LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock opens the 2021 Sun Belt tournament bright and early Tuesday morning, facing Coastal Carolina at 9 a.m. in the first pool play game of the week-long tournament at Montgomery's Riverwalk Stadium. Little Rock finished fourth in the West Division and was slotted in Pool A, along with Coastal Carolina (#6 East) and South Alabama (#1 East). Each game of the conference tournament will stream on ESPN+.
Trojans in Postseason Play
Little Rock enters the week in Montgomery 10-19 (.345) all-time in Sun Belt tournament games since joining the league in 1992. The Trojans have made the league tournament in each of the last five seasons the event has been held, not including the canceled 2020 postseason. Under head coach
Chris Curry, Little Rock is 2-7 in Sun Belt tournament games with Tuesday's game the first time it will face Coastal Carolina in the postseason.
Accolades For Arnold
Senior
Hayden Arnold was honored as the 2021 Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Monday after leading the league with a 1.54 ERA in conference games while pitching the most innings in Sun Belt play with 52.2. Arnold also ranks third in league games with 54 strikeouts as he becomes the first Trojan in program history to garner Pitcher of the Year honors and the sixth to claim one of the major league postseason awards.
Barkley Coming Up Big
Aaron Barkley continues to be a force out of the bullpen for the Trojans this season, being named a second team All-Sun Belt honoree. The graduate student ranks among the top-six in the league in six statistical categories, including first in appearances (14), tied for second in saves (six) and fourth in ERA (1.97). He ranks among the top-50 nationally in three categories, sitting 19th in ERA and 20th in WHIP (0.92).
Tyler Doing it All
Sophomore
Tyler Williams has been a constant for the Trojans all season, leading the team in 10 statistical categories, including slugging percentage (.505), hits (56), doubles (14), triples (3), home runs (8), RBI (41), total bases (100) and stolen bases (10). Williams has started 48 games for the Trojans in center field and boasts a .977 fielding percentage, making 127 putouts on the year with just three errors defensively.
Scouting the Chanticleers
Coastal Carolina enters the Sun Belt tournament as the number six seed in the East, posting a 26-23 overall record and a 9-12 mark in league play. The Chanticleers head to Montgomery on a four-game winning streak, including sweeping Texas State to close out the regular season. As a team, Coastal is batting .255 with a .421 slugging percentage, belting a league-best 57 home runs and averaging 6.0 runs per game. On the mound, the Chanticleer staff boasts a 4.73 ERA, striking out 414 as opposed to just 188 walks and holding the opposition to a .266 average.
Series History
Little Rock and Coastal Carolina have a limited history, meeting just five times previously heading into Tuesday. Coastal Carolina swept a three-game series in Conway, South Carolina in 2018, before the Trojans returned the favor with a two-game sweep of a weather-shortened series at Gary Hogan Field, defeating the Chanticleers 8-5 and 14-0.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1. Pitcher of the Year
Hayden Arnold looks to continue to move up the Trojan record book. He enters the conference tournament third in winning percentage (.609), tied for sixth in career wins (14), seventh in both strikeouts (225) and innings pitched (216.0), eighth in strikeouts per nine (9.38), ninth in career ERA (3.46) and 10th in appearances (60). The Rison, Arkansas native is scheduled to get the ball first on Tuesday for the Trojans in what would be just his second career postseason start (May 23, 2019 vs. Georgia Southern was his first).
2. The duo of
Miguel Soto and
Tyler Williams both had hot bats in the weekend series at Georgia State, combining for a .440 average with 12 of the Trojans' 14 RBI on the weekend. Soto went 6-for-12 with a double, triple and home run, driving in a career-high five RBI in Thursday's 7-3 win. Williams was 5-for-12 and also had a double, triple and home run, registering five RBI in Sunday's 11-10 loss in the series finale.
3. Little Rock enters the tournament as one of the nation's top double play-turning teams, leading the Sun Belt with 40 on the year and ranking 32nd nationally. The Trojans are 43rd in double plays per game (0.87), leading the conference in both categories.
4. Seven different Trojans have started at least 43 games this season, led by
Nathan Lyons who is the lone Trojans to start all 49 games this season, doing so at third base.
5. Little Rock is 3-3 in games played in the state of Alabama this season, going 2-1 at North Alabama and 1-2 at Auburn.
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