Shocker SB v Arkansas

[flyingMoose]

The Shockers have their home opener Tuesday in a DH against Arkansas with the games beginning at 3pm. The Razorbacks are currently RV in the NFCA poll at 30 in last week’s poll. (Ranking to be updated in the poll to be released Tuesday.)

Arkansas are a member of the Southeastern Conference where they are a preseason pick for tenth among the thirteen schools (no Vanderbilt) playing softball.

The Razorbacks are 16-1 so far this year. After losing their opening weekend to weather, they were 5-0 at the Mary Nutter Classic including a win over #21 Utah. This tournament has an implicit gold-silver look to it, and Arkansas was not playing in the gold group. They followed that with a 4-1 record at Madeira Beach, FL, a fairly weak tournament populated by a lot of teams from the northeast. All four of the wins were by run-rule. This past week, Arkansas had a mid-week run-rule win over Missouri State. Over the weekend, they won six games at a tournament they hosted, Northern Colorado probably being the strongest of the other three teams. So they are 16-1, nothing to be sneezed at, but the quality of their schedule is nowhere near that of the Shockers.

The Razorback offense is led by Hannah McEwen (OPS of 1.254 and five home runs), Ashley Diaz (1.106 and three homers) and Linnie Malkin (also 1.106 and three homers). Three others have an OPS above 1.000. One has to think that these numbers are inflated by their schedule.

Mary Haff and Autumn Storms have pitched all but 8.1 innings. Haff has an ERA of 0.90 and a WHIP of 0.46. She has been named the Freshman Player of the Week for the SEC. The numbers for Storms are 2.12 and 1.12. Both pitchers threw a no-hitter this past weekend. Again, the schedule, but Haff appears to be the real deal - 90 strikeouts and seven walks in 56 innings.


The record for the Shockers is now 9-8 after a good weekend against Nebraska in the circle and at the plate.

Bailey’s ERA is now 3.14 with a WHIP of 1.15, while Caitlin, second on the IP list, is 5.51 and 1.84. Hailey in limited innings has an ERA of 1.02 and a WHIP of 1.39. At this point, Bailey has about half of the innings, Caitlin has one-fourth of them and Hailey and BaileyK evenly split the rest.

Paige has the highest OPS at 1.106. Ryleigh follows at .900. There are now five others above .700, a distinct improvement from last week.

[1972Shocker]

Just as the case this past weekend at Eck Stadiums the winds are forecasted to be howling excerpt intead of out of the South they will be blowing 20-40 from the NW during the day and 20-30 from the NNW during evening. That will hurt balls hit to the left side but help balls hit to right of center. Once the sun drops behind the Heskett Center it will feel pretty chilly.

A little surprised they didn't start the games and hour or two earlier although I'm sure there are considereations other than weather they may be taking into account. Perhaps hoping for more fan turnout for Game 2 or academic schedules and the like.

Hard to say exactly how good Arkansas is at his point but my guess is they will provide the Shockers with a pair of very challenging games.

[flyingMoose]

We plan to try to see both games. We may see how tough we are with the temps being down from the past few days.

[flyingMoose]

The Shockers have their home opener Tuesday in a DH against Arkansas with the games beginning at 3pm. The Razorbacks are currently RV in the NFCA poll at 30 in last week’s poll. (Ranking to be updated in the poll to be released Tuesday.)

The Razorbacks are currently RV in the NFCA poll at 29. A new addition in the RV of the poll are Wichita State!! at 37 with one vote.

[1972Shocker]

We plan to try to see both games. We may see how tough we are with the temps being down from the past few days.

Have fun. Your tougher than me for sure.

[1972Shocker]

Bailey playing with fire in the first two innings but doing a great Houdini impression. But I wouldn't recommend that as a strategy.

Madison Perrigan stakes the Shocks to a 1 run lead with a two-out solo homer (to right center as you expect today) in the bottom of the 2nd. Madison seems to be finding her groove at the plate.

Bailey Houdini loads the bases again in the 4th with 1 out but gets a line drive double play from Mackezie at 3B to Kaylee at 2B to get out of another jam. Arkansas has stranded 8 runners in 4 innings.

Bailey has tried to help herself with leadoff doubles in both the 3rd and 5th innings with the top of the order coming up but the Shocks failed to score her both times.

Bailey has had her two bets innings in the circle in the 5th and 6th with two 3-up, 3-down innings.

Bailey gets her 3rd straight 3-up and 3-down inning and survive her early travails for a complete game 1-0 shoutout win over an SEC team.

[flyingMoose]

Game Two will not be played. At the pregame for Game One, I thought I understood HCKB offering to the Arkansas coach the option not to play the second game with the weather conditions expected to get worse as the sun started to set and drop behind the Heskett Center. Then when the coach changed pitchers in the fourth for no game-situation reason, I was pretty sure she had made the decision not to play it. As I write at 515pm, the wind chill is 29 according to the Weather Channel site.

[1972Shocker]

I don't blame them in the least for making that decision. This simply is not softball or baseball weather. And I would not be surprised if you are not juat a little bit relieved as well. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

[flyingMoose]

Game One Comments

Walks in the first inning and indifferent defense in the next two innings gave Arkansas chances early. But as Bailey has demonstrated before, she has the ability to wiggle out of tight spots.

Madison hit a rope for her home run. It had to be, as anything up in the air much at all was not going anywhere.

Bailey's two doubles were line drives that went to the fence in left center. With her on third in the third, Ryleigh struck out with a couple of feeble swings as if she was not seeing the ball well. In the fifth, she failed to get down a very buntable pitch on a suicide squeeze, and Bailey was thrown out scrambling back to third.

The defense did come to the rescue in the fourth. Kaylee knocked down a ground ball near second to prevent a possible run, leaving the bases loaded with one out. Mackenzie then speared a screamer to her left and easily doubled the runner off second. With the three-up, three-down fifth through seventh innings, Bailey retired the last ten batters in a row.


All four of the Razorback hits were singles. They left eight runners on base. Haff, their starter, gave up two hits in 3.1 innings and struck out five. There is not much difference in their speed between her and Bailey.

Bailey walked two (both in the first) and struck out six. The Shockers had four hits with Madison's single the hit not yet mentioned.

[1972Shocker]

If you weren't as tough (or maybe as crazy) as flyingMoose here is the video fo the Shockers' win over Arkansas in wind yesterday: