It’s tournament time in Lawrence, and the Arkansas Razorbacks are ready to get the road to Omaha started.
The Hogs are entering the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Lawrence Regional and open postseason play Friday against the No. 3-seeded Missouri State Bears at 5 p.m.
The game will be played at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, Kansas and televised on ESPNU. It’s the first step in what Arkansas hopes is a long postseason run.
The Razorbacks bring a 39-20 overall record into the regional, going 17-13 in SEC play. Missouri State checks in at 34-19 on the year with a 20-10 mark in Conference USA.
This won’t be the first time these two programs have seen each other this season. It’ll actually be the third.
Missouri State won a wild extra-inning game on March 31 by a score of 15-14. Arkansas turned things around on April 21 with a 12-4 victory at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The series is tied 1-1 this season, which makes Friday’s matchup the rubber game of a season-long rivalry.
Over the full history of the series, Arkansas leads 60-32 in 92 total meetings. Under coach Dave Van Horn, the Hogs are 22-13 against Missouri State.
Van Horn’s counterpart on the Missouri State side, Joey Hawkins, is in his second year leading the program in Springfield, Mo. Hawkins has compiled a 64-44 overall record with a 37-18 record in Conference USA play.
Before the NCAA Tournament, the Hogs made a strong run through the SEC Tournament. They knocked off Tennessee 8-4 in the second round then beat Texas 8-1 in the quarterfinals.
A 2-1 win over Auburn in the semifinals put them in the title game. Georgia ended their run there in seven innings with an 11-1 run-rule win in the SEC Championship.
Missouri State’s conference tournament path ended a round earlier.
The Bears beat Kennesaw State 6-4 and then edged Dallas Baptist 9-8 before Liberty knocked them out 7-5 in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament.
How to Watch and Listen
Arkansas starter Gabe Gaeckle takes the mound for the Hogs in the opener. He’s 6-3 with a 3.99 ERA this season, logging 67.2 innings with 80 strikeouts and 32 walks.
His best showing came in the SEC Tournament, where he tossed six scoreless frames against Texas and allowed just three hits while striking out nine against one walk.
Missouri State will counter with left-hander Max Knight. He’s also 6-3 on the year but carries a 4.69 ERA across 40.1 innings pitched with 57 strikeouts and 32 walks.
Here’s everything you need to tune in Friday:
- Who: No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks (39-20, 17-13 SEC) vs. No. 3 Missouri State Bears (34-19, 20-10 CUSA)
- When: Friday, May 29 at 5 p.m.
- Where: Hoglund Ballpark — Lawrence, Kansas
- TV/Stream: ESPNU/WatchESPN
- Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Phil Elson) on affiliated stations across Arkansas including ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in Fort Smith and the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Lawrence Regional Full Schedule
The Lawrence Regional features the Razorbacks and Missouri State in Game 2 of opening day, while Northeastern takes on host Kansas in Game 1 at noon on ESPN+.
From there, the double-elimination format plays out over the weekend:
May 30
- Game 3: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser — Noon
- Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner — 5 p.m.
May 31
- Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser — Noon
- Game 6: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner — 5 p.m.
June 1 (if necessary)
- Game 7: TBD
Gaeckle’s SEC Tournament performance gives the Hogs a reason to feel good about their chances in the opener.
Missouri State’s capable of hanging around. That 15-14 extra-inning win earlier this spring proved that much but Arkansas has momentum after the way this season’s gone.
The Razorbacks fell just short of an SEC title, but they got to the championship game by beating Tennessee, Texas and Auburn in three straight days.
That’s not a bad tune-up for postseason baseball. Now the focus shifts to a Bears team they know well.
Omaha’s a long way off, but Friday’s first pitch is where it starts.
