Arkansas won’t be playing in front of their home fans this postseason, but they’re still dancing and they know at least one opponent very well.
That’s probably why you may see some Razorback fans throwing a complete fit today over playing Missouri State in the first round.
Especially after the game against them earlier this year in Springfield.
The NCAA announced Arkansas as the No. 2 seed in the 2026 Lawrence Regional, set to take place at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, Kansas.
The Hogs, who finished the regular season at 39-20, will join host and No. 15 overall seed Kansas (42-16), the 3-seed Bears (34-19) and 4-seed Northeastern (38-20) in the four-team field.
The Razorbacks couldn’t land a fourth straight regional host site, but they’re not treating the road trip like a setback.
“Home regional, road regional, don’t matter,” the athletic department posted on social media.
Missouri State: A familiar opponent
Missouri State isn’t a mystery to Arkansas.
The two programs have already met twice in 2026, splitting a home-and-home non-conference series. The Bears won the first matchup on March 31 in wild fashion, edging the Hogs 15-14 in extra innings.
Arkansas got even on April 21, beating Missouri State 12-4 in the rematch.
That split sets up an interesting rubber match when the two teams meet Friday at 5 p.m. on ESPN+ in the regional opener.
Despite the back-and-forth results this season, the overall history between these programs leans heavily in Arkansas’ favor.
The Razorbacks hold a 60-32 lead in the all-time series against the Bears. Under coach Dave Van Horn’s 24 years, that margin is 22-13.
Kansas knows the Hogs too
Missouri State isn’t the only team in this regional with recent history against Arkansas.
Host Kansas served as the No. 2 seed in last year’s Fayetteville Regional, a regional the Razorbacks won. The Jayhawks know what it looks like to come up short against the Hogs on the postseason stage.
That said, Kansas earned the top seed in Lawrence this year with a 42-16 record. They’ll be playing in front of their home crowd, which gives them a built-in edge in bracket positioning.
Looking back at the road
The last time Arkansas traveled as a non-host in the NCAA Tournament was 2022 and that trip went about as well as a team could hope.
The Razorbacks won the Stillwater Regional, then captured the Chapel Hill Super Regional before finishing in the College World Series semifinal round.
That kind of postseason run on the road gives this group something to point to when the conversation turns to whether the Hogs can survive away from Fayetteville.
They’ve done it before … and recently.
Dave Van Horn’s club has plenty of motivation to prove that missing out on a home regional doesn’t mean missing out on a deep run.
What’s next
Arkansas and Missouri State tip off the Lawrence Regional on Friday at 5 p.m. The game will stream on ESPN+. It will also be on radio statewide on the Razorback Sports Network along with ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in Fort Smith and the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Winners and losers will sort out over the weekend bracket, with the regional champion advancing to Super Regional play.
