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Vitello becomes latest coach to face 'loaded' Arkansas lineup

Originally posted on Arkansas Razorbacks on SI
By Daniel Shi | Last updated May 16, 2025 3:25 PM ET

No. 8 Arkansas' hopes of an SEC title are now extinguished after Texas clinched the title outright.

After winning the first four series and starting 11-1, the Razorbacks hit uneven waters in the last five series against the top tier of the conference.

Arkansas is 7-8 in its last five series before dropping the opener to No. 17 Tennessee Friday night, 10-7.

The one thing that remains consistent on the team is the offense. The Hogs faced some of the toughest starters the SEC the past few weeks.

Over the 7-8 stretch, Arkansas battled the No. 1 and No.2 pitching staffs in the country in terms of conference ERA.

Yet in those five series, Arkansas still ranks second in the SEC in homers (24) and fifth in the SEC in runs over that stretch (100). Its .268 batting average would still rank a respectable seventh in the conference if it was it's own team.

Almost every opposing coach that has faced the Arkansas lineup one through nine have left with good impressions with Tennessee coach Tony Vitello beinging the latest.

"It's loaded," Vitello said. "I don't know which one [of the Aloy brothers is] bigger, but they're both very physical. They're not the only guys that are physical. Even some of the guys that maybe are a little shorter in stature than the two brothers, their guys are strong."

Even though Arkansas isn't a team that steals bases, Vitello still lauded the lineup's ability to score runs up and down the lineup.

He knows they do it in different ways, something that has always been a hallmark of Van Horn's teams. Vitello worked under Van Horn for 4 years at Arkansas from 2014-2017.

"They've always played offensively very well-rounded ball," Vitello said about a Van Horn coached team. "You saw some bunts in there, some running, a hit-and-run well executed. So we'll have our hands full tomorrow with a similar lineup that's got a diversified way of going about it."

It echoes the same sentiment from Texas A&M head coach Michael Earley earlier in the season when the Aggies came to Baum-Walker for a series in April.

"They're two of the best I've ever seen," Earley said about Charles Davalan and Wehiwa Aloy. "You've got to get the bottom guys out. They’re really good too. It was a really pressure weekend for our pitchers."

It's a role reversal from the 2024 season finished 13th in conference in most major offensive categories, only behind Missouri.

Arkansas' triple slash lines between the two seasons paint a stark picture in SEC play. The 2024 team slashed .243/.347/.409 in the regular season.

This year's team is slashing .308/.408/.541, which all rank at the top of the SEC with two games to go.

The offense has regressed to the mean slightly over the past few weeks as the quality of pitching has increased, but it has remained the one constant as Arkansas nears postseason play searching for an identity to take them far.

Game two of the series against Tennessee gets underway 6:30 p.m. Friday. The game will be streamed on SEC+.