Arkansas Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn on solid performance everywhere in 15-5 win Saturday afternoon over James Madison at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 I played a pretty good ball game actually.
00:02 It seemed like it got a little sloppy there,
00:06 but we kept playing pretty good defense.
00:08 I mean, that catch in center field by Willenthemar
00:11 was classic, it was beautiful,
00:13 and kind of fired up our dugout.
00:16 Offensively, we had a lot of opportunity to score.
00:21 We got on base a lot.
00:23 They got out of a couple of jams,
00:24 but for the most part, we kept getting some big hits.
00:26 And to me, what I really liked is when we gave up the big lead,
00:31 they scored four in that inning, we came back and scored six.
00:34 And kind of got the momentum back on our side,
00:38 had a chance to finish it off.
00:39 And for the most part, I thought that for two days in a row
00:45 in this type of weather, we played pretty well.
00:49 You mentioned this catch in center,
00:51 but just what's your overall thoughts
00:52 on Willensmeier's game, especially offensively,
00:54 I think five RBIs.
00:56 Yeah, I mean, the five RBIs really stand out.
00:59 He got us going with that opposite field home run.
01:01 He hit the ball pretty hard.
01:04 That lefty kind of held us down there
01:07 the first couple innings.
01:09 Hitters were a little frustrated,
01:10 missing some pitches.
01:13 Him getting that hit, that was big for us.
01:15 But did a great job.
01:17 I really liked the two-strike base hit up the middle.
01:20 And I think he might have had another two-strike base hit.
01:22 So, you know, we've had him lead off.
01:27 We've had him in the nine hole.
01:28 We kind of like him down there,
01:30 kind of like a second leadoff guy.
01:32 And has a little sneaky power and can really run.
01:37 Great job of beating out that double play ball.
01:39 He got down the count.
01:42 Got an RBI there and, you know, just kept chipping away.
01:46 Five RBI, that's a big game
01:48 for someone hitting down the order.
01:50 I know Cody Frank's preseason, like,
01:52 the scrimmages may not have gone like you hoped.
01:53 But how good was it to see him come out
01:55 and give you what he did today?
01:57 It was really good to see.
01:58 I think he threw, like, I think he had seven hitters.
02:02 He got all seven of them out and five of the hitters,
02:04 he threw strike one.
02:06 Got ahead of him quick and, you know,
02:09 just change speeds, slider, change up, curve ball.
02:14 He did a great job, you know.
02:16 He's not out there trying to strike everybody out.
02:18 He's just trying to get you to get out.
02:19 Get outs and get back in the dugout.
02:22 And he gave us a couple quick innings there.
02:24 And just looked like a veteran, knew what he was doing.
02:28 What did you think of Tiger's outing?
02:30 You know, it was pretty good.
02:31 You know, he got himself in a jam there.
02:34 I think he walked two in that inning
02:36 or hit a batter, walked a batter.
02:38 Think two of the five innings,
02:40 he had to fight through them a little bit.
02:42 But pitch count got up.
02:47 You know, and again, I'm taking into consideration
02:49 that it's not ideal baseball weather,
02:54 especially for a pitcher,
02:55 trying to grip a baseball and throw it.
02:57 But pretty good first outing.
03:00 You know, a lot of counts were two-two, three-two,
03:04 but he only walked two.
03:05 I think he hit three.
03:09 Again, Brady's got a knack for getting out of some jams,
03:13 and he did it again today.
03:15 You both let it hit there at the end.
03:18 Thoughts on that first hit as a hog?
03:21 Yeah, it was good for him to get that behind him,
03:23 you know, pressing a little bit.
03:24 And, you know, he's been swinging the bat
03:28 really, really well after we got back from the break.
03:31 And, you know, he didn't take away from his defense.
03:36 Played really good defense the last two days.
03:39 You didn't see him coming in the dugout
03:41 and doing anything crazy and acting frustrated.
03:44 He was playing like a professional.
03:47 Just he knows he can hit, and for him to get that hit,
03:51 finish that game off is big for him,
03:53 and nice for us to get off the field.
03:56 For Ryder Helfrich, on his birthday,
03:58 first game, hit a home run.
04:00 Thoughts about his game?
04:02 I thought -- first off, talk about his defense.
04:03 I thought he caught -- he caught great today.
04:06 Blocked everything.
04:09 Looked great receiving.
04:10 Kept balls in the inner close to the strike zone
04:14 as good as you could, in my opinion.
04:16 And, you know, the first bat,
04:19 he almost got the lefty in the second bat.
04:22 He just seemed like he was on it, you know,
04:25 the fastball or that changeup
04:26 or whatever he was throwing at us.
04:28 And he left one up, and he hammered it.
04:30 Hit it about 105 miles an hour.
04:34 Basically just a high-line drive that got out of here quick.
04:37 So, you know, that's a good birthday.
04:40 You know, starts first college game, hit a home run.
04:43 Probably going to get a good meal tonight, too, I'm guessing.
04:46 David Wilkes-Margit didn't hit well for you in the fall,
04:48 but the last few weeks of scrimmaging,
04:50 it looks like he's been pretty good.
04:52 What have you seen from him since he came back?
04:53 I think that -- I think Coach Thompson and Ty
04:59 have just kind of gotten on the same page
05:01 as far as, you know, what works for him.
05:04 And, you know, a little bit of everything.
05:08 Some of what he did before and some new stuff
05:10 and maybe relaxed a little bit.
05:12 You know, you transfer him from another school,
05:15 especially one from the same conference,
05:18 can probably be a little bit stressful.
05:20 And he's got to relax and get comfortable,
05:24 and I think he's starting to feel that way.
05:26 You've had some really good defensive center fielders,
05:28 but it's been a while since I can remember one
05:29 with his kind of speed in center field.
05:32 Any comparisons you can make?
05:34 We've had great center fielders here over the years.
05:36 I mean, some were fast, some were not so fast,
05:40 but had incredible instincts.
05:42 And we've always, you know, we've always, you know,
05:46 seemed to have a guy out there that can really get it done.
05:49 I mean, Tavian did a great job for us last year.
05:51 And, gosh, I can't even remember who was here before him.
05:55 And, you know, before that, we had Fletcher,
05:57 who wasn't the super speedy guy,
06:00 but probably the best outfielder I've ever coached.
06:03 I mean, if you're just talking about catching the ball
06:05 and reads, and he was amazing.
06:07 So, yeah, Ty's good, and we knew that.
06:12 I think you were touching on this when I walked in,
06:14 but he beat out a double play ball,
06:15 and you scored four more runs in that inning.
06:18 Just the instincts of that play.
06:19 He put the bat on the ball.
06:21 Second baseman had to take a couple of steps to his left.
06:25 You know, when that happened, we knew, you know,
06:27 we know how Ty can get down the line,
06:28 and we knew he was going to beat it out.
06:30 And, obviously, by him not striking out,
06:33 that drove in a run, and then, you know, we scored some more.
06:36 So, he had a big day for us.
06:39 Really big day, and excited about that.
06:43 This one might be a little out of left field,
06:45 but you mentioned Ty as a potential second leadoff hitter.
06:48 Just in all your years of coaching,
06:50 when did that kind of trend kind of first start
06:53 kind of permeating amongst college baseball
06:55 and baseball in general?
06:56 As far as what?
06:58 Putting a speedy guy in the nine hole?
07:01 Well, I think that's probably been going on for a long time.
07:04 You know, just somebody that can, you know,
07:07 if he gets on there, you flip the lineup back to the top.
07:11 A lot of times, you know, it's like having two runners
07:13 at the top, and then your two, three, and four
07:16 can hopefully get a few more fastballs to hit.
07:21 But I think it's smart baseball if you can do it.
07:25 And then, did you get kind of what you were looking for
07:27 out of the switch in left field with Edmondson
07:29 and the thought behind that?
07:31 Yeah, I thought Edmondson had a good game.
07:33 You know, the ball he lined out to left field,
07:37 the left fielder was playing about on the warning track,
07:40 and the wind actually pushed that ball down.
07:43 He hit it into the side wind.
07:45 It pushed it down.
07:46 We hit it.
07:48 We thought it was going to get over his head or maybe even out
07:49 of the park, and it just kind of sunk.
07:50 But, no, I mean, he did a good job,
07:53 and, you know, I may put a different outfielder
07:55 We'll see how it goes.