By SCOTT D. LONGSTREET

sdl018@latech.edu

 

The Bulldogs will host the Arkansas Razorbacks in a three-game seriesthis weekend. Arkansas comes to Ruston nationally ranked in two major baseball polls: No. 4 in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll and No. 7 in Baseball America.

For the first time in Tech’s storied history, Cox Sports Television will broadcast a game from J.C. Love Field. Saturday’s game two of the series will be shown on Cox Cable (Channel 26 in Ruston) beginning at 3 p.m. Tomorrow’s game one will begin at 6 p.m. with Sunday’s series finale getting started at 1 p.m.

“This will be good for Tech athletics and get our name out there,” Tech Head Coach Wade Simoneaux said. “It will also be good for recruiting reasons. People who have never seen our campus will be able to see our baseball field on TV.”

This will be the first nationally ranked team to travel into Ruston to play since the Mississippi State game last April 4. That game featured a ninth inning six-run rally for the ages as Tech upset the Bulldogs of Mississippi State 13-12.

“We only have eight days to prepare for this series in practice, so we have to work hard,” Simoneaux said. “We would love to get started with a good step against Arkansas, and we would love to have a packed house when we play this Top Ten ranked team.”

Tech is poised to make a run at its first post-season regional tournament since 1987 and is coming off its best season since 1989. Arkansas is looking for another trip to the College World Series, something the Razorbacks are all but accustomed to doing.

Tech has only two wins in the series history. Tech won in 2001 by a score of 12-1. The last win in the series was in 2005, the last time Arkansas played in Ruston, as the Diamond Dawgs won 10-8. The Razorbacks lead the overall series 17-2, which includes a three-game sweep in Fayetteville last year.

Both teams feature players on preseason watch lists. The Bulldogs return with much of their core from last year, including sophomore Jericho Jones. Jones, who plays both outfield and pitcher and is on the 2007 Wallace Watch List.

“I think the numbers he put up last year make him well deserving of the nomination he has received,” Simoneaux said. “We look forward to a repeat performance from last year.”

The Brooks Wallace Award is given to the nation’s top player every year. The Watch List is trimmed to 12 by late May with a winner chosen following the NCAA Super Regionals.

Jones set a freshman record at Tech in 2006, hitting 16 homeruns. He also finished fifth in the WAC in batting with a .357 average. On the mound, he posted a 5-4 record in 15 appearances.

Arkansas features a pair of Wallace Watch List members to start 2007. Junior left-handed pitcher and senior infielder Denny Hamblin are on the Brooks Watch List. Schmidt posted a 9-3 record with a 3.01 ERA last season. He was also named South Eastern Coonference Pitcher of the Year in 2006. Schmidt was also named to the Roger Clemens Award Watch List for 2007.

Hamblin hit 17 home runs last season and batted .289 with 68 RBI. He is a .310 career hitter with 35 home runs and 159 RBI in three years with the Hogs.