FOOTBALL
Razorbacks start season with Samford
FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas Razorbacks will open the 2017-18 season against Samford on Friday, Nov. 10 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. Time and TV details have yet to be announced.
Arkansas and Samford haven't played since November 1989, when the Razorbacks beat the Bulldogs 97-67 in Pine Bluff. The programs' only other meeting came in 1985 at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, which Arkansas also won.
Samford is coming off a 20-16 season in which it played in the College Insider.com Tournament, a postseason alternative to the NCAA Tournament and NIT. The Bulldogs were 8-10 in the Southern Conference regular season, but advanced to the semifinals of the league's tournament.
The Bulldogs are coached by Scott Padgett, a former standout at Kentucky who was a starter on the Wildcats' 1998 national championship team. Padgett is entering his fourth season as head coach at Samford, located in Birmingham, Ala.
Samford is the sixth known nonconference opponent for the Razorbacks in the coming season. Arkansas also is scheduled to host Minnesota on Dec. 9, Oklahoma State on Jan. 27 and Colorado State in December on a date to be determined.
The Razorbacks open the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Ore., on Thanksgiving with a game against Oklahoma, and will play either North Carolina or Portland the following day. Georgetown, Michigan State, UConn and Oregon are other potential opponents for Arkansas at the event that runs Nov. 23-26.
CBSSports.com has reported the Razorbacks will play at Houston on Dec. 2 in the second of a two-game series that began last season.
BASEBALL
IF Williams to transfer to Texas JC
FAYETTEVILLE -- Middle infielder Jaxon Williams will transfer from Arkansas to Howard Junior College in his home state of Texas.
Williams, a freshman in 2017, announced the move on his Twitter account. He will be immediately eligible next season at Howard, which is located in Big Spring, Texas.
"Because of recent situations, my family and I have decided it would be best if I continue my baseball career at Howard JC," Williams wrote. "I want to say thank you to the fans and players at the University of Arkansas for making my short time there unforgettable! Continue to be great and I wish you nothing but good luck for the upcoming season!"
Williams played in 24 games and started 10 times as a freshman for the Razorbacks. He batted .245 with 14 RBI, including 5 RBI during a February game against Bryant when he entered in the sixth inning as a pinch-hitter.
Williams' playing time decreased as Arkansas entered conference play. He didn't start in the field after the Razorbacks' SEC opener March 17 and his final two starts were as a designated hitter in early April.
During a news conference earlier this month, Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn indicated Williams would have a lot of competition for playing time next season.
"He's got a ways to go," Van Horn said of Williams. "I think that we have three freshmen coming in that have a really good opportunity to get (playing time)."
Sports on 06/23/2017