Friends turn into foes as Hogs take on Gamecocks
Posted on Thursday, May 8, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ SEC matchup against South Carolina this weekend promises to be a hard-fought series with emotions peaking at a high level in both dugouts at Baum Stadium.
Few pl ayers will want to win more than Arkansas third baseman Logan Forsythe and South Carolina first baseman Justin Smoak, which isn’t surprising since they are two of the SEC’s most fiery players.
Just don’t expect it to carry over off the field. Once Forsythe and Smoak change out of uniform, they’ll want to find time to catch up.
Smoak and Forsythe have become good friends despite playing for rival SEC schools that haven’t played a regularseason series since 2005 and are in need of late-season victories.
Forsythe and Smoak, both juniors, were teammates last summer for the U. S. National team that won the silver medal at the Pan-American Games in Brazil, and this weekend’s reunion figures to be somewhat sentimental since they were roommates for most of their 1 2 / 2 months with Team USA.
“When Smoak gets here we’re going to go out and have a nice dinner,” said Forsythe, who wants nothing more than for his team to beat Smoak’s team, just like at last season’s SEC Tournament when the Razorbacks defeated the Gamecocks twice to eliminate them.
Still, it’s difficult for Forsythe not to root for Smoak to do well — as long as Arkansas wins.
“If he comes here on Friday and hits three home runs, I’ll tell him, ‘Hey, great game,’ and he’ll do the same for me,” Forsythe said. “There are certain aspects where we’re really similar. When we’re on the field, we want to win. When we fail, we hate it. When we lose, we hate it.” They don’t fail often, and they couldn’t help but get along when picked for the national team. When the team was set to begin its busy traveling schedule, Forsythe and Smoak volunteered to share a room.
It was a natural fit. Forsythe, from Memphis, said he considers himself and Smoak, a resident of Goose Creek, S. C., “backwoods country boys who can relate to each other well.” Forsythe and Smoak swapped hunting and fishing stories, and had plenty else to talk about. Forsythe reminded Smoak a few times of Arkansas’ 6-0 and 3-2 victories at the SEC Tournament, and Smoak reminded Forsythe that his Gamecocks went further in the NCAA Tournament.
They critiqued each other’s swing during their hotel suite chats, and Forsythe even confided in Smoak about the pain he went through as his sore foot continued to get progressively worse over the summer.
Forsythe gutted it out in left field — Vanderbilt’s Pedro Alvarez held down the third base job for Team USA — long enough to hit. 309 with 1 home run and 16 RBI before ultimately undergoing surgery in the fall.
“We talked about it a lot, and I remember still talking to him about it over Christmas break,” said Smoak, who hit. 223 with 3 home runs and 19 RBI during the summer. “It was one of those things where he had to get it done or it was going to keep bothering him.” No question the opportunity to play for their country was a grind at times. The team played 35 games in less than two months, and that was on top of playing just shy of 70 games during the college season. There was also the jetlag of traveling to two tournaments overseas, the Pan-Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the World Port Tournament in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Team USA Manager Mike Weathers kept a relatively tight rein on his players. He sequestered them most of the time in Rio, although in The Netherlands players got to tour the sights in nearby Amsterdam during a day trip.
Mostly, the team remained locked in on the games, which is another part of the reason Smoak and Forsythe are on the radar of so many pro scouts. They work relentlessly, and both are likely headed to the pros after this season.
Forsythe has been bothered by injuries this season, but he is coming around at the plate, batting. 311, and with plus defensive range at third base figures to be a solid draft prospect. Smoak, a freshman All-American in 2006 and a third-team All-American last season, took a. 401 batting average with 19 home runs and 55 RBI into Wednesday’s game against Wofford.
“When you have the ability to maybe play at the next level, you’re going to try hard, something you’ve always done and will continue to do,” said Smoak, who is predicted to be as high as a top-10 pick in the first round of next month’s major-league draft. “Playing with guys like Logan and seeing how hard they work and knowing how hard I work, it was nice to play with them.” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn probably wouldn’t trade Forsythe, but most coaches would be hard-pressed not to want Smoak, also a slick fielder at first base whose glove gets overshadowed by his offensive statistics.
“Smoak has just been Steady Eddie since the day he walked in and was feared in the lineup as a young player,” Van Horn said. “He’s earned a lot of respect.” Smoak and Forsythe expect to remain close even after they move on to the pros. Forsythe’s struggles to remain healthy all season have prompted phone calls of encouragement from several of his Team USA mates, none more than Smoak.
Theirs is a special bond.
“Hopefully we’re going to play this game for a while and we’re going to be seeing each other down the road,” Forsythe said. “Being around each other that much, you’re going to have a great relationship.” S. Carolina at Arkansas WHEN 6: 35 p.m. Friday, 2: 05 p.m. Saturday and 12: 05 p.m. Sunday WHERE Baum Stadium, Fayetteville RECORDS South Carolina 33-15, 13-11 SEC; Arkansas 28-20, 10-13 AT STAKE The Razorbacks probably need to make the SEC Tournament to ensure a berth into the NCAA Tournament. Entering this series, Arkansas is a half-game behind Tennessee and Kentucky, both 11-13, for the eighth and final spot at the conference tournament. South Carolina is fighting for an opportunity to host an NCAA regional tournament.
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