Arkansas Razorbacks baseball gets last laugh over brash Tennessee Vols team to advance to MCWS in Omaha

Dave Van Horn's team is headed back to Omaha, Nebraska. The road wasn't easy, but the Arkansas Razorbacks have made it look that way with undefeated regional and super regional performances in the span of a couple of weeks. 

Razorbacks dominate Vols to grab MCWS berth

As the host of their super regional, they got to see the Tennessee Volunteers come to town. As has been tradition for much of the 2000s, Arkansas handled their business against the Vols in Fayetteville. 

Arkansas' road back to where it matters most

Before we look at the riveting theatrics from this weekend via the Razorbacks, I discussed this season — as a whole — with A to Z Sports contributor Justin Churchill. 

It's pretty clear the Arkansas Razorbacks are a baseball school, as this is their 12th trip to the College World Series and their fifth one since 2015. And, just like they did in this last football season, the Hogs beat Tennessee in another big-time game.

That was an upset in football, this was an assertion of dominance, and a display that this team is very similar to the one that nearly won the National Championship in 2018, but fell short after not catching a foul ball, which would have won them the trophy against Oregon State. This team is purely offense, just like that team, with some good pitchers sprinkled throughout the staff. The bats haven't been there the last few years, and just when it seemed hitting coach Nate Thompson was on the hot seat, his team becomes a juggernaut.

The 11 runs they scored against Tennessee should show the rest of the teams making the College World Series that the Hogs mean business. And, an effort like this one may only boost the odds of Wehiwa Aloy winning the 2025 Golden Spikes Award, after winning the SEC Player of The Year Award. -- Justin Churchill

Quieting the noise

The emotions were boiling during this series between the Razorbacks and Vols. That sort of raucous behavior is not new to this rivalry, and both sides have had plenty of players getting fired up or notably frustrated during matchups. 

Razorbacks pitcher Zach Root was simply magical on Saturday, leading Arkansas to a narrow 4-3 win over the Vols to gain a 1-0 series lead. His interactions with Vols slugger Andrew Fischer stole the show a bit, though.

During the fourth inning, Fischer seemed to spat toward home plate and nodded at the Arkansas fans while getting ahead in the count against Root. Then, Root struck him out with a 98 mph fastball and waved Fischer off the field. There were some words yelled across the field, which should surprise nobody.