# 2021 Little Rock Trojans baseball team

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
### Signing Day Recruits

| 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

The Sun Belt Conference Coaches Poll was released on February 15, 2021 and the Trojans were picked to finish fourth in the West Division.
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

* 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)

## Schedule and results

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 | 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 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | 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 | 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 | Game Cancelled | Game Cancelled | Game Cancelled | Game Cancelled | Game Cancelled | Game Cancelled | 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 | 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 | 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) :
SBC Tournament (0–2) :
| Date | Opponent | Seed/Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | Tournament record |
| May 25 | vs. (6E) Coastal Carolina | | Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium • Montgomery, AL | L 1-15 (7 inns) | Peavyhouse (3-2) | Arnold (7-4) | Joyce (1) | ESPN+ | | 21-29 | 0-1 |
| May 27 | vs. (1E) South Alabama | | Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium • Montgomery, AL | L 2-6 | Michael (5-0) | Evans (1-3) | None | ESPN+ | | 21-30 | 0-2 |
    Schedule Source:
*Rankings are based on the team's current ranking in the D1Baseball poll.

## Postseason
### Conference accolades

* 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
References: