FAYETTEVILLE — The moment Matt Cronin’s 90-plus mph fastball left Jonah Bride’s bat, Eric Cole’s plan set into motion.
The junior camped under the well-hit fly ball near the warning track in right field and secured Arkansas’ ninth trip to the College World Series, sending a crowd of better than 11,200 into a fever pitch.
He then tucked the ball away in his back pocket. Next came the ever-euphoric team dog pile near the pitcher’s mound — a goal Arkansas set out to experience after last season’s regional loss to Missouri State — with teammates. The celebration included an eccentric and unfiltered Hunter Wilson.