FAYETTEVILLE -- A recent change in Matt Goodheart's batting grip has been a benefit to the Arkansas lineup.
Goodheart is coming off his best week of the season. He was 8 for 20 with 4 home runs, 7 RBI and 1 walk against Memphis and Mississippi State, which earned him SEC player of the week recognition Monday. He homered in all four games.
He continued to hit well Tuesday when he went 3 for 5 with 1 walk, 1 RBI and 1 run scored during a 21-8 victory over the University of Central Arkansas. In the last week, he has raised his batting average by 80 points to .313.
He also has a .410 on-base percentage and is slugging .597.
Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn moved Goodheart from third to second in the batting order during the Razorbacks' three-game sweep at Mississippi State last weekend.
"He had been struggling a little bit until the [March 24] game against Memphis," Van Horn said. "He raised his hands a little bit. I think he's a really good hitter and he got hot.
"I think it's kind of an experience thing, and he figured something out that wasn't working, and he fixed it."
Arkansas hitting coach Nate Thompson said Goodheart's bat had become vertical during his swing because his hands were dropped too low on the bat handle.
"His bat wasn't getting flattened out and on plane early enough," Thompson said. "It caused him to dump his barrel and be underneath the ball, to where he's popping some balls up to left field and rolling over some balls to first base.
"He's always had a really good ability to get the barrel flattened out behind him, get the barrel more horizontal behind him when he starts his turn toward the ball."
The left-handed hitting Goodheart said he noticed his hands had dropped during his "launch position," or whenever his front heel strikes the ground during his swing.
"I kind of wanted to get back to where it was more so in 2019," Goodheart said, "because I had a better contact percentage, and I felt like I was hitting balls all over the yard a little better.
"I think it's really paid off."
Goodheart is showing signs of heating up at a similar time as two years ago when he led the team with a .345 batting average.
In 2019, he was prescribed contact lenses prior to the SEC-opening series against Missouri and batted .369 in conference games.
"He can really carry an offense when he's rolling," Thompson said. "I'm extremely proud of him, and really all the guys, the way they competed this weekend against a phenomenal pitching staff from Mississippi State."
Van Horn said Goodheart had a good batting practice prior to the Razorbacks' 9-4 victory over Memphis last week. He was given the game off the day before, then went 4 for 5 as the Razorbacks completed the midweek sweep of the Tigers.
Goodheart hit a home run during the sixth inning of the game to give the Razorbacks a 6-3 lead. The exit velocity on the hit was 108 mph.
Goodheart also had two big blasts against Mississippi State -- one to center field on Saturday into a south wind that was gusting up to 20 mph, and a no-doubter to right field to ignite a five-run inning Sunday.
Thompson said the grip change might translate into more power.
"It creates more margin for error, and because of that the power is going to show up more," Thompson said. "It's just about creating more room so that his bat is on plane longer, so he doesn't have to be so perfectly on time."