Last year, the Arkansas pitching staff posted an ERA of 2.83 and carried the Razorback baseball team to a College World Series appearance.
This year, junior right-handed pitcher Ryne Stanek and senior left-hander Randall Fan have two of the weekend starting positions, said Chad Crunk, assistant media relations director.
In his sophomore season, Stanek started 17 games and finished the year with an 8-4 record and a 2.82 ERA. He struck out 83 batters in 92.2 innings and held opposing hitters to a .229 batting average.
Stanek was named a preseason All-American by Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball.
Fant pitched in 15 games last season, 14 of which he started. He finished the season with a 2-3 record and a 3.27 ERA.
The final starting role could be filled by junior Brandon Moore, redshirt senior Trent Daniel, junior Barrett Astin or freshman Trey Killian.
Moore pitched in 19 games last season, 26 as a reliever, and posted a 5-2 record with three saves and a 2.43 ERA. He only allowed 11 walks in 81.1 innings and held opponents to a .230 batting average.
Daniel started four games and pitched in 17 out of the bullpen last season. He finished with a 2-0 record with one save and a 5.06 ERA.
Astin pitched in a team-leading 32 games, 29 in relief, and had a 3-5 record and a 1.99 ERA. His team-high 11 saves were the third highest single-season total in school history.
Killian finished his senior season of high school with a 8-1 record with a .88 ERA and 138 strikeouts. He pitched 10.1 innings in two games during the Cardinal-White series and posted a .87 ERA with 10 strikeouts.
The three pitchers that do not earn a starting spot will join junior Colby Suggs and senior Tyler Wright in the bullpen.
Suggs appeared in 30 games last season and finished the year with a 7-1 record with a 1.38 ERA. He set a new Arkansas single-season record for fewest runs allowed when pitching at least 30 innings by giving up just six runs during the season.
Suggs held opponents to a .203 batting average and struck out 36 batters in 39 innings. He was named a preseason All-American by Perfect Game, the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball.
Wright pitched in 16 games last season, posting a 1-0 record with a 2.60 ERA. He held opposing batters to a .234 average.
Senior Cade Lynch and sophomore Chris Oliver will also potentially get some work out of the bullpen.
As a junior, Lynch appeared in 21 games, posting a 3-1 record, two saves and a 2.11 ERA. He held the opposition to a .180 batting average and struck out 46 batters in 47 innings of work.
Oliver pitched in 11 games as a freshman, one as the starter. He had a 1-0 record with a 3.86 ERA.