HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — University of Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn was unavailable for the Razorbacks’ 4-3 loss to Alabama in their first game of the SEC tournament Wednesday.
Van Horn felt good and stayed at the Razorbacks’ hotel.
In the ninth inning of the Kentucky-Auburn game that preceded the Razorbacks, Van Horn’s absence was announced on the pregame radio screen via announcer Phil Elson.
“He doesn’t feel well, but he rests comfortably,” the AU said in pronouncing Van Horn’s absence.
Arkansas pitching coach Matt Hobbs and hitting coach Nate Thompson took over their day jobs as co-head coaches for the game. Hobbs took the pregame roster to the marble with Alabama coach Brad Bohannon.
Hobbs conducted the interview in the SEC game before the start of the fifth inning, with the Razorbacks winning 4-1.
“Every time you take a Hall of Famer out of the canoe, you’ll do it,” Hobbs said of Van Horn’s absence.
Van Horn, in his twentieth season with the Razorbacks, is believed to have missed a game since 2016, when he didn’t coach a series opener against the state of Mississippi to attend his daughter Mariel’s high school graduation.
Alabama coach Brad Bohannon opened his post-game comments with a nod to Van Horn.
“The first thing I’ll say is that it was actually weird to look at the Arkansas canoe and not see Coach Van Horn, so he feels better,” Bohannon said. “He’s one of the G. O. A. T. as far as I’m concerned. “
Mixed order
The Razorbacks used some diversity tweaks for the opening, for the mix that will lead to their most productive production.
Order of Arkansas, with the number of games in parentheses: Cayden Wallace (42), Brady Slavens (15), Chris Lanzilli (11), Michael Turner (14), Robert Moore (16), Braydon Webb (15), Peyton Stovall (9), Jalen Battles (19) and Zack Gregory (33). Each of the players on the roster has batted at this position more than any other player on the Lanzilli team in 3rd position (Turner, 20th), Turner in cleanup (Lanzilli, 21st) and Stovall in 7th place (Battles, 16th).
someone guesses
Arkansas pitching coach Matt Hobbs spoke with coach Dave Van Horn about pitching opportunities for the Razorbacks’ upcoming game.
However, Hobbs added that he would be surprised if the starter didn’t come from the trio of Connor Noland, Hagen Smith and Jaxon Wiggins, who started in that order each and every weekend until the final series of the regular season in Alabama last week.
Sonny calms down
Auburn first baseman Sonny DiChiara, the SEC’s co-player of the year, five of 38 (. thirteen2) in thirteen games in May, with four runs and 7 runs scored before his solo career in wednesday’s eighth inning 3-1. loss to Kentucky.
Included in that total is his 2-of-10 feature with 2 home runs and 2 runs scored in the Tigers’ May 6-8 playoff loss to Arkansas.
late city
The Birmingham, Alabama, suburb of Hoover was flooded with rain in the first two days of the SEC tournament.
Tuesday’s heists included a 37-minute series before the start of the tournament and a heist in Alabama’s 5-3 win over Georgia.
Another break moved the start of Game 2 to 6:46 p. m. Florida’s 2-1 win over South Carolina stretched to 10 innings and ended at 9:24 p. m. Vanderbilt’s 3-1 win over Ole Miss in the last drink began at 10 p. m. and ended at 12:50.
Wednesday’s action started late for 3 hours and 15 minutes, with Kentucky and Auburn starting at 12:45 p. m. m. instead of 9:30 a. m.
At the end of the Alabama-Arkansas game, the SEC announced that due to the thunderstorms that were expected, the rest of the day would be played.
Pigs take the lead
Vanderbilt’s streak of 11 consecutive seasons with an Array500 record or in the SEC game ended the Commodores’ 14-16 record after a home sweep at the hands of LSU last weekend.
The team with the longest full streak of the moment with a record array500 or better: Arkansas, now with 4 consecutive seasons.
See you later
Wednesday’s Auburn-Kentucky and Alabama-Arkansas games were rehearsals for normal end-of-season series.
Kentucky lost two of the 3 to the Tigers before a 3-1 victory on Wednesday.
Alabama had two of 3 home wins over the Hogs, then inflicted a 4-3 loss on Wednesday.
Shooting in 1B
Kentucky point guard Daniel Harris IV had an embarrassing play in the fourth inning against Auburn on Wednesday. Harris pitched a single prospect into the right area to open the inning.
However, Auburn’s right fielder Bobby Peirce, who played very superficially, loaded the ball and threw a strike to first baseman Sonny DiChiara to beat Harris’ slide head to the catch. Arbitrator Eddie Newsom’s appeal was considered valid and upheld.
The game ended up being a point saver for Auburn, as the next two Wildcats caught up with it in a one-point inning.
small ball
The only home runs in more than three tournament games were hit by Georgia’s Conner Tate and Parks Harber against Alabama in the first game, but that was before Sonny DiChiara’s big throw over the left-field fence in the eighth inning against Kentucky.
The first hits of the tournament consisted of 8 doubles, 2 home runs and 37 singles.
good glove
Kentucky shortstop Ryan Ritter made a forced play with a left-handed linebacker Bobby Peirce of Auburn with an exit velocity of 110 mph in the sixth inning.
He jumped hard to put a glove on the hot shot. The balloon indifferent but fell to less than one arm and Ritter was able to catch it without problems after landing.
Field Review
SEC referees, equipped with headphones and microphones, remain in the replays of the box. The setup streamlines the review process, which takes position with a team on site at the Hoover Met.
In one instance of the Kentucky-Auburn game, marble umpire Damien Beal and team leader Eddie Newsom spoke briefly behind the marble to verify a call after Newsom’s headphones failed.