Looking back at the best and worst moments of Arkansas baseball's 2022 season

Arkansas baseball's 2022 season was one of ever-changing expectations. It ended in Omaha, which didn't seem possible in May. But a postseason surge defied doubts and made the Razorbacks one of the last three teams standing at the College World Series.

With the season over thanks to a shutout loss to eventual national champion Ole Miss, we're taking a look back at the highs — and lows — of Arkansas' roller-coaster season.

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Most valuable player

Michael Turner, C — Turner was one of Arkansas' best hitters throughout the season in the cleanup spot. He finished his lone season with the Razorbacks with the best single-season batting average (.323) of any catcher in Dave Van Horn's 20-year tenure.

Turner led the team with 83 hits and had the lowest strikeout rate of any Razorback with about 19%. He was especially good in the postseason, with at least one hit in all of Arkansas' 11 NCAA Tournament games for a total of 21.

Most improved

Will McEntire, RHP — McEntire went from occasional midweek starter to late-season SEC starter to College World Series hero. It was a stunning progression for the redshirt sophomore, who had made two appearances before this season.

In his first start of 2022 against UAPB, McEntire threw three scoreless innings with two hits, three walks and five strikeouts. In his final start against Auburn in Omaha, he tossed seven innings with one run, three hits, one walk and a career-high nine strikeouts.

Best defender

Robert Moore, 2B — Moore has been an elite second baseman almost from the jump. He makes plays that should be impossible look simple, and he's one half of what's likely the best middle infield in program history.

We have to give shortstop Jalen Battles his flowers, too, as the other half of that elite middle infield. Battles, like Moore, makes web gems look routine, and the pair of them contributed to an SEC-leading 60 double plays and second-best .982 fielding percentage.

Worst loss

Alabama 18, Arkansas 5 — Arkansas' May 21 loss to Alabama in Game 3 of its final regular-season series was its worst both in margin and in spirit. A 13-run deficit was by far the largest Arkansas faced in 2022.

The bad loss to an underwhelming Alabama team punctuated a 5-6 record in the final month of the regular season. Arkansas looked defeated, and it carried its third straight SEC series loss into the conference tournament and went 0-2.

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Biggest win

Arkansas 7, Oklahoma State 3 — Arkansas' second game at the Stillwater Regional might have had a larger margin, but the 7-3 win on June 6 was the biggest in terms of implications. It made the Razorbacks the champions of the highest-scoring regional in NCAA Tournament history and sent them to super regionals.

Arkansas had suffered a deflating 14-10 loss in extra innings the night before to force the decisive game. Low on pitching, Arkansas gave lefty Zack Morris his first career start. He threw 3⅓ solid innings, and relievers Kole Ramage, Zebulon Vermillion and Hagen Smith did the rest.

Smith got into a bases-loaded jam in the eighth but struck out Oklahoma State's hottest hitter, Roc Riggio, to escape unscathed.

Best moment

Kendall Diggs' walk-off home run — Arkansas opened its regular-season series against Ole Miss with a loss. But in Game 2, Van Horn started freshman Kendall Diggs at designated hitter.

Arkansas was trying to avoid its second straight SEC series loss. Ole Miss had tied the game at 3-3 in the eighth, and Arkansas had two runners on with one out in the bottom the ninth.

On a 3-2 count, Diggs hit his second career home run in just his second SEC start. He gave Arkansas the walk-off 6-3 win, and the Razorbacks went on to win the series.

It wasn't Arkansas' most consequential win, but it's hard to script a better ending than a walk-off homer by a freshman.

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can email her at clong@swtimes.com or follow her on Twitter @christinalong00.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Best and worst moments of Arkansas baseball's 2022 season