BY NATE ALLEN
Saving the first game and winning the second game of the doubleheader sweep that gave the Arkansas Razorbacks the SEC West title also got Barrett Astin named the SEC Freshman of the Week.
The SEC announced the honor for Astin, of Forrest City, from its office in Birmingham, Ala.
Astin recorded the final out of Arkansas’ 2-0 victory over Ole Miss in last Saturday’s first game at Baum Stadium and pitched four scoreless innings of relief as the Hogs came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat Ole Miss, 5-3.
Sylvan Hills’ DJ Baxendale got the save.
“When I took the ball from him I told him, ‘You gave us the chance to get back in this game, man. Great job,’” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said of Astin.
Without Astin’s save and victory, the Razorbacks would not have won the West and would not have been in Hoover, Ala., to open the first round of the SEC Tournament against Alabama.
The Hogs went into the doubleheader last Saturday knowing a loss would mean a five-way tie for first place with Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Arkansas could have stayed home on the tiebreaker or won the West outright to head to Hoover, which with Astin’s and Baxendale’s help is how it worked out.
“It was a good deal,” Astin said. “We knew what we had to do and we did it.”
Along with sophomore lefty Trent Daniel, of Bryant, Astin (5-1 with a 2.74 ERA and two saves) tops out of the bullpen. He was even better in the SEC at 2-0 with a 2.43 ERA and his two saves.
Baxendale, the sophomore right-hander who went 8 1/3 innings in a 2-1 loss to Ole Miss on Thursday night and came back for Saturday’s second-game save, also was honored by the SEC this week, this time off the field.
Baxendale was already named to the USA National Team this summer and on Monday he was selected to the SEC’s All-Community Service Team.
Baxendale is a member of the Arkansas Student Athlete Advisory Committee and has volunteered for community service projects including the Sweat Hogs program, the Book Hogs Read to Win program and the SEC Together We Can food drive.
Baxendale has also volunteered his time to Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
