The Arkansas pitching staff, which currently leads the country with a 2.59 ERA, is set to welcome a notable piece to the fold in sophomore right-hander Ben Bybee, who is scheduled to make his season debut on Tuesday as the Razorbacks take on Little Rock.
According to a team spokesman, Bybee will make his eighth career start on the mound for Arkansas against the Trojans. In 15 appearances as a true freshman, the Overland Park (Kans.) native posted a 7.24 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 27.2 innings of work. Bybee has missed the first six weeks of the 2024 season due to a preseason hamstring injury, which was directly followed by him getting mononucleosis.
Bybee delivered several promising moments in his first year as a Hog, most of which came in a midweek starting role. He threw five scoreless innings against UNLV on Mar. 15 and delivered four innings of one-run ball against SEMO a week later.
Bybee also got the starting nod for two SEC games on the weekend, allowing two runs in less than an inning of work against Alabama before returning two weeks later against Tennessee and turning in a solid 3.1 innings of work while allowing two runs and striking out three.
If you’re wondering where the 7.24 ERA came from in Bybee’s freshman year, his final three outings of the season yielded nine runs (eight earned) across just 2.2 innings. Prior to that, Bybee’s ERA sat at 5.11 as he gained valuable experience, both on the weekends and in midweek starts.
Bybee also turned in a strong summer while pitching for the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League, posting a 1.69 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. He finished his time on the West Coast with three consecutive 5+ inning starts, allowing just three runs in 16 innings while striking out 20.
It remains to be seen what his workload will look like for tomorrow’s outing. Though he hasn’t been on the field to this point, he’s been throwing behind the scenes for a while now, and he’s not nursing any arm injury. Regardless, tomorrow’s bout offers a nice chance for the Hogs to get some arms that have not been throwing in recent weekend series, and Bybee is certainly one to watch as he makes his return to action.
First pitch between the No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks and Little Rock Trojans is set for 3 p.m. (CT) inside Baum-Walker Stadium and will be streamed on SEC Network+.