Arkansas Baseball announces first pitch time change for Friday's season opener

It wouldn’t be baseball season without weather-related scheduling changes, and Arkansas Baseball has one on opening day, according to a team release.

The Razorbacks Athletics website announced Thursday afternoon that Friday’s first pitch for the season-opener vs. James Madison has been moved forward by an hour. The game was originally supposed to start at 3 p.m. CT but will now begin at 2 p.m. thanks to some expected weather.

Here was the news via the team site:

“Due to impending weather conditions, first pitch between No. 3 Arkansas and James Madison on Opening Day at Baum-Walker Stadium has been rescheduled to 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, on SEC Network+.”

They also provided the full updated schedule for the four-game series against the Dukes:

Friday, Feb. 16 – 2 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
Saturday, Feb. 17 – 2 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
Sunday, Feb. 18 – 1 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
Monday, Feb. 19 – Noon CT (SEC Network+)

Arkansas comes into the season as the No. 3 overall team in the country and will be hoping to wash out the foul stench of last season’s finish in this first weekend. Of course, the Hogs fell in their own Fayetteville regional last summer as a scorching hot TCU team went nuclear at the plate to power their way onto the Super Regional round and even the College World series, where the Horned Frogs bowed out before the championship series.

So, the good news is that Arkansas baseball will be coming to you one hour early this season, but that could be bad news for those of you begging your boss for an early departure from work to go watch the Hogs.

Dave Van Horn comments on Dean Weber’s passing

By Thomas Goldkamp

Arkansas lost a legend earlier this week as longtime head athletics trainer Dean Weber passed away at the age of 78.

Weber worked at Arkansas for more than 50 years, spending time as a trainer, before transitioning into a role with the Razorback Foundation.

Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn, who has known Weber for years, commented on Weber’s passing earlier this week.

“Yea, It’s a sad deal,” Dave Van Horn said. “I’ve known Dean since I was a player here in 1981-82. I have a lot of memories of him, because we all were in the same area, up there in the Broyles Center – football, everybody, you know. It was football’s area, but we were all in there.”

Dean Weber provided care for thousands of University of Arkansas athletes during his time as the head trainer for the Razorbacks. He arrived at Arkansas in 1973 and was the head trainer for more than 35 years.

Van Horn still vividly remembers what Weber was like as a trainer.

“Dean, he took control of that room,” Van Horn said. “I mean you could hear him snapping around and popping off and getting right back with those young guys and getting after guys he didn’t feel should be in there. In his career, he spent so many years here at the University of Arkansas.”