Regional at Baum a sellout

FAYETTEVILLE -- Landing an unexpected NCAA super regional at Baum Stadium led to predictable results Tuesday.

University of Arkansas officials announced about 9:15 a.m. Tuesday that Arkansas' super regional against national No. 8 seed Missouri State had sold out less than an hour after the all-session tickets became available. It's the first super regional hosted by the Razorbacks since 2004, when they swept two games from Florida State.

"The experience last time obviously was great because we won it, but what really stands out to me is the atmosphere back in 2004, the number of fans, just how electric it felt here," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said.

"To think about how many people are going to be here this weekend is just an awesome feeling," Arkansas outfielder Tyler Spoon said. "It's going to be like the Mississippi State game when we had 13,000 and how crazy that was. It's going to be like that every game for this series."

The Razorbacks, who were 11-12 after a loss to Memphis in North Little Rock on March 24, have not lost a three-game series since March 21.

"It's incredible," Arkansas pitcher Trey Killian said. "You look back to mid-March and we were 12-12 or something like that. Now we're coming out here and we're about to play in front of, it could be 15,000 screaming fans calling the Hogs."

Baum Stadium's official capacity is 10,737, but the Hog Pen behind the left field seats adds more to the seating capacity.

Game time are 3:30 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, if necessary. ESPN2 will carry the first two games, and the third game would he carried on ESPN2 or ESPNU.

An allotment of 250 general admission tickets in the Hog Pen have been reserved for UA students and will go on sale at 8:30 a.m. today at the Razorback Ticket Center. Tickets are limited to one per student with a valid and current UA student identification.

Elson update

Arkansas' radio play-by-play voice Phil Elson will not work the rest of the NCAA playoffs, according to IMG, which oversees the Razorback Sports Network.

"This is personnel matter, which we don't comment on," IMG spokesman Andrew Giangola said in an email Tuesday.

Elson worked Arkansas' first two games at the Stillwater Regional last weekend but did not call Sunday's 4-3 victory over St. John's in the regional final.

Elson could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Alex Perlman, who is the UA's play-by-play announcer for games it produces for the SEC Network, will work the remainder of the season with Rick Schaeffer on Razorback baseball.

McKinney's hip

Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn announced Tuesday that Trey Killian will start Friday's super regional opener, but he didn't venture further.

Freshman Keaton McKinney, who started the second games at the SEC Tournament and the Stillwater Regional, said his right hip was a little tight during his four innings in Arkansas' 7-5 victory over Oklahoma State last Saturday.

"It felt all right," he said. "It was tight, but no excuses. It's probably going to be the best it is all year. Just going to work through it. I think this week it's gotten a little bit better each day. We'll see how it goes."

No Dom

Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said sophomore pitcher Dominic Taccolini was expected to be released from a hospital in Oklahoma City on Tuesday after treatment for an undisclosed medical condition that has knocked him out for the rest of the season.

Van Horn said Taccolini is improving but he could not talk specifically about his injury.

"He has to see some specialists, but we're planning on him being here [in 2016] if everything's good," he said. "I think it's going to be all right."

Key catch

Joe Serrano, MVP of the Stillwater Regional, hit .500 in the Razorbacks' three-game sweep at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium and drove in the game-winning run in the ninth inning of the regional final, but his running, over-the-head catch at the wall in the fifth inning might have been his best play last weekend.

The catch came on a shot off the bat of Anthony Brocato with no outs and Jerred Mederos on the move from first base. Serrano, running to his left at full speed, made the catch just before reaching the wall.

"I just went back, found the ball, knew I had some room," Serrano said. "I didn't plan on slowing down. I was just either going to catch it and run into the wall or run into the wall and not catch it."

Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said the catch was a game saver.

"That was an incredible catch, running away from the ball," Van Horn said. "That was a hit-and-run. It gets over his head, he scores, the runner's got a double and we're in trouble."

Rodriguez out

Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said freshman catcher Nathan Rodriguez will not be back with Arkansas.

Rodriguez, a blue chip signee from Yorba Linda, Calif., was charged with a DWI last October and was ruled ineligible prior to the season for an off-field issue.

Rodriguez, a 39th-round pick in last summer's amateur draft by the Colorado Rockies, indicated he was eager to stay on campus and return next season, but that plan has gone awry.

"We got a suspended catcher that never got to play that was supposed to be the next Johnny Bench of the SEC," Van Horn said while discussing the ups and downs the Razorbacks have gone through this season. "Didn't get to see him, and will probably never see him to be honest with you."

Asked to clarify later, Van Horn replied: "He's not coming back."

Facing Bears

Sophomore James Teague, who started and lost Arkansas' 2-0 setback to Missouri State on March 31 at Baum Stadium, said the Bears have a patient, veteran lineup.

"When we played them here you could tell they have very veteran hitters who weren't going to chase and they weren't going to be rattled by anything coming their way," Teague said. "The one thing I've noticed this year is when you face these teams with a lot of juniors and seniors, you're not going to get a lot of those chasing breaking balls and a lot of those swinging at bad pitches.

"You're going to have to pitch and you're going to have to locate in order to beat these teams."

Tucker in

Dave Van Horn said Tucker Pennell's defensive play has kept him in the starting lineup at catcher most of the postseason and that the junior transfer's recent hitting has been a bonus.

"I just want somebody who can catch and throw and handle our pitchers," Van Horn said. "He's been probably the best at that. ... The good thing about what's going on with Tucker right now is I think he's swinging the bat as good as he has since he's been on this campus, and we've only had him here eight or nine months, so he'll be catching Friday."

Pennell went 1 for 3 at the SEC Tournament and 3 for 7 at the Stillwater Regional, giving him a .400 average in the postseason.

"I just got some good pitches to hit and I didn't try to do too much," Pennell said of his hitting at the regional. "I'm feeling good at the plate right now, and that certainly helps."

Sports on 06/03/2015