Molina's Good Outing Could Give Razorbacks Boost Heading to NCAA

With regional coming up next week, Hogs hope one pitcher found his rhythm

Arkansas Razorbacks' pitcher Mason Molina in a game against the LSU Tigers on March 29, 2024, at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. / Craven Whitlow-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —Two of Arkansas' three expected key members of a strong pitching staff haven't been able to find home plate lately. The problems in the SEC Tournament are magnified now, a time of year when it's important.

While the Razorbacks' hitting woes this year have largely been covered up with a pitching staff that at times proved unhittable, that coverage faded a bit toward the end of the season. That exact situation leaped out last week.

This scenario is why Mason Molina's strong two innings meant so much Thursday in the second loss (and elimination) against Kentucky in Hoover, Ala., especially when starting ace Hagen Smith gave up two runs in the first two innings of the game. Molina's problems this year came after Brady Tygart struggled in key situations.

"It's process every day," Hogs coach Dave Van Horn said. He was talking about Will McEntire, the reliever who looked so good until the stretch run of the season, but might as well have been talking about the entire staff. "You got to get better, you got to learn from it, hopefully next time on the mound do a little better."

Molina worked two innings Thursday. He gave up no runs, didn't walk anybody and gave up a solo single. Coming on the heels of pitching well last weekend in the second game to clinch the SEC West title over Texas A&M, Van Horn had hope that meant he was coming out of it.

"It was really good to see Mason pitch well again," Van Horn said. "He threw well in relief, Game 2 against A&M, the game we needed to win to wrap up the West. And this is his first outing since, and he matched it again, threw really well."

Molina may have figured out the problem starting and it won't be that surprising to see him either pitching earlier or starting if he's managed to solve things on his own.

"It was a really good thing for me," Molina said. "It allowed me to reset and not overthink things. So that was something we were talking about over the last weeks, just overthinking things and I was trying to be too fine. Now I really don't have the luxury of thinking. It's just kind of get hot, go in the game and let your stuff work."

It sounds like he's learned what needs to be fixed coming in a bit earlier. "If I end up starting at some point again, whether that's up to them or not, transfer that over as much as I can," Molina said.

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