University of Tennessee Athletics
VOLS HEAD WEST TO FACE ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
March 30, 2006 | Baseball
March 30, 2006
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The 21st-ranked Tennessee Volunteers open a five-game road swing this weekend when they travel to face the No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks in a key Southeastern Conference series for both squads. The Vols can expect a raucous crowd at Baum Stadium where the Razorbacks are second in the league with an average of 7,156 fans per game.
Game times for the March 31-April 2 series are 7:30, 5 and 1:30 p.m. ET.
Both teams have had a tough start to begin league play as Tennessee is 1-4 and Arkansas is 2-4. The Vols' lone win came against Kentucky last weekend, while the Razorbacks won a single contest at Florida and one last week at home versus Georgia.
Tennessee is 17-8 overall, but has lost three straight and six of its last nine. Arkansas owns a 21-5 mark having defeated No. 17 Wichita State, 4-3 in 11 innings, Tuesday.
The Volunteers lead the all-time series with Arkansas 21-16, dating to 1992. Tennessee has won seven of the last 11 meetings and three of the last five series. In games played in Fayetteville since 1990, the Hogs hold a 10-8 edge.
In last year's series in Knoxville, the Vols went 2-1 while hitting .216 as a team with a 2.33 staff ERA. The then-10th-ranked Razorbacks never scored more than four runs, and Vols third baseman Chase Headley homered three times in the series.
Second baseman Michael Rivera is the current leader in UT's clubhouse with an eight-game hitting streak, while center fielder Julio Borbon is pacing the club in hits (39), runs (22) and stolen bases (9). Senior Kelly Edmundson boasts a team-high .393 batting average and 20 RBIs. As a team, Tennessee is batting .314 with a staff ERA of 3.01.
Arkansas is led offensively by first baseman Danny Hamblen who is the only Arkansas player to start all 26 games. He leads the club with seven home runs, 37 RBIs, 8 steals, 33 hits and 27 runs while hitting .324. Right fielder Chris Hollenswort leads the Razorbacks with a .392 batting average while collecting 13 doubles. The Razorbacks are batting .299 as a team with 18 home runs and SEC-high 48 stolen bases. They own a 2.65 team ERA while holding opponents to a .222 batting average.
Tennessee sends left-hander James Adkins (4-2, 3.04 ERA) to the hill Friday to face fellow sophomore left-hander Nick Schmidt who has a sparkling 1.83 ERA to go along with a 4-2 record. Adkins is 1-1 in his last four starts with a 4.26 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings.
Saturday's pitching match-up pits UT junior right-hander Craig Cobb (4-1, 2.42), making his second straight start in SEC play, against senior right-hander Charlie Boyce (2-0, 4.26). Cobb is 1-1 as a starter this season.
Right-hander Josh Lindblom (4-2, 2.91) is slated to pitch Sunday for the Vols, while the Razorbacks counter with left-hander Trey Holloway (2-0, 2.77). Lindblom has been a hard-luck hurler, giving up just four runs in two SEC starts this season, while being saddled with two losses.
Following the weekend series, Tennessee faces the Double-A Tennessee Smokies in an exhibition at Smokies Park Tuesday, April 4 at 7:15 p.m., before making a return trip to Johnson City, Tenn., to face the East Tennessee State Buccaneers Wednesday.
