Razorback baseball's midweek win, spring football practice continues

[00:00:01] Speaker A: You're listening to the Hog Sports Network daily podcast. Now, here's your host, Matt Jones. [00:00:10] Speaker B: Happy Wednesday, everybody. I am your guest host, Christina Long, filling in for Matt Jones today because he had a late night coming home from North Little Rock, covering Arkansas baseball's win over Grambling State. Today on the show, Ethan Westerman is going to join me in the studio to talk a little bit of spring football and some other spring sports, some softball, maybe some gymnastics, some women's basketball. Transfer information. There's a lot going on in Baske World for the men's and women's teams right now. But first, Matt Jones is going to join us on the phone to talk a little bit about what he saw last night in north Little Rock with Arkansas baseball's win over Grambling. So, Matt, when we talked yesterday on the show about this game, we talked about how this ballpark, Dickey Stevens, can be a little tricky. And it's a little bit different than a lot of the parks they play in. And there could be, they're, they're susceptible to kind of some weird games there. And that kind of seemed like the case last night. They won seven to four. It was closer than the first game they played against Grambling State. So just on the ground while you, since you were there, what was kind of it, what was it like as far as, you know, the conditions and how, you know, Dave Anhorn called it a graveyard. And, you know, the way this park plays. [00:01:13] Speaker C: Yeah, it is a graveyard. And if you haven't been to Dickey Stevens, it's, it probably sits, I don't know, I'd guess somewhere between somewhere probably about a thousand yards off of the Arkansas River. There's Riverfront Drive and then there's a little bit of grass area. Then there's the river. And the only reason I can think of that they built the park the way they did was that they wanted the Little Rock skyline beyond the outfield wall. But because they've done that in warm weather months, the wind is blowing in from the south, and it's a huge park as it is. I mean, it's 3:30 down one line, 332 down the other, 400 to center. And it's just, you can't get a, you cannot get a ball to the wall in that park whenever the wind's blowing out of the south. I don't know that Mike Trout, when he played there, could get a ball out of that ballpark when the wind was blowing in from the south. It's just, it's a, it it just turns. I think cavernous is the word that I used last night. And that was what happened last night. I mean it was 15, 25 mile an hour winds out of the south. I think it was gusting to about 30. And you could tell in BP that nobody was going to get a ball out of there last night. You know, there'd be well hit balls and they were dying 30, 40ft side of the warning track. And so that's what happened last night. I mean it's, you know, and I thought Arkansas got some nice hits up the middle the other way. The top three hitters in the order really had a nice night. Hea and Kahio and Charles Avalon, I think all of them had two hits a piece. You know, Grambling, they got, they got some nice hits at some certain times and they took advantage of some, some free passes from Arkansas. I think there were four walks and three hat, three hit batsman by the Razorbacks last night. A couple of errors too help, you know, contribute to some of that. But yeah, it's just, it's that ballpark, it's, it's just it lends itself to playing low scoring games and I think that's, you know, that that's why they played so many tight games there is that just it's hard for either team to score in that ballpark. [00:03:21] Speaker B: Yeah. You included a stat in your notebook that I thought was really interesting that they've hit nine home runs in 13 games there, which dates to when was the first game that they played in that park. [00:03:29] Speaker C: Well, actually I'm glad you said that. I need to fix that now. It's 14 games. [00:03:32] Speaker B: It was 13 games before the game. [00:03:35] Speaker C: Yeah. So their first game there was in 2010. They played Louisiana Tech. And it's interesting, you know, you saying all this kind of jars my memory. All that's kind of a blur last night, to be honest with you. But I did write down who some of the players were who had hit home runs in that ballpark. This is a list of players who've hit home runs at Dickie Stevens for Arkansas. A lot of guys who had big league power. James McCann played in the majors. Matt Reynolds played in the majors. Colin Gas away did not. Andrew, Ben and Tendi obviously still playing. Chad Spanberger, he never played in the majors, but he certainly had, you know, major league power in his bat. Zach Plunkett, a guy who I thought could hit the ball as hard as, as just about anybody that I've ever seen come through Arkansas. Casey Martin, I think he's in AAA now, you know, so he may end up in the majors. Heston Kirstad is playing in the majors. And then Harold Cole a couple of years ago was the last Razorback to hit a home run in that ballpark. So it kind of shows you that you've got to have a certain level of strength to get it out of there. I think they've got some guys on this team who, you know, could certainly do it. But again, you know, hitting the home run into about a. The teeth of a 20, 30 mile an hour wind, it's just not gonna happen. [00:04:49] Speaker B: Yeah, you mentioned, you know, the top of the order did really well and you know, they kind of kept the regular starters there at the top of the lineup. And then they kind of filled in the second half with some guys that hadn't played so much. So, you know, we get a Michael Anderson sighting for the first time since opening day. But definitely, you know, the most production came from the top and then they kind of made some substitutions after. So I guess what did you see from that kind of bottom of the lineup and some of those guys that haven't gotten as much of an opportunity, not much. [00:05:16] Speaker C: I think Gabe Frazier probably would have homered in bomb last night. He, he really squared one up pretty well, but again, you know, the wind knocked it down. We saw him hit a grand slam last week whenever he got his first start against Missouri State. But, you know, I mean, I think all you need to know is that, I mean, look at all the players they brought in toward the the end of the game. They brought no one sus off the bench and they brought Cam Kozel in off the bench and they brought in Ryder Helford to catch the ninth inning. So, you know, they just didn't get a whole lot of production out of those players at the bottom of the lineup. And then, you know, another one that you got to mention is Kendall Diggs. I mean, this is another game where he plays and he does not hit well at all. I think he went over four last night and his first three at bats were strikeouts. You think back to the Missouri State game last week. He came up in a situation after a lead off walk and he hit into a double play. And then he came up in another situation with the bases loaded and nobody out and he popped up to the infield and so he's just not getting it done with his bat right now. I don't know if it's, I don't know if it's physical. I don't know if it's confidence. I don't know exactly what it is, but he just. He just doesn't look like the same player that he looked like last year. And, you know, he had the shoulder surgery in the off season. I'm sure that probably, you know, plays a factor in this, but he's just not giving him anything offensively. [00:06:37] Speaker B: Yeah, that's something they've had to kind of work around. And they've been fortunate that they have, you know, the other options that they do and that have been hitting as well as they do. Because I think, you know, there was concern coming into the season that he wouldn't be able to be the player that he was, the hitter that he was before the injury. And then, you know, like you said, we don't know if this is a result of that or if this is a confidence thing. Probably a combination of the two. But, you know, the. They're fortunate that they have the other options there that they do. [00:07:01] Speaker C: Well, I mean, sometimes when you come back from an injury, you know, confidence is. Is a. It's one of the things you have to find, you know, after, you know, as part of that recovery. Like, look at Aiden Jimenez. Think about a couple of pictures at Arkansas. Aiden Jimenez, he had Tommy John surgery less than 13 months ago. It was on March 5 of 24. And he's come back with a ton of confidence, and he's just letting it rip. And you see the results. He's been maybe Arkansas's best pitcher in SEC play. And then you've got, you know, Hunter Deeds trying to come back up and, you know, work his way back. And based on what we've heard from the coaches, he's just got to have more confidence in his stuff. And so I think maybe you're seeing a little bit of that from. From Kendall. I can't say that for sure, but it wouldn't. I guess maybe what I should say is it would not surprise me if there was a little bit of, you know, just a mental byproduct of having that surgery and the rehab and everything, and that it's, you know, and then, you know, baseball is a mental game, and when you're not hitting well, it all seems to compound on itself. And he's just. He just doesn't seem like he's in a great spot offensively. [00:08:13] Speaker B: Yeah. You brought up pitching. Tate McGuire got the start last night. And Dave Van Horn's pregame comments made a lot more sense after the game when we got the update on Parker Core Coyle. So before the game, on. On the Radio Van Horn said. He said, quote, maybe bring somebody out of the pen that might normally start because now they might have to start pitching out of the pen. And that was kind of why they decided to go to McGuire. So then we learned Parker Coyle has a back injury that's going to hold him out for a while. We don't know exactly how long, I don't think Van Horn said. But he did indicate that it could be quite a while. And so then it kind of makes a little bit more sense that they would start McGuire and then want to kind of warm, I assume, Colin Fisher up a little bit for kind of that, that change in role. [00:08:51] Speaker C: Yeah, you know, I mean I've heard a time frame on Coil. I don't really want to say it but when, when he says a while, we're not talking about just a little while. It's it. I think there's a chance he can pitch again for Arkansas this season, but I think it's, you know, for a while means it's going to be a little while before I think we see him again pitching. He has a, he's been dealing with a back injury as far back as I think maybe in Arlington. He's been pitching through it and you know, you'd see him on the availability report that he was probable and he pitched through it against South Carolina and was getting warmed up against Vanderbilt and then something just didn't feel right to him. And I think that's what prompted them maybe to get it looked at a little bit maybe get it looked at a little bit more in depth than it has in the past. And I think they, they found something that's, you know, going to keep him out for a bit. But I'll tell you two things. You're right about Colin Fisher. He was going to start that game last night up until about 3:00 Monday and then they made the decision to. And that was about that kind of dovetailed with the time that they found out what's, what's going on with Coil and they wanted to see Fisher and how he reacted out of the bullpen as opposed to in a starting role because now all the left handers who are in the bullpen, they all move up the ladder a notch and you know, Fisher, he didn't have a great night last night. Some of that was self inflicted, some of it was, you know, probably just a little bit of bad luck. But I'll tell you the picture that I think you got to keep an eye on is Gibler at the Back end. He, you know, you, over the last month, probably since about March 1st, it just seems like he's stacking really quality outings on top of each other. It didn't go great for him against Missouri State. Didn't go for great for a lot of pitchers that night. But you take away that Missouri State outing and he wasn't really even bad against Missouri State. It's just, you know, he gave up some runs that affects the ERA. But I think over his last five outings he's got something like 20 strikeouts and he, they can't touch his stuff. And you could say, oh, well, that's grambling. I, I don't think SEC teams would have been touching what he was throwing last night. His curveball was really on. He was working his fastball off of it real nicely. And I, I think that, you know, with Gibler, he was like a top 150 draft prospect last year. Not just high school players but, but total prospects, college players and everything. And when they got him to campus, they were really excited about him. I got the impression that they thought he would be a weekend reliever when the season began. And I think it just maybe has, has come along a little bit slower for him than maybe say like a Carson Wiggins who's a freshman. But now he's figured it out. And I really think that Cole Gibler has shown them something last night, but then the previous three or four weeks too, where he may be that guy you go to instead of a Parker Coil right now out of the bullpen because I, I just think he's throwing the ball so well and it's perfect timing for him because again, Coyle's going to be out for a while and now you need a left hander to step up and here you have this left hander who's pitching really well in the midweek. [00:12:08] Speaker B: Something I've been wanting to do, and maybe we should do this on the podcast sometime, is get out our baseball preview issue of Hogs Illustrated and look back at especially with the bullpen guys, because there's so many of them. A lot of them tend to be new or guys you maybe don't remember as well or haven't seen as much of and kind of look at what Matt Hobbs said about them in the preseason and then kind of see, okay, does this kind of match what we were thinking about them before the season? Have any of them, except exceeded expectations, not met them? Because, you know, a guy like Gibler was a guy that you, like you said was a highly rated Prospect, but not somebody that, you know, maybe the average person had on their radar necessarily, and might see this as kind of a surprise, you know. You know, he's talented, but for him to be coming on this way as a freshman, you know, might be surprising. So I'd be interested. I don't remember what Hobbs said about him preseason off the top of my head. I'm sure, like you said, he was excited about him, but stuff like that is always interesting to me. Kind of revisiting the preseason thought versus what, what happens especially with bullpen guys, once you get to see them work a little bit more. [00:12:59] Speaker C: Well, like, you think about probably what they had to say about Aiden Jimenez in the preseason was, we'll see. [00:13:04] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:13:05] Speaker C: And we've seen. It's really good. [00:13:08] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:13:09] Speaker C: You know, so, yeah, it's. It's interesting how. How much a couple of months can make a difference. We don't think it does, but it can make a lot of difference, good and bad. [00:13:18] Speaker B: Well, I want to leave you with this. And you led your post game notebook last night with a story on Will McIntyre, who he didn't get to pitch last night, but his family, they have a big connection to Dickey Stevens with his dad having been, you know, a data keeper there. And, you know, the family got to go, and Will kind of grew up around the park and you got to talk to them about that. So I wanted to hear a little bit more from you about that. And it was interesting because it reminded me of, you know, Clay Henry wrote a feature on Cam Kozile, and one of the things he mentioned in that story that he learned was Kojal's from Omaha and his dad was on the grounds crew at Rosenblatt, and I think still helps out at TD Ameritrade. So it's just, you know, if they get to Omaha, that'll be a cool thing to track. And it's. It's interesting kind of how these guys that have grown up around baseball in these kind of special ways, how they kind of find their way back. [00:14:01] Speaker C: Charles Schwab Field now. [00:14:02] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I forgot. [00:14:03] Speaker C: You gotta. Forgot you got to keep up on these names. It's kind of like I was telling you about Alta arena yesterday. [00:14:07] Speaker B: Yeah. How long has it been? [00:14:08] Speaker D: Charles Schwab? [00:14:09] Speaker B: Because I. It's not. It's been a little while. Right. It's not brand new. [00:14:13] Speaker C: I think it's about three years. [00:14:14] Speaker B: Okay. That makes me feel a little better. [00:14:15] Speaker C: Swab Field. It was Swab Field when Arkansas went there in 22. Okay. [00:14:19] Speaker B: So I've been there when it's been Schwab Field, but. Oh, well, yeah. [00:14:23] Speaker C: Yeah. So. No. Yeah. His dad still helps out there. [00:14:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:14:26] Speaker C: Oh, and it's also made a mistake, and Madison McIntyre made sure to correct me. It's. It's data caster. Okay, so a data caster. [00:14:35] Speaker B: And what exactly is that for somebody that doesn't know? Like, maybe me? [00:14:40] Speaker C: Well, I'll be honest with you. I don't even know. [00:14:42] Speaker B: I'm like, is it live stats or is it my scoring? [00:14:45] Speaker C: My. My initial thought is that maybe it's someone who punches in, you know, statistics into some sort of program, but I don't know, it's. I know they've got a seat reserved for the data caster inside the Dickie Stevens press box, but. Yeah. Now, I've known that Will had an affiliation with the Travelers for a long time. I mean, you know, I've gotten to know his dad, and, you know, he's talked about the work that he's done with the travelers, and Dr. Phil Elson about this, too, last night. Phil was the voice of the travelers for 14 years. And, you know, he's like, I can remember Will, you know, running around here, eight, nine years old, the press box. And he said, you know, Madison would talk about Will to everybody, and they'd kind of roll their eyes, you know, because he talked about his son and all these great outings that he was having in, you know, Little League or American Legion or whatever the case might be. And anyway, he said, over the years, I think the eye rolls got a little less, you know, defined, because, you know, they could see that he actually was, you know, you know, pitching well, and then got to the point where he was pitching for the Razorbacks. And think about what you want with Will. He's. Unfortunately, he's kind of one of those lightning rod players that everybody's got an opinion about him, you know, because he does give up a lot of home runs. But you also look at this. You also look at the stats in the. In the record book, and, I mean, he's. He's climbing up there. I've mentioned this several times that, you know, it's obviously not all because of him, but he's been on so many good teams now that he's probably going to end his career as. As a player with more wins in his career, and I'm talking about just team wins than any player in the history of Razorback baseball. And I think that means something because he's a clubhouse guy, he's a leader in the clubhouse. He's a guy that I think the other players gravitate toward. And those are all these qualities that you can't, you know, you can't stat. But like strikeouts. I mean, he's not a, he doesn't Throw but a 91, 92 mile an hour fastball. He's probably going to come close, if not get into, I think, the top five in strikeouts in school history, which is crazy to think about. Maybe it's top 10, but, but certainly, you know, they're at the top in terms of strikeouts in his career. And you know, again, part of that is because he got the extra year because of COVID you know, that he has had a very unique career. But yeah, I mean, the Travelers thing, it was unfortunate that he didn't get to pitch there last night. He has pitched there before. He had a really good start there in 22 against UCA through six innings against them, pitch to get slips come in 23. And that game, yeah, I'm not going to say that was what, what spurred getting the game streamed in Little Rock. But against Lipscomb, he gave up a hit that was off the wall and it was not a home run and it was called a home run and there was no video to prove otherwise. And so, you know, the next year you get the games that are streamed now in North Little Rock and I guess the stream didn't go so well last night. But, you know, you do still, you do have that video component there and for the games to north Little Rock. But yeah, it was neat talking to him, talking to Phil, talking to his or I didn't talk to Will last night, but talking to his dad, talking to Phil about Will's experience there at the ballpark. His dad said that he'd bring him to the games and, you know, he'd tell him, hey, go have fun. He'd go play out in the center field for a little while. He'd come back fourth, fifth inning, grab a hot dog or a sandwich or something in the press box. Then he'd go back out and play some more. And his dad's role was always just meet me back here in the ninth inning and we'll go home. And I guess he didn't tell his wife about it initially and she got wind of what happened one day and she's like, well, you don't give him any boundaries. He goes, yeah, I give him boundaries. I tell him, don't leave the ballpark. And so, so, you know, it reminds me a little bit of, of my own story. And I I told Madison this. I do a lot of stuff with Fable High School and their football games. I don't know if you guys can hear these claps of thunder outside, but man, it sounds like it's. [00:18:59] Speaker B: I can see some lightning out our window here. [00:19:02] Speaker C: But, you know, I take my son with me to a lot of these Fable High School football games that I do. They're play by play and it's kind of the same thing. I just tell him, hey, you know, keep your phone with you and, you know, don't, don't get too far. And it's. So I was able to relate, I guess, a little bit with Madison on, you know, these things that he did with Will. It's kind of neat whenever you're able to go do a job and include your, your kids with you. And that's kind of what the story was about. [00:19:30] Speaker B: Yeah, and it sounds like it's special for them too. Like obviously it had an impact on Will and, and his, you know, love of baseball and, and kind of how he was playing at the time too. So you can find that story and all of Matt's other baseball coverage on our website@wholehearted hogsports.com Matt is definitely the most in depth source for Arkansas baseball news. Before he got on the phone with us, he was on the phone with Matt Hobbs. And he'll have some stories from that later today and throughout the week, I'm sure, as they head into this Missouri series. But when we come back, Ethan Westerman will be in the studio with me to talk a little bit of spring football. [00:19:59] Speaker A: At Kendall King. We're proud of over four decades of design. We're continuing the legacy of great creative design by combining our brands of Kindle, King, Soapbox and Shopcart. Together, these brands represent a new focus in marketing design with individual attention to specific areas. Through our design expertise, supported by a team of talented professionals, we showcase our best. We are Kendall King. We are Soapbox. We are Shopcart. We are designing. [00:20:34] Speaker B: Welcome back. I'm joined now by Ethan Westerman here in our studio. We're going to talk a little bit of spring football. They were back in action on the practice field yesterday. First, I want to tell you about our friends at Bentonville Glass. They've been serving their community since 1971 and they are committed, professional and versatile. If you're looking for a quality leader in northwest Arkansas and looking for skilled craftsmanship, choose Bentonville Glass for all of your glass market needs with the highest quality products, you can visit them at 507 South Main in Bentonville or at Bentonville Glass. Ethan and I were back out on the practice field yesterday after spring break. Ethan has been gone for longer since he was traveling for basketball for a long, long time. Um, so I wanted to ask you, Ethan, we didn't really do a lot of debriefing yesterday after we left, and I kind of want to ask you, you know, you were there for the first week of spring practices, and then they had, what, two more that you missed while covering basketball spring break last week? They're back on the field. So I kind of wanted to ask you if there was anything you noticed that seemed different from that first week when they started practicing to now coming back that they're, you know, yesterday was practice, what, seven. Seven. [00:21:34] Speaker D: Yeah. I'll start off with what was the same is that I cannot believe that whenever I left three weeks ago, it was so windy. And then I got back and it was equally as windy. It. Devin Bale was booming some punts because he was kicking. You know, the wind was aiding him with those punts. I mean, these were like 60 plus yards. It was very, very windy. So that was the same. What's been different? I feel like maybe there was a little bit. I could sense a little bit more just maybe wanting more attention to detail at this point from the coaches. It seemed like they were a little bit more on it as far as, like, you know, and I think you see this probably most every spring, that the first little bit. You have so many early enrollees and you have, you know, new transfers, and then it's a lot of, like, teaching and learning just how you're doing things. And then you get to this point of the spring where you're, you know, we're really approaching the. The spring game, spring showcase, whatever you want to call it, pretty soon. And I think they're starting to get a little bit more picky as far as, like, wanting to see them actually execute a lot better. So that was something I picked up on, was I just think that there's a little bit more. There's a little bit more just demand there for. For execution of drills. I followed the D line around a lot during individual drills, and I thought that there was a lot more talk there because I like. I've always liked following the D line around. I don't know why. I think it's just Deke Adams, the. [00:22:52] Speaker B: Way he's a fun one to watch. He's high energy. I like hearing what he has to say to them. [00:22:56] Speaker D: He's high energy, and he's like also just like he'll say funny things. Like that's just the best part of it. He'll just say really funny things to try and get the guys going. So I like to follow them around and they're always like on the sled, like hitting it and stuff. And anyway, I followed them and I sensed from them a little bit more like talk than I think I got early in the spring watching them. But yeah, other than that, pretty, pretty standard from what we normally see in the spring. Very windy though. Very, very windy. And I was actually very surprised that the quarterbacks, they do this thing called fastest 40, which is like a, just a pass progression of 40 different plays. And they were, the quarterbacks were on it with the wind. And so I was kind of surprised by that because I'd heard that, you know, while I was gone there were some days that quarterbacks weren't looking so hot. But hey, wind and all new receivers, they were, they were completing a lot of passes yesterday. [00:23:50] Speaker B: Yeah. And you charted that fastest 40 period yesterday with completions and things like that, which we hadn't done for every time they've been out. So I don't have, you know, a stat comparison, but I, I did feel like yesterday was a, a better day as far as throwing and catching than I feel like I had seen in the week prior. And I misspoke earlier. You didn't miss two weeks. It was just the one week and then spring break, so. But I think I would have believed. [00:24:11] Speaker D: You had just have four weeks. [00:24:12] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, you feel like you've been gone forever. But no, I mean, I did feel like yesterday was a little bit better of a throwing and catching day. One guy that we were talking about the whole time was Madden Emaliava who's been running with the third team offense all spring. And you know, he's looked good, but I felt like he just had a really good day yesterday, you know, and he just made some, some impressive throws that kind of make you go, you know, like things that you actually notice. And so he's kind of stood out and you know, I think K.J. jackson's their number two. I think they feel pretty committed to that at this point. I'm, I'm not saying like he should be the backup, but I think he has showed, you know, especially yesterday kind of showed that it is a big deal that they were able to get him to flip on that signing day and why that was a big get for them. [00:24:55] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean I sense that it's almost like, you know, you watch the McDonald's All American Game yesterday, and you're seeing plays that these two freshmen that are coming in making. You're like, you don't see talent like that and just be like, oh, there's nowhere in the future for like, same thing with Matni Emaliava. I've got it now. I didn't. Back whenever Arkansas played Tennessee in the season, we were trying to say his brother's name, but you see things that you're like, that'll play. [00:25:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:25:19] Speaker D: You know, and that's what I think we saw yesterday was just some of the throws he was making were incredible. He had one deep go route to Omega. Blake that. It was just a dart, like, it was like, he had to. That was the only place he could have put it. He chunked it. Spiral was beautiful. I mean, it was a great throw. So he stood out yesterday for sure. I mean, it's. This is the. Probably the point of spring, too, that some of these freshmen are getting a little more comfortable. And there's a lot of overthinking probably early on, especially in a position like that, where at quarterback you're literally having to make decisions every single play. But I think that they're probably getting a little bit more comfortable with just making those decisions and letting you know their body take over and just make plays. Ismail. Cece. I think I said his last name, right? [00:26:07] Speaker B: Cece. [00:26:07] Speaker D: Cece. Yes. He made some great plays yesterday. He stood out. Taylor Green, I mean, on the fastest 40 thing, he was 12, 13. [00:26:16] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:26:16] Speaker D: Which we. People gripe about the completion percentage and rightfully so over his career, but he was on it yesterday. I think he's definitely working on decision making as far as just like, take the. Take the dink and dunk if you have to. Don't go for the same thing every time. And also, he doesn't have Andrew Armstrong within the spring. [00:26:33] Speaker B: And I don't know that they're gonna. Ha. They're not. I don't think they're gonna have an interarms. I mean, somebody's gotta lead the team in receiving. Right? But I. I don't think, you know, and. And that's something Pittman has talked about is like, they're looking for that guy. They're looking for that outside threat, and. And I don't, you know, they're gonna have somebody. And I think Blake seems like the most likely candidate, especially given what he was able to do at Charlotte. But I, you know, I don't necessarily know that I'm ready to go. He's gonna be just like Andrew Armstrong as far as like production and consistency level, you know. [00:26:59] Speaker D: Yeah, no, I think this is the type of year that maybe Taylor Green can replicate his past yard production as last year, but it won't be the same. It could be different characters. Honestly, kind of like what I think what happened with Madni Amaliava's brother last year, I think that's kind of how he got like his stats were very spread the wealth, I think. I know they had a couple receivers that probably, you know, received a bulk of it, but I just think with this receiving corp that it's going to be a little bit of by committee and not necessarily. Yeah, you just don't have the same type of receivers as last year. That's the most clear thing I think of anything in the spring is you just look out and see the receiver and you're like, this is just a different room, which I mean this has been well documented by us, by other people, that receiver and O line are just the two that you look at and you're like, well this is different and different doesn't mean bad, it just means different. And so I'm curious to see though if they can, you know, like maybe you don't get the same amount of yards you had last year, but your scoring production's up. Like how, how do these receivers, you know, do in the system? A lot of smaller, shiftier, speedier guys and a lot of guys that honestly it's like just wait and see of who actually emerges. [00:28:15] Speaker B: Right. I think the receivers, I mean it's what we've been talking about, I feel like all off season and preseason and it's going to continue because I think there's going to be a lot of it that's like, okay, we have to see it in a game and we have to see it in an SEC game because like you said, a lot of these are smaller, fast guys who have a lot of experience and have had success, but now they're moving up to this level and what is that going to look like and how are they going to use that and kind of, you know, it's going to look different than it did last year. And like you said, it doesn't have to be worse, it might be better, but it is going to look different. We also somebody that I think I have written a little bit about and we've maybe talked about some on the show that I feel like has just been really consistent, consistently impressive is Larry Worth. I think it started when you could kind of tell at the beginning that he was going to be kind of a leader on the defense. I feel like you hear him all the time. You see him giving instruction to people, and so it's always interesting. You know, that's something that I like to track in practices, is who is kind of, you know, who in each group is kind of serving as that person. And I think Larry Worth, just for the defense as a whole, has been that. And then as far as his actual play, I mean, he has been making plays pretty consistent consistently, and so I've been really impressed with him, and I'm, you know, excited to see what he does now in his second year at Arkansas. [00:29:23] Speaker D: No, for sure. And he's a guy that is so versatile, too. Like, I know that he's. Last year there was a whole batch of these, like, hybrid linebacker, safety, nickel, whatever. Like, you're like, they could get plugged anywhere. And I feel like he's truly kind of this spring, like, I don't know, he's kind of grown into his own as far as just being comfortable with where he's at. He's been in the system longer. He's a guy that. I know this will rev up for us again soon. As far as, like, talking about transfers coming in, you're trying to learn about them. I know you wrote the story last year when Larry Worth came in from Jacksonville State. We're just trying to learn about these guys. And you could. I think you could sense toward the end of his time at Jacksonville State, if I recall correctly, in the bowl game and everything, that it was like, okay, this guy has some potential. How's it going to translate to the sec? And I think that, you know, maybe getting that a year in. In the S.E.C. and they did, like, just put him where they needed to last year a lot of the time, and he came on strong toward the end of the year. I think that that really benefits a guy like him who's not been in an SEC offseason, like, a full one yet. [00:30:25] Speaker B: Right. Because he was a spring transfer. [00:30:27] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah. He came in after. Yeah, after the spring. So it's. This is the first full year that I think you're seeing some comfortability there, and you need guys like that, especially in the secondary where they are. They're pretty thin right now. Like, they're going to have to add some guys in the spring portal. So I'm. I'm. I've noticed him, too. I think he had an interception. Oh, he almost had an interception yesterday. [00:30:49] Speaker B: He's had some throughout. And yeah, he. He Almost had one. They. There was a practice that you missed. I can't remember which day it was before spring break, but it was. There were a lot of picks and ear picks, a lot of tipped balls, and he was involved in a lot of them. Keon de Villa, the junior college transfer, was involved in a lot of those plays. So those are guys that I'm interested to see what that looks like, you know, in a game and as practices continue to. [00:31:11] Speaker D: Yeah, I think, if anything, what's good in the spring is there's, I think, guys that you are very confident from the spring that it would take something crazy to not see them on the field a lot in the fall. And Larry Worth is a guy that I think in my head is already like, okay, a lot of snap counts in the fall. Like, I mean, that's nothing new from what happened this past year, but it's like. It feels to me like he's only gotten better from the end of last year. And I get it. We aren't seeing full pads right now, whatnot. But there's always some guys who shine in the spring that fizzle in the fall. I mean, that's part of it, but he's the one that I just. Everything points to. You're gonna have a bigger season this year, so. Yeah. Yeah, it's. It's been pretty, like, difficult for me learning after being away for a little bit, names and numbers of these guys. [00:31:57] Speaker B: Because there are new people, and a lot of them are still new to you because you. You met them briefly and then we're. [00:32:01] Speaker D: Away, and then even some of the guys that are returning change their numbers. So it's like, it is a. It is a task. I mean, learning a basketball roster compared to a football roster, it's not even. [00:32:11] Speaker B: Especially when the basketball roster is smaller than the normal. [00:32:13] Speaker D: Yeah. And they don't have a helmet on their face. I'm, like, over here, like, just trying to learn, like, stature, number. And then, you know, a guy like Larry Worth, he will talk and practice, too. So occasionally you can hear. Learn voice. [00:32:24] Speaker B: But it was funny yesterday you said. You mentioned faces. You know, yesterday we in player availability, we got two players we never talked to, so a new transfer and Kaden Kittler and then Ian Jaffrard on the defensive line, who played some last year, but I don't think we ever talked to him. So two new guys that, you know, I kind of knew what they looked like. And then they came in and I was like, okay. You know, this is the first time I'm really putting an actual face that I could see with a name. And you wrote a little bit yesterday in our. Our takeaways notebook from the day about Ian Jaffrard and kind of we talked a lot to him about kind of the. His size and how he's trying to get down to this playing weight that he wants to get to. And Sam Pittman has talked a lot about the progress that he's made as far as, you know, a. With getting down to his. His playing way and also just with his ability to play at that weight. So I guess what all did you kind of learn about Jaffra kind of when you were writing about it yesterday? [00:33:11] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, it seems like he's definitely pleased with what. I mean, how he's transformed in college. And this is. This happens all positions, but it's just this extremely like. Like you notice it with a guy as big as Ian that, like the college weight room and college strength and conditioning, it just changed. You mean Braylon Russell is looking as good as he's looked right now. And I think, you know, Ian Jaffara probably feeling the same way. It's like he just looks way more like sec ready than I think when he came in. But he even wants to get down some more. He said he wants to get to 370 by season. [00:33:47] Speaker B: I think he's what, 382? [00:33:48] Speaker D: Yeah, 382. So it would take another £12. But, like, he's. For his size. He moves really, really well. It's like. And that's. I don't think has always been the case, like, since he's been at Arkansas, but I was watching their drills the other day and for. He gets around pretty good. I think that you learned yesterday that he just has a. They all have a personality. I mean, none of them are just like, personality less, but like, he has a. I know. [00:34:13] Speaker B: I liked him. [00:34:14] Speaker D: Yeah, he, him and Kittler was a little bit more all business, but, man, you learned with him that he has a. That Texas. [00:34:22] Speaker B: Yeah. Oh, yeah. The Texas accent is there. [00:34:24] Speaker D: It is big time there. But those two. Yeah, it's just fun whenever you hear from guys you haven't heard from yet. And Ian, I anticipate will be like, it would shock me if he's not a big part of what they do this year. I'm not saying he's going to start per se, but, like, I mean, he was in the rotation last year and it's like he's only getting more. More comfortable in the system. [00:34:44] Speaker B: And the way Pittman has talked about him and the way that Pittman has expressed being impressed with his progress, he wouldn't like. He doesn't have to say that. You know, I think that's a good indicator of where things stand, for sure. [00:34:54] Speaker D: And Pittman said, going into the spring, he said that Ian Jafar needed to show him something that was a started, too. Yeah. And so I think he has. [00:35:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:35:02] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:35:02] Speaker B: And then Kittler, you know, he moves in at center. He's a guy that, you know, we've heard talk about but hadn't really talked too. And, you know, he talked about how, coming from ucf, he feels like Arkansas's sort of scheme fits his skill set better. He gets to be a little bit more athletic and a lot of pin and pole kind of stuff, which is different from what he was doing at ucf. So he likes that aspect. He talked about how he's having to learn a ton. I mean, that's something that's hard, especially. It's always hard as a new transfer, but especially on the offensive line. An offensive line that has a lot of new faces. One takeaway that we didn't end up. I don't think it ended up making it in. Our story was about the poker nights that they have, and it sounded like that was not just an offensive line thing. That's like, the team as a whole. [00:35:40] Speaker D: Yeah. Who was it? [00:35:42] Speaker B: Was it Blake Ford? [00:35:43] Speaker D: Blake Ford. [00:35:43] Speaker B: You said Blake Ford is the best. [00:35:45] Speaker D: Poker kicker who was at Arkansas, then went to North Texas and is back at Arkansas. He is apparently the best poker player, which is amazing. [00:35:53] Speaker B: I. We did not expect a Blake Ford reference in yesterday's media availability. And then we got one in the form of poker question. [00:35:58] Speaker D: It was one of those. I was like, who is this again? I'd like, sit and think about. I was like, I think that's. I think I know who this is. Like, as far as we go through in the. In the false or the winter, so many, like, transferring in and out stories. I was like, I know that was a name from this winter. I was like, the kicker. But yeah, no, apparently they play poker. And I mean, I guess that's. That's great for the team bonding. The. The kickers in the offensive line. [00:36:23] Speaker B: I'm wondering, like, where is this? H. How many people are participating? Where is this happening? I should have followed up and asked for more poker. Poker night. [00:36:29] Speaker D: Let's say we're gonna have to keep asking the whole team. [00:36:32] Speaker B: Yeah. Wow. We should ask if we can sit in on a poker night. [00:36:36] Speaker D: I'm down. [00:36:36] Speaker B: They would never Let us say I. [00:36:38] Speaker D: Don'T think we'll get access, but it doesn't hurt to ask. So. Yeah, it sounds like they have fun though. So. [00:36:44] Speaker B: Yeah, so it was good to get to kind of talk to those guys. That's one of the things I like about spring practice. You know, sometimes like you said, you see things in practice that don't end up being the way that they look in the fall. But obviously you can take some things away from it. But I also, I like this period of kind of especially when there's so many new faces kind of putting faces with names and kind of hearing from them a little bit about their own kind of where they feel like they want to go with this team. [00:37:06] Speaker D: Yeah, I feel like then the spring, it's more about like, literally it's just a season of learning who these guys are. [00:37:13] Speaker B: Like everybody for them, for each other. [00:37:15] Speaker D: I mean, the think about them as teammates, the portal, how crazy these returners are learning them too right now. It's not like they had just like a whole lot of time to just sit and, and get to know these new teammates. I think that like, for everybody, the spring is just a huge learning thing. And that's Petrino last year was installing his offense for the first time at like with the whole new group and he was patient and you didn't really see the fieriness and then you did eventually. But like, I just think that that's how everybody kind of looks at it right now, is that it's. It's learning each other, learning plays, learning drills, learning everything. And so we're all right along there with them learning these guys name faces and heights and weights and all that stuff. [00:37:59] Speaker B: We'll be back out there for practice tomorrow, Ethan and I, watching some more workouts, meeting some more players. Actually, we talked to coach Pittman tomorrow, so we'll have a little bit of takeaways from. From Sam Pittman, another check in with him after spring break. But when we come back, we will talk a few other spring sports, A little softball, a little women's basketball portal news. I might talk a little gymnastics if I'm feeling extra. So when we come back after word from our sponsors, we'll have some spring sports talk at Kendall King. [00:38:25] Speaker A: We're proud of over four decades of design. We're continuing the legacy of great creative design by combining our brands of Kindle, King Soapbox and Shopcart. Together, these brands represent a new focus in marketing design with individual attention to specific areas through our design expertise, supported by a team of talented Professionals. We showcase our best. We are Kendall King. We are Soapbox. We are Shopcart. We are Design. [00:38:57] Speaker B: Welcome back here again in the studio with Ethan Westerman to talk a little bit more spring sports. I went out to softball this weekend while you were away. I went for Sunday's game as they swept Kentucky. And they have had a really interesting season because they kind of got off on a rough foot with that series at Ole Miss. They end up coming back to win that third game really big. [00:39:17] Speaker D: Do they run rule them big time? [00:39:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:39:20] Speaker D: 20 to 3. [00:39:20] Speaker B: Yeah. Okay. [00:39:21] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:39:21] Speaker B: Yes, they did run. Roll them in that third game. So they kind of get that. That revenge on that third game. They avoid the sweep. Then they host Oklahoma for their SEC home opener, you know, greatest program in the country, and get swept. And then, you know, it's kind of taken a little bit better shape from there. And they sweep Kentucky last weekend. Kentucky, you know, a team that was kind of similar to them in the SEC standings. Right. Not ranked, but they were kind of had a similar SEC record, a similar start. And so I think getting that sweep was big for them. But you and I have been talking, you know, off the air about their remaining schedule and how difficult this is and is this. How much of this is just. This is the nature of SEC softball and how much of this is, you know, truly a just unfortunate schedule. [00:40:09] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, it's both. But Eileen, on the side of this was just. You got dealt the SEC teams a good luck. Like, it's getting thrown into the fire. Because, like, it's one thing to have, like, every, like, most of your series against ranked or top 15 teams. That's another to literally have all but, like, I think every single SEC series for them but Kentucky this past weekend, which is why it's huge that they swept it against a top 20 team. Their remaining schedule. They've got a series at Florida this weekend that's number two in the nation. They go to Texas A and M, number four in the nation, for a series. They played number six, Tennessee, and won that series, which that was huge for them. They've got lsu, who's ranked number seven. They've got South Carolina, who's number nine. I mean, it is a gauntlet. It is one of those schedules that you look at it, and they just. It's like they're going to have to say, very locked in on this is the weekend ahead, and not look any further ahead, because the moment that they do that, it looks you can't do it. I mean, it's a It's a. It's a brutal schedule, but I think that the good thing for them, teams aren't looking at them like. Like they are getting the same treatment from other teams. Like, oh, we got Arkansas on the schedule. Like, that's a tough team, too. They're ranked number 13. Like, it's not like a. Like they're getting outclassed by any of these teams. I know Oklahoma, they got swept. If you watch, like watching the series, it was. They were in it in all three games and just couldn't get to go their way. And then, you know, they respond by going to Tennessee and taking two or three. So a Tennessee team that just beat Oklahoma, I was going to say, didn't. [00:41:39] Speaker B: They just win that series? [00:41:40] Speaker D: Yeah. So it just goes to show that anything can happen. And if it's, what team do you have that weekend? So I think that Arkansas, as long as they stay locked in and focused on the weekend ahead, they can hang with anybody. The offense is really good this year. The pitching is always pretty good. It's like, it's one of those deals where I don't think anybody's thrilled to see them either, but it's a toughie of a schedule. [00:42:02] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that SEC Tennessee series at Tennessee, to win a series like that, when they did, coming off a sweep, you know, when it would have been easy to, you know, you look at that series as another one of these tough ones, one of the tougher ones on the schedule, especially going on the road and to get that series win, I think that was so huge for them kind of going into the rest of the schedule because now they've been there and they've done it against a team that was ahead of them. And I think that, you know, they've done it on the road. They really overcame a challenge there. And I think, you know, you saw a lot of individual players kind of rise to that occasion, especially in the circle, and, you know, kind of find, you know, seize an opportunity there. And so I'll be interested. Yeah. How much of that. How much that kind of confidence level helps them going forward? I think, you know, being at Florida this weekend is a huge test. Like you said, they're ranked number two and they're always a pretty. I mean, they're consistently top, probably. So, you know, I think having gotten that win at Tennessee, I think just helps them a lot internally as far as knowing that they can. They have it in them and they've done it. [00:43:03] Speaker D: Yeah. Stop me if you've heard this before with an Arkansas team. But they started SEC play one and five, which you stare at that and you're like, yeah, that's tough. And now they're six and six, which means, I mean, math is math. They reversed what they did at the beginning of the season. They've made it to 500. And I genuinely, like, I find a lot of weird parallels, I feel like between Arkansas sports all the time. But like, I feel like that Tennessee series going and winning, it could have been there. That could have been their Kentucky. Because this is a, there's been like a low key rivalry in the SEC the past like four years where they don't always play each other, but Arkansas and Tennessee are always like, they're, they've been the last four SEC champs. And this was like a big road series for Arkansas. They actually, Tennessee two years ago won every single SEC series. But at Arkansas, Arkansas spoiled it and made them have to wait another weekend to win the sec. And it's like there's a little rivalry there. You can feel it. Like these two programs know that they've been winning a lot the past years. And I feel like that was big for the team to go in there and prove like they were. They could have very easily. You look at this schedule and you're one and five and you're going into a road series at number seven, Tennessee. It's. You're, you're not taking it out of your brain that they could start one and eight. They could go and get swept. [00:44:13] Speaker B: I all kind of expected that they were, I mean, just. And like you said, they were competitive in those Oklahoma games. You know, it's, it's not like they were getting destroyed and, and Oklahoma is going to destroy a lot of teams this year. [00:44:22] Speaker D: Oh yeah. [00:44:23] Speaker B: But it, it kind of looked, it was looking kind of grim. You know, you come off a sweep and it's, you know, that's kind of just how it happens. The, the last game feels like it informs kind of how you think about your next few. Because after they won that big Ole Miss game, then it was going okay. They saved one, the attitude felt different, even though they, they dropped the first two. And then you get. So it feels a lot like, you know, your most recent game, whether as a fan, maybe it's that way in the building. You know, it feels like the most recent game influences colors, kind of how the next one looks, for sure. [00:44:48] Speaker D: And even after that sweep, they had a little, a midweek game against UCA that they won 6 to 3, which to be honest, they could beat that UCA team a lot worse. And it felt like a. Oh, no. Like, they aren't even, like, handling business the way that they could in a midweek. And then whatever happened at Tennessee, I mean, they've been riding that momentum. It was huge for him to get a sweep. Sweep this past weekend. Like winning a series. Like, no coach complaints. As long as you win the series, great. But, like, they needed a sweep, in my opinion. They really did. They hadn't had one in a hot minute. [00:45:19] Speaker B: It was since the season before. [00:45:20] Speaker D: 23. [00:45:21] Speaker B: Right. [00:45:21] Speaker D: 23 at Mississippi State. They had to, like, come back in the last game of that series. But this was their first home sweep. I don't even remember the last one before this. Like, they had been. They're consistently good at handling, like, just winning series. [00:45:36] Speaker B: But sweeping is hard. It's hard. And softball, I mean, you hear coaches say that all the time. That's why it's so exciting to get one. [00:45:41] Speaker D: And I feel like a sweep is just the difference between a real, like, a good season and setting yourself up to have a great one. I think that, I mean, the think about the baseball team right now, how, like, you win two of three at Vanderbilt, you're still happy, but you come off a sweep. And I think it just, it really changes how you view a team. I think a sweep does so big for them to get that this weekend. And it was against. I mean, all the SEC teams are good. Like, all of them pretty much make the instability tournament. So it's a. It was. It was big for them. They needed it. And they handled business in a way that it showed me something. Just the fact that they did handle business because they, they were. That was lacking on their, on their resume at this point. I, I looking at. I just looked it up again. Their last sweep, SEC sweep before this weekend at home was South Carolina in 2022. And the final game of that series to sweep it is when they won the SEC championship on senior day. So it was their first since the championship year. [00:46:38] Speaker B: Wow. [00:46:39] Speaker D: So it's been a minute. [00:46:40] Speaker B: Yeah. The other thing you've been tracking has been women's basketball transfer portal movement. Anthony was here yesterday and talked a little bit of the men's side because there's been so much movement there and so much anticipation of how that roster is going to look. Obviously with a new women's basketball coach who we believe will be interviewed here on the show tomorrow. Can Kelsey Music will be talking to Matt when anytime you have a new coach, you're going to have portal movement. Right. And that was something she kind of said in her intro was, you know, we got to figure out who we want back, who wants to be back. So fill us in a little bit on kind of what the movement's been, what you're expecting to see them get, and then kind of what you think about what they've lost. [00:47:17] Speaker D: Yeah. On the first couple days of the portal opening, three roster spaces cleared out because people decide to transfer. And then. But I was expecting all. I was like, I think that there's going to be more space available. I don't think that just because nobody, not everybody's gotten in the portal yet doesn't mean people aren't going to. And I would expect maybe even a few more. That's just my prediction. This is. It might happen, it might not. But I just get the sense that she runs a style and has a. She is so committed to playing her style that it's not going to be for everybody. It just won't. And if players aren't cut out for it or they just want to go try something else out, they want to start fresh somewhere new their skill set. [00:47:57] Speaker B: If it's not something they're interested in doing, then sure. [00:47:59] Speaker D: Exactly. And I think that that's in her mind probably, like, which players from this current roster could fit this system. Be real with players about are, you might really struggle in this. And then you go from there. And I wouldn't. I would just expect. She talks a lot about this is setting a foundation this year. Like, this is. It's going to be year one. Like, that's. I don't think there's really huge expectations for anything other than it's year one setting a foundation. I think the way you do is you get players in who are going to fit your system. Might not be the talent that you're going to bring in a few years down the road, but it's players that can play the style that you want. And I'd expect that that's kind of how this is going to shake out once they start adding from the portal. This happened in football, this happens. Basketball happens in every sport that there's. And it's probably. It's a lot less for this women's basketball team coming off a year where they set a program record for losses to where nobody's like, I have not seen anybody freaking out over losses to. [00:48:56] Speaker B: The poor because Izzy was done anyway. He wasn't gonna be back. [00:48:59] Speaker D: Exactly. And football, like, there's a huge freak out because it's like, oh, my goodness, losing everybody, losing every. You Lose them before you gain them. And I think that that's what's gonna be interesting is they've not. There's been a few people reported, have talked to him at this point, but, like, you're gonna see it shake out over the next two or three weeks of them adding people to the roster, and that's when people get excited and on board, and I just. Yeah, I'm curious to see what the first roster is gonna look like. I know there's some names that I've been hearing that, you know, maybe will be on visits and whatnot. That, you know, I'm just. I'm just curious to see what all pans out and who all she ends up bringing in and how it's gonna maybe breathe some life just into a program that. I mean, it was a dud of a year. Just honestly, other than what Izzy did, it was pretty much a dud of a year. [00:49:49] Speaker B: Do you expect. And what this might be just your opinion and speculation, or, you know, maybe it's based on things that you've heard. Do you expect that she'll be bringing anybody, you know, or trying to bring anybody from oru? Because ORU promoted internally for a new. To replace her. Right. And so that staff, a lot of them are staying. So you. You might not necessarily see the portal exodus that you would with a wholesale new staff coming in, do you. Was there anybody on that roster that you think could be a valuable AD to them? [00:50:14] Speaker D: Yeah, I remember. I'm blanking on names right now. I know that one. [00:50:18] Speaker B: Yeah, I kind of put you on the spot here. [00:50:19] Speaker D: One last name is Oglesby. One's Robinson. I think the other one might have been Jones. I hope I got all three last names right. But they all had big games against Arkansas, and if you can do it, they mean they beat Arkansas pretty handily. But, you know, that tells me if you can do that against an SEC team, I'll be at Arkansas wasn't a great one last year, but you probably have some SEC talent on your roster. I mean, they beat Missouri as well. There's probably some players on that roster that you could put on an SEC team and they'd be fine. So it wouldn't shock me if maybe one or two ORU players. I have no clue how that'll pan out, but, like, clearly they have some players on the team that probably could make the jump. But I. I mean, music. She's. From my conversation with her seems real as far as, like, she would probably tell her own players that she just coached if she didn't think that they could make that jump like it. She's just, I think a very. There's a level of being realistic that she has that will be really good for just like, roster construction as far as, like, telling people if. If they should. If this is going to be for them or not. So those. Maybe some of those. Those three were all. None of them were seniors, so we'll see. It wouldn't shock me. It's. Honestly, it would be more surprising if nobody from RU does come, in my opinion, because you normally always see, like, a coach who makes the jump up. [00:51:36] Speaker B: Like, we'll bring in somebody. Yes. [00:51:38] Speaker D: Yeah. And I'll also be curious to see whenever she finalizes her staff, whether it just be in like, some support role or something. Like, surely I assume there'd be some sort of oru. Somebody. [00:51:49] Speaker B: She's retained quite a bit from the Arkansas staff, though, which I think is good play. I think based on her intro presser and, you know, the public comments that she's made so far. It seems like you said she's. She's realistic in the approach to what is ahead of her and how it is not going to be easy. It's not going to be easy for her coming from the level she's coming from. And it's not gonna be easy kind of bringing the program out from from where it has been. And it seems, at least in what she has said publicly, you know, that she is aware of that. And part of why she took the job is because she was. Wants that challenge and feels that she is a good person to kind of help them meet that. [00:52:22] Speaker D: Yeah. And I mean, one thing I sense from the press conference, from between talking to Hunter Jurecheck and talking to her, there's very much a mutual understanding, like, this is gonna take some time and there's gonna be a level of patience involved where I think that it probably excites her that it's not a secret that she needs to, like this needs rebuilt. And she's had experience, albeit at lower levels, rebuilding programs or some. There was no rebuild. And some of them, it was literally just build. But I think that for her, she senses that she's gonna. She has time to get this how she wants to. And that's why I say year one is all a foundation. It's not like, I mean, there will always be voices and words said whenever you're not doing well. So maybe they don't do great this season and people are super upset. But, like, it's year one, so and, you know, honestly, after the season they just went through, it's probably set you up to, you know, year one. You can improve from where it was. So we'll see how she does. I think that she's really excited. She's got a fresh perspective in the building just as far as about, like, style of play and what they're going to do. It'll be interesting to see how long it does take for her to get a team that, you know, I think she feels like we can start competing to really win some games in the SEC with. [00:53:46] Speaker B: We expect to have her on the show tomorrow when Matt will be back here in the host chair. I'll be back on Friday. Before we go, I want to mention gymnastics because they're competing tomorrow at NCAA regionals in Pennsylvania. They're at. Penn State is the regional host for them. You know, it was. There was some drama with them having to miss the SEC championships, trying to add a meet, to add another score. The NCAA said no. So they end up with kind of a week off that nobody else in the country had, which could be a good thing. It could be, you know, extra rest. You see in other sports, people complain about not, you know, they want to miss the conference championship now, you know, you see it in football and basketball. Why do we even play this conference championship when we want to get to the national thing? But it could also, you know, there's the risk of it stalling some momentum and something like that. So, you know, they'll start competing on Thursday, and then if they advance, they'll compete again on Saturday. So I'll be covering that on our website. And Ethan will be monitoring softball. We'll have more football tomorrow. Everything you could want in Razorback Sports World is on our [email protected] and we hope we'll see you there. And we hope we'll see you on our show tomorrow as well. Thanks for joining us.