American college baseball season
The 2021 Little Rock Trojans baseball team represented the University of Arkansas at Little Rock during the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Trojans played their home games at Gary Hogan Field and were led by seventh-year head coach Chris Curry. They were members of the Sun Belt Conference.
Preseason[edit]
Signing Day Recruits[edit]
[2]
Player | Hometown | Previous Team |
Pitchers |
Preston Davis | Texarkana, Texas | Redwater HS |
Ezra Gustafson | Midwest City, Oklahoma | Carl Albert HS |
Asher Hastings | Little Rock, Arkansas | Joe T. Robinson HS |
Tristan Hawkins | Benton, Arkansas | Benton HS |
Michael Quevedo | Deltona, Florida | TNXL Academy |
Hitters |
Jaxson Anders | Greenbrier, Arkansas | Greenbrier HS |
Traejon Blake | England, Arkansas | England HS |
Aidan Garrett | Benton, Arkansas | Benton HS |
Jarkevious Johnson | Cleveland, Mississippi | Cleveland Central HS |
Graydon Martin | Texarkana, Arkansas | Arkansas HS |
Sun Belt Conference Coaches Poll[edit]
The Sun Belt Conference Coaches Poll was released on February 15, 2021 and the Trojans were picked to finish fourth in the West Division.[3]
Coaches poll (West) |
Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
1 | Texas State | 65 (6) |
2 | UT Arlington | 58 (4) |
3 | Louisiana | 52 (2) |
4 | Little Rock | 33 |
5 | Louisiana–Monroe | 27 |
6 | Arkansas State | 13 |
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team & Honors[edit]
- Aaron Funk (LR, Pitcher)
- Jordan Jackson (GASO, Pitcher)
- Conor Angel (LA, Pitcher)
- Wyatt Divis (UTA, Pitcher)
- Lance Johnson (TROY, Pitcher)
- Caleb Bartolero (TROY, Catcher)
- William Sullivan (TROY, 1st Base)
- Luke Drumheller (APP, 2nd Base)
- Drew Frederic (TROY, Shortstop)
- Cooper Weiss (CCU, 3rd Base)
- Ethan Wilson (USA, Outfielder)
- Parker Chavers (CCU, Outfielder)
- Rigsby Mosley (TROY, Outfielder)
- Eilan Merejo (GSU, Designated Hitter)
- Andrew Beesly (ULM, Utility)
2021 Little Rock Trojans roster |
| Pitchers - 12 Reese Lansville - Sophomore
- 14 Eli Sievert - Senior
- 16 Jacob Weatherley - Freshman
- 17 Aaron Funk - Senior
- 18 Aaron Barkley - Senior
- 19 Calvin Hunt - Sophomore
- 25 Jack Decooman - Redshirt Junior
- 26 Cal Beardsley - Senior
- 27 Luke Wallner - Senior
- 29 Matthew Davis - Freshman
- 30 Hayden Arnold - Senior
- 31 Chance Vaught - Freshman
- 34 Dillon Delgadillo - Senior
- 35 Zane Neves - Sophomore
- 36 Austin Smith - Senior
- 37 Erik McKnight - Sophomore
- 39 Sawyer Smallwood - Junior
- 40 John Boushelle - Senior
- 44 Cole Evans - Senior
| | Catchers - 10 Anthony Socci - Junior
- 23 Robert Diaz - Freshman
- 28 John Michael Russ - Senior
- 32 Jake Wright - Sophomore
Infielders - 1 Christian Bernabe - Sophomore
- 2 Eldrige Figeuroa - Senior
- 4 Chris Prentiss - Senior
- 5 Miguel Soto - Junior
- 6 Nathan Lyons - Junior
- 9 Will Spears - Sophomore
- 21 Jorden Hussein - Senior
- 24 Canyon McWilliams - Senior
- 33 Kobe Barnum - Senior
Outfielders - 7 Noah Dickerson - Redshirt Sophomore
- 8 Tim Dixon - Senior
- 13 Tyler Williams - Sophomore
- 20 Kenny Rodriguez - Senior
- 22 Marlon Lindsey - Junior
|
Coaching staff[edit]
2021 Little Rock Trojans coaching staff |
- Chris Curry – Head Coach – 7th year
- Noah Sanders – Assistant Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator – 4th year
- R. D. Spiehs – Assistant Head Coach – 3rd year
- Eric Hansen – Director of Operations/Player Development – 1st year
- Jacob Caples – Volunteer Assistant Coach
|
Schedule and results[edit]
Legend |
| Little Rock win |
| Little Rock loss |
| Postponement/Cancelation/Suspensions |
Bold | Little Rock team member |
2021 Little Rock Trojans baseball game log |
Regular season (21-28) |
February (2-4) | Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | SBC record | Feb. 21 | at Oral Roberts | | J. L. Johnson Stadium • Tulsa, OK | W 4-3 | Arnold (1-0) | Rogen (0-1) | None | | 882 | 1-0 | | Feb. 22 | at Oral Roberts | | J. L. Johnson Stadium • Tulsa, OK | L 3-7 | Coffey (1-0) | DeCooman (0-1) | None | | 519 | 1-1 | | Feb. 23 | at No. 20 Oklahoma State | | O'Brate Stadium • Stillwater, OK | Cancelled | Feb. 24 | at No. 20 Oklahoma State | | O'Brate Stadium • Stillwater, OK | L 2-7 | Cheney (1-0) | McKnight (0-1) | None | | 2,635 | 1-2 | | Feb. 26 | Eastern Illinois | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | L 6-12 | Hampton (2-0) | Funk (0-1) | Doherty (1) | | 75 | 1-3 | | Feb. 26 | Eastern Illinois | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | L 1-17 (7 inns) | Nicholson (1-0) | Arnold (1-1) | None | | 240 | 1-4 | | Feb. 27 | Eastern Illinois | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | W 6-5 | Barkley (1-0) | Stevenson (0-1) | None | | 185 | 2-4 | | |
March (9-4) | Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | SBC record | Mar. 3 | Central Arkansas | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | W 5-3 | Evans (1-0) | Gregson (0-1) | Barkley (1) | | 294 | 3-4 | | Mar. 5 | at North Alabama | | Mike D. Lane Field • Florence, AL | L 4-6 | Nichols (1-0) | Hunt (0-1) | None | | 157 | 3-5 | | Mar. 6 | at North Alabama | | Mike D. Lane Field • Florence, AL | W 9-1 | Barkley (2-0) | Best (0-2) | None | | 210 | 4-5 | | Mar. 7 | at North Alabama | | Mike D. Lane Field • Florence, AL | W 10-3 | Weatherley (1-0) | Moore (0-2) | None | | 209 | 5-5 | | Mar. 12 | at Auburn | | Plainsman Park • Auburn, AL | L 0-7 | Greenhill (2-0) | Funk (0-2) | None | SECN+ | 850 | 5-6 | | Mar. 13 | at Auburn | | Plainsman Park • Auburn, AL | L 0-6 | Barnett (2-0) | Arnold (1-2) | None | SECN+ | 850 | 5-7 | | Mar. 14 | at Auburn | | Plainsman Park • Auburn, AL | W 12-6 | Barkley (3-0) | Bright (2-1) | None | SECN+ | 850 | 6-7 | | Mar. 19 | Texas State | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | W 2-1 (11 inns) | Barkley (1-0) | Wofford (1-1) | None | ESPN+ | 212 | 7-7 | 1-0 | Mar. 20 | Texas State | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | W 12-0 | Arnold (2-2) | Bush (1-2) | None | ESPN+ | 238 | 8-7 | 2-0 | Mar. 21 | Texas State | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | W 7-4 | Weatherley (2-0) | Nicholas (0-1) | Barkley (2) | ESPN+ | 254 | 9-7 | 3-0 | Mar. 23 | at Arkansas–Pine Bluff | | Torii Hunter Baseball Complex • Pine Bluff, AR | Game Cancelled | Mar. 26 | at Southern Illinois | | Itchy Jones Stadium • Carbondale, IL | L 7-10 | McDaniel (1-0) | Barkley (4-1) | None | | | 9-8 | | Mar. 27 | at Southern Illinois | | Itchy Jones Stadium • Carbondale, IL | W 11-5 | Arnold (3-2) | Chapman (5-1) | None | | | 10-8 | | Mar. 28 | at Southern Illinois | | Itchy Jones Stadium • Carbondale, IL | W 11-5 | Barkley (5-1) | McDaniel (1-1) | None | | | 11-8 | | Mar. 30 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | W 7-2 | Delgadillo (1-0) | Wasson (0-1) | None | | 207 | 12-8 | | |
April (6-10) | Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | SBC record | Apr. 1 | at Arkansas State | | Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field • Jonesboro, AR | L 2-10 | Hudson (2-0) | Funk (0-3) | Jumpers (2) | ESPN+ | 405 | 12-9 | 3-1 | Apr. 2 | at Arkansas State | | Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field • Jonesboro, AR | L 0-4 | Jeans (1-0) | Arnold (3-3) | None | ESPN+ | 422 | 12-10 | 3-2 | Apr. 3 | at Arkansas State | | Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field • Jonesboro, AR | L 6-10 | Holt (1-2) | DeCooman (0-2) | None | ESPN+ | 510 | 12-11 | 3-3 | Apr. 6 | at No. 2 Arkansas | | Baum–Walker Stadium • Fayetteville, AR | L 2-7 | Costeiu (4-0) | Smallwood (0-1) | None | SECN+ | 4,225 | 12-12 | | Apr. 7 | at No. 2 Arkansas | | Baum–Walker Stadium • Fayetteville, AR | L 3-10 | Bolden (1-0) | Evans (1-1) | None | SECN+ | 4,002 | 12-13 | | Apr. 9 | South Alabama | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | W 7-3 | Arnold (4-3) | Lee (2-2) | Barkley (3) | ESPN+ | 204 | 13-13 | 4-3 | Apr. 10 | South Alabama | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | W 4-2 | Funk (1-3) | Boswell (2-1) | Barkley (4) | ESPN+ | 432 | 14-13 | 5-3 | Apr. 11 | South Alabama | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | W 9-8 | Hunt (1-1) | Samaniego (1-1) | None | ESPN+ | 436 | 15-13 | 6-3 | Apr. 13 | at Central Arkansas | | Bear Stadium • Conway, AR | L 2-4 | Moyer (2-3) | Beardsley (0-1) | Cleveland (5) | | 345 | 15-14 | | Apr. 17 | at Louisiana–Monroe | | Warhawk Field • Monroe, LA | W 2-0 | Arnold (5-3) | Barnes (1-3) | Barkley (5) | | 618 | 16-14 | 7-3 | Apr. 18 | at Louisiana–Monroe | | Warhawk Field • Monroe, LA | L 3-5 | Barlow (4-4) | Funk (1-4) | Lindsay (2) | | 578 | 16-15 | 7-4 | Apr. 19 | at Louisiana–Monroe | | Warhawk Field • Monroe, LA | L 4-5 (10 inns) | Goleman (1-1) | Barkley (5-2) | None | | 494 | 16-16 | 7-5 | Apr. 20 | at No. 12 Ole Miss | | Swayze Field • Oxford, MS | L 6-11 | Kimbrell (4-0) | Vaught (0-1) | None | SECN+ | 6,851 | 16-17 | | Apr. 23 | Louisiana | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | W 8-2 | Arnold (6-3) | Arrighetti (6-3) | Barkley (6) | ESPN+ | 256 | 17-17 | 8-5 | Apr. 24 | Louisiana | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | W 4-3 (10 inns) | Delgadillo (2-0) | Nelson (1-1) | None | ESPN+ | 490 | 18-17 | 9-5 | Apr. 25 | Louisiana | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | L 4-7 | Dixon (2-0) | Wallner (0-1) | Talley (5) | ESPN+ | 390 | 18-18 | 9-6 | |
May (3–10) | Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | SBC record | May 1 | at UT Arlington | | Clay Gould Ballpark • Arlington, TX | L 0-1 (11 inns) | King (3-0) | Evans (1-2) | None | ESPN+ | 314 | 18-19 | 9-7 | May 2 | at UT Arlington | | Clay Gould Ballpark • Arlington, TX | L 4-5 | Wong (3-1) | Barkley (5-3) | King (2) | ESPN+ | 314 | 18-20 | 9-8 | May 2 | at UT Arlington | | Clay Gould Ballpark • Arlington, TX | L 0-3 | Moffat (4-3) | DeCooman (0-3) | Austin (2) | ESPN+ | 314 | 18-21 | 9-9 | May 7 | at Sam Houston State | | Don Sanders Stadium • Huntsville, TX | W 5-3 | Barkley (6-3) | Dillard (1-4) | None | | 462 | 19-21 | | May 8 | at Sam Houston State | | Don Sanders Stadium • Huntsville, TX | L 4-9 | Wesneski (2-1) | Funk (1-5) | Atkinson (2) | | 462 | 19-22 | | May 9 | at Sam Houston State | | Don Sanders Stadium • Huntsville, TX | L 4-8 | Backhus (4-0) | Weatherley (2-1) | None | | 462 | 19-23 | | May 12 | at No. 18 Ole Miss | | Swayze Field • Oxford, MS | L 4-9 | Miller (1-1) | Wallner (0-2) | None | SECN+ | 6,703 | 19-24 | | May 14 | Appalachian State | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | L 1-2 | Tuthill (4-5) | Barkley (6-4) | None | ESPN+ | 329 | 19-25 | 9-10 | May 15 | Appalachian State | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | W 4-2 | Funk (2-5) | Cornatzer (1-2) | Barkley (7) | ESPN+ | 378 | 20-25 | 10-10 | May 16 | Appalachian State | | Gary Hogan Field • Little Rock, AR | L 0-5 | Tujetsch (1-5) | Weatherley (2-2) | Ellington (4) | ESPN+ | 271 | 20-26 | 10-11 | May 20 | at Georgia State | | Georgia State Baseball Complex • Decatur, GA | W 7-3 | Arnold (7-3) | Jones (1-7) | None | | 239 | 21-26 | 11-11 | May 21 | at Georgia State | | Georgia State Baseball Complex • Decatur, GA | L 0-5 | Dawson (3-2) | Funk (2-6) | Watson (1) | | 278 | 21-27 | 11-12 | May 22 | at Georgia State | | Georgia State Baseball Complex • Decatur, GA | L 10-11 | Brandon (1-2) | Barkley (6-5) | Watson (2) | | 351 | 21-28 | 11-13 | |
Post-season (0–2) |
|
- Schedule Source:
*Rankings are based on the team's current ranking in the D1Baseball poll.
Postseason[edit]
Conference accolades[edit]
- Player of the Year: Mason McWhorter – GASO
- Pitcher of the Year: Hayden Arnold – LR
- Freshman of the Year: Garrett Gainous – TROY
- Newcomer of the Year: Drake Osborn – LA
- Coach of the Year: Mark Calvi – USA
All Conference First Team - Connor Cooke (LA)
- Hayden Arnold (LR)
- Carlos Tavera (UTA)
- Nick Jones (GASO)
- Drake Osborn (LA)
- Robbie Young (APP)
- Luke Drumheller (APP)
- Drew Frederic (TROY)
- Ben Klutts (ARST)
- Mason McWhorter (GASO)
- Logan Cerny (TROY)
- Ethan Wilson (USA)
- Cameron Jones (GSU)
- Ben Fitzgerald (LA)
| All Conference Second Team - JoJo Booker (USA)
- Tyler Tuthill (APP)
- Jeremy Lee (USA)
- Aaron Barkley (LR)
- BT Riopelle (CCU)
- Dylan Paul (UTA)
- Travis Washburn (ULM)
- Eric Brown (CCU)
- Grant Schulz (ULM)
- Tyler Duncan (ARST)
- Parker Chavers (CCU)
- Josh Smith (GSU)
- Andrew Miller (UTA)
- Noah Ledford (GASO)
|
References:[4]
References[edit]