FAYETTEVILLE -- For a guy who came to Arkansas as a walk-on infielder, Josh Alberius has turned into a pretty effective pitcher.
Alberius, a redshirt junior right-hander from Little Rock Christian, is one of the No. 15 Razorbacks' key relievers going into their three-game series against Missouri that opens tonight at Baum Stadium.
Alberius at a glance
COLLEGE Arkansas
CLASS Redshirt junior
HEIGHT/WEIGHT 5-11, 170
POSITION Pitcher
HIGH SCHOOL Little Rock Christian
NOTEWORTHY Walk-on has become one of Arkansas’ top relievers. … 2-0 with 1.26 ERA in 14 1/3 innings and 9 games this season, with 22 strikeouts and 4 walks. … Struck out the final five Auburn batters in Arkansas’ 3-2 victory March 25. … Nicknamed “Cockroach” by hitting coach Tony Vitello because of his determination to play for the Razorbacks when it appeared early in his career there might not be a spot for him on the roster. … Came to Arkansas as an infielder but was converted to pitcher in the fall of 2014. … Was all-state high school player at Little Rock Christian and played in the 2012 Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star Game.
MISSOURI AT NO. 15 ARKANSAS
WHEN 6:30 p.m.
WHERE Baum Stadium, Fayetteville
RECORDS Arkansas 18-7, 3-3 SEC; Missouri 15-12, 0-6
SERIES Arkansas leads 15-11
RADIO Razorback Sports Network. Not all games will be carried by affiliates. Check local listings.
INTERNET SEC Network-plus
PITCHING MATCHUP Missouri: RHP Reggie McClain (3-0, 1.72 ERA); Arkansas: RHP Dominic Taccolini (3-1, 4.85 ERA)
SHORT HOPS Arkansas is the third consecutive top-15 team Missouri has played. The Tigers were swept in threegame series against current No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Vanderbilt. … Missouri sophomore right-hander Tanner Houck (2-2, 2.65 ERA), who will start Saturday night’s game, was the SEC and Louisville Slugger national pitcher of the week after throwing 9 scoreless innings in the Tigers’ 2-0 loss to Vanderbilt in 11 innings. Houck had 14 strikeouts and 2 walks. … Saturday night’s game will be televised on the SEC Network.
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY vs. Missouri, 6:30 p.m.
SATURDAY vs. Missouri, 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY vs. Missouri, 12:30 p.m.
MONDAY Off
TUESDAY Off
WEDNESDAY at Memphis, 6:30 p.m.
THURSDAY Off
"I never would have thought Josh was going to be one of our top weekend bullpen guys," Arkansas center fielder Clark Eagan said. "I'd be lying if I said that, but he's pretty much proved everyone wrong."
Alberius has a 2-0 record and 1.26 earned run average in 141/3 innings over 9 games. He hasn't allowed a run in his past 92/3 innings -- including appearances against South Carolina, Auburn and Oklahoma State -- since yielding two runs against Gonzaga on March 9.
"I don't think anybody could have guessed it," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said of Alberius' bullpen impact. "We didn't recruit him to pitch, but once we asked him to pitch, we thought he'd be a strike thrower with a good arm that would be able to help us here and there.
"Now we put him out there in big games when the game is on the line."
Alberius pitched in high school, but his goal at Arkansas was to play shortstop. A .125 batting average (2 for 14) his redshirt freshman season in 2014 limited him to 12 games.
For the 2015 season, Alberius was converted to a full-time pitcher. It's not a move he expected but one he embraced.
"I told Coach Van Horn I'll do whatever it takes to help this team," Alberius said. "They need me on the mound, so that's where I am."
Alberius was solid last season with a 1-2 record and 3.77 ERA. He had 20 strikeouts with 10 walks in 31 innings while opponents batted .263 against him.
"I was actually surprised they wanted me to pitch," Alberius said. "Then when I started pitching, I kind of was like, 'Hey, maybe I have something.' So I put my work in, and I feel like I've progressed pretty well since last season."
Alberius is holding opposing batters to a .196 average and he has 22 strikeouts and 4 walks this year.
"Watching Josh from center field, it's impressive because the guy really doesn't miss many spots," Eagan said. "He's been able to control the strike zone and made hitters look silly the last few weeks."
Alberius has a fastball that he usually throws between 88 and 90 miles per hour and can locate on either side of the plate, along with a changeup and slider.
"Location is very important," Alberius said. "Guys in this league, whether you throw 95 or 96, they're going to hit it if it's up in the zone.
"So if you can locate, even if it's upper 80s, you'll get ground balls, pop flies and strikeouts."
Alberius' emergence as a pitcher earned him the nickname "Cockroach" from hitting coach Tony Vitello.
"Believe it or not, it's a compliment in this situation," Van Horn said of the nickname. "It's a compliment to his makeup and demeanor and probably the way he was raised.
"He's just a tough kid, and he wasn't going to be denied. You've got to respect that.
"The cockroach, it's hard to kill it and run it off. He was told he wasn't going to play on the field, do you want to pitch? He said, 'I'll do whatever I've got to do.'
"You wondered if he could do it, but he just took it and ran with it. He basically said, 'I'm going to make you play me.' "
Alberius carries the nickname with pride as a sign of perseverance.
"They tried to step on me many times, and it's just not working for them," he said. "Hopefully, I can continue with that and represent my nickname well."
Alberius' teammates like playing behind him in the field.
"Josh goes after people, and that's awesome," second baseman Rick Nomura said. "He has a real good mindset of a bulldog. He's not scared of anyone."
Shortstop Michael Bernal said it's been fun to see an infielder transition so well to pitching.
"He doesn't have tremendously overpowering stuff, but he goes out there and competes, and he believes in what he's doing," Bernal said. "He's done his job and earned his innings. It's pretty awesome."
Watching Alberius pitch, it's hard to believe he played another position when he came to Arkansas.
"Josh has got all the confidence in the world," Eagan said. "I think it shows on the mound out there. He just looks like he's always in control."
Alberius pitched the final 22/3 innings in Arkansas' 3-2 victory over Auburn on March 25. He struck out the last five Tigers he faced.
"I was just doing my job," he said. "It turned out to be five strikeouts. It could have been five ground balls. I was just pitching to the glove, and that's what happened."
Alberius pitched three scoreless innings Tuesday night when Oklahoma State beat Arkansas 5-4. He threw 38 pitches.
"That was just like a good little midweek bullpen," he said. "I'm ready to go this weekend."
Sports on 04/01/2016