With 10 straight wins, Arkansas is top dog in college baseball heading into SEC play
2024 isn't the first time the Arkansas baseball team has been hyped up heading into SEC play, but this year just feels different.
The Razorbacks enter their first SEC series against Missouri this weekend on the heels of 10 consecutive victories, the latest being a 4-2 home win against Oral Roberts on Tuesday night. Sweeps of Murray State and McNeese, along with wins against Central Arkansas, Michigan and Grambling make up the 10-game win streak, with a 14-inning loss against Oklahoma State being the only decision keeping Arkansas from 13 straight wins.
Returnees in Peyton Stovall and Brady Tygart headline a roster dotted by flashy transfers in Wehiwa Aloy and Mason Molina. Dave Van Horn has once again put together one of the best rosters in college baseball, but that seems to be a given in Fayetteville these days.
After lackluster seasons in football and men's and women's basketball, Razorbacks fans needed a shot in the arm this spring. The Diamond Hogs have given them that and then some, owning a 14-2 record going into their first SEC series, which is against Missouri.
One of the biggest pieces to the Razorbacks' puzzle this season is Hagen Smith, who will no doubt be the starter come Friday night's SEC opener at Baum-Walker Stadium. While Smith does boast a 2-0 record and 2.12 ERA through four starts, those stats pale in comparison to his strikeouts totals, which leaves as many mouths agape as it does batters swinging and missing.
Through 17 innings of work thus far, Smith has totaled 40 strikeouts, given up just six hits, and has a strikeout to walk ratio just below 5:1. Smith obviously isn't the only talented pitcher on the roster, but Van Horn has to feel confident each time he trots Smith out on the mound.
While Arkansas' offense sputtered during the College Baseball Series in Arlington, the Hogs' bats have been on fire as of late, complementing their exceptional pitching staff. In their last nine games, albeit against mid-major competition, Arkansas is averaging 9.7 runs per contest. With Arkansas' pitching rotation and bullpen playing as well as they are and the bats coming alive, many Razorbacks fans are wondering if a return to Omaha in a quest for that elusive College World Series title is in the cards.
Nobody can say for sure whether or not Arkansas will have postseason success, but the first step to said success — making the NCAA Tournament — begins on Friday when Missouri comes to town.
In a year where the SEC is as deep as ever on the diamond, every game is going to mean that much more for an Arkansas team determined to go where the Hogs have never ventured before — the championship stage.
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