FAYETTEVILLE — Kevin Kopps’ two perfect relief appearances covering five innings and two saves in Arkansas’ SEC series at South Carolina last week earned the Razorbacks right-hander two Player of the Week awards.
Nationally, Collegiate Baseball Monday honored Kopps as its National Player of the Week one week after honoring Razorbacks designated hitter Matt Goodheart as its National Player of the Week.
The SEC Office in Birmingham, Ala. Monday named Kopps its Co-Pitcher of the Week.
In last Thursday’s 6-1 victory over South Carolina, Kopps pitched the final three innings inheriting a 4-1 lead in the seventh and finishing retiring the minimum nine batters including striking out five.
For his two appearances, Kopps threw 43 strikes among 59 pitches with 21 swings and misses and zero base runners.
“Well for all weekend he was amazing,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said Friday in Columbia.
Van Horn recalled pondering aloud to pitching coach Matt Hobbs that after Kopps’ three innings Thursday night maybe they should wait until the ninth rather than the eighth to bring him into Friday night’s game.
Coach Hobbs just looked at me and said, ‘Kevin’s fine.’ And I said, ‘Okay.’” Van Horn said. “Good call by Coach Hobbs.”
Kopps takes a 6-0 record, 0.97 earned run and now five saves to Baton Rouge, La. when the Razorbacks, 32-7 overall/ 13-5 for best in the SEC West, visit the LSU Tigers in a 3-game SEC West at 6 p.m. Friday on the SEC Network and 6:30 p.m Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday on SEC Network +.
