Arkansas was ranked No. 3 in the country in the most recent NCAA Division 1 baseball polls released a week ago, but the Razorbacks will most assuredly fall in the newest polls set to be released today.
The Razorbacks (28-13, 10-8 Southeastern Conference) laid an immense egg on Friday and Saturday, getting swept off the field by a Mississippi State team (22-19, 8-10) barely hovering at .500 overall and five games under .500 in conference play.
Coach Dave Van Horn and his squad talked about the three losses -- by a combined five runs -- as if they just happened in some sort of fluke nature.
They were not.
I doubt anyone thinks Arkansas is not one of the most talented teams in the country, but the team seems to be trying as hard as it can to prove all of the believers wrong. Van Horn boasts one of the best Major League Baseball prospects in his top starting pitcher, arguably the two best freshman hitters in college baseball and a loaded lineup that may set several program records, including the most home runs.
Arkansas is second in the nation with 60 home runs, sixth in slugging percentage at .509, sixth in on-base percentage at .409, 11th in batting average at .309 and 12th in scoring with 7.6 runs per game.
Yet, Arkansas is just 7-7 in one-run games. Their losses, and wins, in those close games tell a tale of a team that consistently fails to step up when it needs to the most.
The Razorbacks average nine runners left on base in their seven one-run losses, including two games in which they left 12 runners on base. It is not as if the 3-2 loss to South Carolina (22-17, 8-9) on April 12 at Baum Stadium, in which they left the bases loaded four times, is an isolated incident.
Their opponents average less than six runners left on base in those losses. Arkansas squanders an absurd amount of opportunities.
What is even more absurd is those numbers go up in Arkansas' seven one-run wins. The average increases to 9.57 runners left on base, while the losing opponents average just 6.86 per game.
It is a uniquely Arkansas issue. The Razorbacks have their work cut out for them on Tuesday and Wednesday when they are scheduled to host No. 5 Texas Tech (32-8, 10-4 Big 12).
The Red Raiders rank second in slugging percentage at .538, second in on-base percentage at .441, third in batting average at .322, third in scoring with 9.1 runs per game and sixth in home runs at 54. They have only played in four one-run games this season to Arkansas' 14, while leaving just seven runners on base per game in those close contests. Texas Tech averages only 7.88 runners left on base in the team's eight losses.
The thing is, even after being swept by Mississippi State, it is still reasonable to expect Arkansas to beat Texas Tech in both games this week. The Razorbacks are that good, but the potential victories will not salvage Arkansas' national standing, nor should they.
The 13 losses for the Razorbacks are the most of any other team ranked in the top 18, save for two other SEC teams -- No. 6 Kentucky (26-14, 8-10), who lost two games this weekend to top-ranked Florida (34-8, 14-4), and No. 10 Vanderbilt (24-16, 10-8).
Failure to convert is a difficult problem to fix because its nature can be unclear. It is all the more frustrating when it persists for what may be the most talented team Van Horn has ever had.
An inability to convert cost Arkansas in its most crucial games a year ago, a 4-2 loss to LSU in the SEC tournament championship game and the Fayetteville Regional decider, a 3-2 loss to Missouri State.
The way things are going this season, another early Arkansas exit would not be very surprising, but it would be a monumental disappointment.
Sports on 04/23/2018