Fisher’s debut gem helps Arkansas spoil President’s Day for James Madison

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

On a Monday dubbed President’s Day, Arkansas’ pitching staff did little to let a school named after one of the 46 men to lead the country get much chance to celebrate.

Razorback true freshman pitcher Colin Fisher shined over five innings in his college debut and teamed with vets Koty Frank, Will McEntire and Stone Hewlett to blank James Madison University 4-0 Monday at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The win before an announced crowd of 8,648 allowed the No. 2 Razorbacks (3-1), who moved up a spot in the newest D-1 Baseball poll released Monday, to win three of the four games in their season-opening series with Dukes (1-3).

“What a great time to have our pitching staff really step it up and give us a great outing,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. “Four guys came in and did a tremendous job. Obviously Colin Fisher, starter, first time out, five innings, no walks. Made them swing the bat, which we loved. Not a lot of super-hard contact and played pretty solid defense behind him.”

It gives Arkansas momentum headed into next weekend’s game with Oregon State, Oklahoma State and Michigan at the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Stadium in Arlington.

The Razorbacks won 6-4 on Friday, 15-5 Saturday and lost 7-3 on Sunday while leaving 33 runners on base in the series.

“We’ve got to start picking up some runs when we have an opportunity, and a lot of times it’s with two outs,” Van Horn said. “That’s how you build up a lead or catch up. But yeah, just good win. It’s a big difference between winning three out of four and winning 2-2 in an opening series like this.”

Fisher (1-0), a Noble, Okla., prep star, allowed three hits, fanned four, hit a batter and did not walk anyone while throwing 63 pitches, 38 for strikes, in his outing.

“I was excited,” Fisher said. “My mindset was kind of throw strikes and trust the defense, because they were making some great plays. If they’re making plays like that, you might as well throw it in the zone and let them hit it. So, I was excited.”

Fisher admitted left fielder Jayson Jones’ running catch of a liner ripped by JMU Mike Mancini leading off the game settled him down.

“It definitely helped me out a little bit,” Fisher said. “It calmed me down, chilled my excitement level a little bit. So, it definitely helps when plays like that are made.”

He benefited from a great defensive play in the second inning as Diamond Hogs shortstop Wehiwa Aloy snagged a phenomenal running catch in medium left field, that would have been a double or triple if it fell in.

A Sacramento State transfer and Freshman All-American last season, Aloy just took off sprinting as soon as the ball took flight and made the catch waist high.

It could end up being Arkansas’ second ESPN SportsCenter play in the series along with Saturday’s Ty Wilmsmeyer catch that landed second on the celebrated video list.

“Straight when the ball was hit, I just started breaking,” Aloy said. “And then I saw out of the corner of my eye Jayson still back on the warning track, and I was like, this is my ball for sure. And yeah, just ended up with it, somehow.”

Van Horn was overjoyed to see the ball caught, especially because the coaches had just moved Jones deeper and more toward center field.

“Unbelievable play,” Van Horn said. “So we had just moved Jayson deep and more towards center and then you saw where he hit it. And then the wind pushed it that way as well. I thought nobody was going to catch it and it was really an amazing play. I bet he ran 60 yards to get it. I don’t know, somewhere in there.

“I kind of kidded with Wehiwa when he came in. I said ‘Hey, I know who my backup centerfield is now.’ He kind of got a kick out of it, because that was really good play.”

Arkansas, who out-hit its foe 7-4 Monday, jumped in front 2-0 on Ben McLaughlin’s two-run single in the first and added on when Jayson Jones delivered an RBI single in the third and Aloy one in the seventh.

Frank pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning while McEntire sit down six of the seven batters he faced and Hewlett closed it out in the ninth.

The quarter of pitchers combined to throw 83 strikes in their 124 pitches, allowing just four hits, fanning nine, walking one and hitting one in a game that lasted just 2 hours and 6 minutes.

JMU head coach Merlin Ikenberry was impressed with Fisher.

“I thought he was pretty talented,” Ikenberry said. “He kept us off balance. Coming in, we thought he would be more of a change up guy and he really kept the ball away from us.

“It was interesting because I thought he was throwing pitches up in the zone that our guys were chasing and creating some fly balls, we just couldn’t get solid contact on him.

“When you have a guy like that, that is a freshman and there is some deception in there, And that’s what I thought, he was very deceptive for what he is, and all of sudden he does a good job locating pitches when he needed to.”

JMU starter Casey Smith also pitched well while going six innings.

“He went six innings while giving up three in his first career start,” Ikenberry said. “I am pretty proud of that in this environment. I thought he did a really good job of mixing pitches, settled in after the first inning.

“I thought they had some really good swings off of him in the first inning and I was a little worried about how long he would go, but then he settled in and did exactly what he has been doing all fall and really started doing last summer as a starter in the summer league. We really noticed it this fall and early part of spring where he really just kind of settles in and just keeps guys off balance.”

Photo by John D. James

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