Razorbacks throttle Gamecocks to earn trip to College World Series, have fun doing it

Photo: ArkansasRazorbacks.com

The Arkansas Razorbacks are headed to Omaha, Neb. and the College World Series, just as predicted by so many at the beginning of the season, thanks to a 14-4 shellacking of the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Razorbacks gave the Gamecocks (37-26) an old-fashioned throttling, taking a 5-0 lead in the first inning and never looking back.

This will be Arkansas’ ninth trip to the College World Series and the fifth under head coach Dave Van Horn (2004, 2009, 2012, 2015 and now 2018) in 15 seasons at the helm. Norm DeBriyn guided the Hogs to the CWS in 1979, 1985, 1987, and 1989.

The Hogs (44-19) open play at 1 p.m. Sunday in TD Ameritrade Park against old Southwest Conference rival Texas (42-21). Also in Arkansas’ pool, are Florida (47-19) and Texas Tech (44-18), which play at 6 p.m. Sunday in what amounts to an SEC-Big 12 challenge for a shot at the CWS title round.

Oregon State vs. North Carolina
Saturday, June 16 at 2 p.m.

Washington vs. Mississippi State
Saturday, June 16 at 7 p.m.

Arkansas vs. Texas
Sunday, June 17 at 1 p.m.

Texas Tech vs. Florida
Sunday, June 17 at 6 p.m.

» See full schedule below

The Razorbacks have not only played each team in their pool, but have beaten them. Arkansas topped Texas, 13-4 and 7-5, at Baum Stadium on March 13 and 14.

The Razorbacks defeated Texas Tech, 5-1, on April 24 at Baum. The second game of the series was canceled because of inclement weather.

Arkansas went 2-2 against No. 1 seed Florida, defeating the Gators, 6-3, on March 23 at Gainesville in the opening game of their SEC series before falling 17-2 on March 24 and 5-4 on March 25. The Razorbacks evened up the score on May 25 at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. with an 8-2 victory over the Gators.

Monday’s game was a treat for the Razorbacks and their faithful fans. More than 11,000 turned out for the final game of the Fayetteville Super Regional, and most of them stayed for the celebration, despite the game being out of hand early.

The Hogs dog-piled in celebration as their fans cheered wildly, even though the Razorbacks drained all the drama out of the game early.

While those who follow the game closely knew this Razorback squad was loaded going into the season, being picked to accomplish a goal is one thing, actually making it happen is another.

The Razorbacks earned all the plaudits they reaped Monday night. The Gamecocks didn’t make it easy on the Hogs despite the final scores of Saturday’s game, 9-3, or Monday’s.

The Gamecocks’ 8-5 victory on Sunday rattled the nerves of some Hog fans, who expressed their dread of an Arkansas loss on social media and the radio call-in shows on Monday.

Their worries were unwarranted. The Hogs weren’t worried. The Razorbacks themselves were built of sterner stuff.

They played with confidence to a man, particularly starting pitcher Isaiah Campbell. Yanked after just facing three batters in the Fayetteville Regional Final against Dallas Baptist, Campbell got the Hogs off to a great start Monday, pitching into the fifth inning and allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits with 5 strikeouts.

He and the Hogs proved that one bad outing doesn’t define a player or a team.

The Hogs showed the depth of their bullpen as Barrett Loeske, Jake Reindl, Kole Ramage and Matt Cronin kept the Gamecocks in check for the rest of the game as the Hogs rolled up 14 runs.

Fayetteville native Carson Shaddy continued his assault on South Carolina pitching. He broke Saturday’s game open with a three-RBI double, and Monday he smashed the door down for the Hogs with a 3-RBI home run to left-center that launched the Hogs to a 5-0 lead in the first inning.

Fellow Fayetteville native Eric Cole also put the hurt on South Carolina’s attrition-worn bullpen, going 3 for 3 with a homer, a double, and 5 runs scored. Senior designated hitter Luke Bonfield also went 3 for 4 with 4 RBI.

While the players made it happen on the field, much credit must also go to Van Horn and his staff for keeping the team in the right frame of mind. Just as Sunday’s loss had some fans uptight, it could have had the same affect on the Razorbacks. Van Horn and his staff didn’t let that happen.

Van Horn knew to keep his guys loose and encouraged them to have fun in a game that all the Hogs and their fans will remember for a long time.

The Razorbacks punched their ticket to Omaha with panache on Monday, and Van Horn made sure they had fun doing it.