Van Horn Hopes Minor Change Has Big Impact For Razorback Rotation

Tygart given extra day to rest, sort through command issues

Arkansas pitcher Brady Tygart reacts after the final out of of the inning in Arlington at Globe Life Field. / Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With a Top 10 match-up looming against No. 8 LSU this weekend, coach Dave Van Horn announced a minor change to the rotation. Ace Hagen Smith will still start the opener of the three-game set, but Mason Molina and Brady Tygart will switch spots. Molina will start the game on Friday before Tygart gets the ball in the series finale.

“We’re going to change it up just a little bit," Van Horn said. "We’re going to go Smith, Molina and Tygart in that order. We just want to give Brady another day to get right.”

The extra day of rest comes at an opportune time for Tygart, who is coming off three straight starts of less than five innings, including a career-high five walks in his latest start against Auburn last Friday. He was second in the SEC in ERA behind LSU’s Luke Holman before being tagged for three runs in just 3 ⅔ innings of work. 

“I feel great about Brady,” Van Horn said.  “His stuff’s good. Competes hard. I think that he’s had a little bit of command issues with his fastball. He gets that straightened out, he’ll be good to go. So I have all the confidence in the world in him.”

Pitching coach Matt Hobbs was also confident they had identified the problem and should be able to get Tygart back to early-season form where he allowed just two earned runs in his first 25 ⅔ innings of work. 

“He’s spinning off the ball a little bit and he’s not staying through the ball as well as he was earlier in the season,” Hobbs said after his Auburn start.  “It’s something that we have to work on and fix. He’s aware of it, I’m aware of it. It’s just something we’re going to have to work through.” 

Tygart’s change in command has forced the bullpen to take a more pronounced role for the first time all season. His nine walks in the last two starts is more than his previous four starts combined (seven). 

“I think that was the one thing you see from Brady, over-rotating on some of those pitches," Hobbs said. "It pulls him into the other batter’s box. If you look at his misses, he’s either missing arm-side up or pulling the ball into the glove-side of the glove-side batter’s box.”

The one constant though is reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week Hagen Smith toeing the rubber for the series opener. Smith will look to build on his 22-inning scoreless streak spanning his previous four starts.

The last time Smith gave up an earned run was against Murray State March 1 when Drew Vogel whacked a leadoff homer off the lefty. The opener against LSU is set for Thursday 6 p.m. inside Baum-Walker Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. 

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Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports