Hogs grabbed multiple SEC baseball awards this week, with Cam Kozeal joining the fun
Arkansas lefty starter Colin Fisher was named SEC Pitcher of the Week after his dazzling outing against Xavier. Whole Hog Sports has more:
"Fisher allowed 1 hit and struck out 11 without a walk in 8 innings of the Razorbacks’ 11-0 victory over Xavier on Sunday at Baum-Walker Stadium. The game ended in the bottom of the eighth inning due to a run rule. Fisher became the first Arkansas pitcher on record to throw an 8-inning shutout and the first to record an 8-inning 1-hitter.
“'He was commanding all his pitches,' Xavier coach Billy O’Conner said. 'He had three pitches [fastball, curveball and changeup] he was throwing for strikes. He was moving around in the zone and his fastball had a lot of life to it. Even when we got in some plus counts, he was sinking it under our barrel and we had some weak contact and choppers. He pitched really well.'
"Fisher, a junior, has not allowed a run in 13 innings this season. He has allowed 2 hits and 2 walks, and struck out 19 against Texas Tech and Xavier.
“'I think he frustrates hitters a little bit,' Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. 'It’s not an overpowering fastball, but it’s harder than it looks because of the other pitches. When he’s locating his fastball, he’s really good.'
"Xavier had its only hit against Fisher in the second inning when Peter Johnson hit a bouncer off his thigh. The Musketeers had 18 hits and 8 runs over the previous two days against Arkansas pitching. In a video posted to the Razorbacks’ social media channels, pitching coach Matt Hobbs ranked Fisher’s performance alongside Gage Wood’s 19-strikeout no-hitter against Murray State at the College World Series last June and Hagen Smith’s 17-strikeout performance against Oregon State at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, in February 2024.
“'I’ve seen a no-hitter in Omaha, I’ve seen 17 punchouts at Globe Life and I’ve seen that,' Hobbs said while pointing toward Fisher. 'That’s where that one ranks. It should have been a damn no-hitter — perfect game, nearly. It should have been a damn perfect game if Fish gets his big ass out of the way.'”
Cam Kozeal, via D1Baseball, was named SEC Extra's Player of the Week. Kozeal has been getting big hits, scoring clutch runs, and becoming a sparkplug for the offense in the latter innings of close games. Kozeal has played a significant role in helping Arkansas win six of its first seven games this season.