "You've got to adjust to the SEC and the different environments.
"I still played well, but now that I'm older and have the experience, I'm a lot more confident in what I'm doing. I feel good about everything."
McAfee started all three games of the Mississippi State series last weekend.
"We love having him out there," Razorbacks senior left fielder Joe Serrano said. "He brings a lot of fun and energy to the game.
"He's a really good defensive player. He makes routine plays. He makes incredible plays. He's been swinging the stick really well, especially for a guy that had been dealing with injuries and hadn't seen that much pitching."
Van Horn said McAfee was rusty coming into this season after missing so many games last year.
"That was pretty tough on me because I wasn't expecting something like that at all to happen," McAfee said. "That was a learning experience for me last spring, working through that adversity.
"I think it's paid off in the long run."
McAfee said he's completely recovered from his back injury.
"I've learned how to better take care of my body and what works for me," he said. "I do a lot of stretching before the game to keep loose and ready to go."
McAfee said he didn't become discouraged when he played sporadically during this season's first few weeks.
"I kind of just grinded through it," he said. "I showed up ready to go, and when I got some more opportunities I was able to take advantage of those."
McAfee usually bats seventh.
"He gives us another pretty good hitter in the middle-to-end of our lineup and he adds a little more speed," Van Horn said. "He can get you an infield hit, score from first on a double.
"I think the team's kind of pulling for him, too, because he's had a couple of seasons he's been banged up and it hasn't gone right and they'd like to see him finish strong."
McAfee's hitting surge included a ground-ball single against Stephen F. Austin that found its way into the outfield.
"It just kind of bled through the infield a little bit," McAfee said. "I remember coming back into the dugout saying, 'I think I'm about to get rolling.'
"Usually once you get a hit like that, it sets you up for something good."
Sports on 04/29/2015