#2 Arkansas, #12 Vanderbilt Close Out Regular Season in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Sitting alone atop the SEC standings with three games left to play in the regular season, No. 2 Arkansas (38-13, 19-8 SEC) ventures east to No. 12 Vanderbilt (35-16, 17-10 SEC) with a prime opportunity to clinch the program’s fourth overall conference championship.

First pitch in the series opener between the Hogs and Commodores at Hawkins Field is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, May 18, on SEC Network with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Chris Burke (analyst) on the call. Game two is 7 p.m. Friday, May 19, on SEC Network, while the regular-season finale gets underway at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 20, on SEC Network+.

Arkansas enters the final weekend of the regular season with a one-game lead over No. 4 Florida (40-12, 18-9 SEC) in the SEC standings. The Razorbacks, who lead No. 5 LSU (39-12, 17-9 SEC) by 1.5 games in the SEC Western Division, can clinch a share of the overall SEC title with two wins and win the conference outright with three wins at Vanderbilt.

Schedule
Thursday, May 18
#2 Arkansas at #12 Vanderbilt – 6 p.m. – SEC Network – Listen – Live Stats

Friday, May 19
#2 Arkansas at #12 Vanderbilt – 7 p.m. – SEC Network – Listen – Live Stats

Saturday, May 20
#2 Arkansas at #12 Vanderbilt – 2 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats

On the Mound
Thursday, May 18
Arkansas – LHP Hagen Smith (7-1, 2.47 ERA)
Vanderbilt – RHP Patrick Reilly (3-2, 6.43)

Friday, May 19
Arkansas – TBA
Vanderbilt – LHP Devin Futrell (6-3, 2.93)

Saturday, May 20
Arkansas – TBA
Vanderbilt – TBA

Tune In
Tom Hart and Chris Burke will be on the call for all three games of this weekend’s series in Nashville. Thursday and Friday’s contests will be broadcast on SEC Network, while Saturday’s regular-season finale will stream on SEC Network+.

The entire series can also be heard on the Razorback Sports Network from Learfield, including locally in Fayetteville on 92.1 FM or through the Razorback app, with Phil Elson on the call. A full list of radio affiliates is available here.

History Lesson
Arkansas is 34-31 all-time against Vanderbilt, including a 14-13 record in games played in Nashville. Under head coach Dave Van Horn, the Hogs are 21-24 overall with a 7-10 on the road against the Commodores since 2003.

The Hogs, 5-5 in their last 10 games against the Commodores, have not won a regular-season series against Vanderbilt since 2017 at Baum-Walker Stadium. Arkansas, which has played six road series against Vanderbilt since Van Horn’s first season as head coach, owns a 3-3 series record in Nashville, including series wins in 2004, 2006 and 2010.

Here’s the Situation
For Arkansas entering this weekend…
* Two Arkansas wins would clinch a share of the SEC title; three would win outright.
* If Arkansas and Florida finish in a tie atop the standings, both would be considered co-champions. Tie would only be broken for SEC Tournament seeding purposes.

If Arkansas goes 2-1…
* Arkansas and Florida would be co-champions if Florida goes 3-0.
* Arkansas would be champion if Florida loses at least one game.

If Arkansas goes 1-2…
* Florida would be the outright champion with three wins this weekend.
* Arkansas and Florida would be co-champions with two Florida wins and one LSU loss.

Machine of Consistency
Under head coach Dave Van Horn, Arkansas has won 18 or more SEC games for six consecutive seasons.

2017: 18-11 SEC record
2018: 18-12 SEC record
2019: 20-10 SEC record
2020: N/A
2021: 22-8 SEC record
2022: 18-12 SEC record
2023: 19-8 SEC record

Since Van Horn’s first season in 2003, Arkansas has won 18 or more SEC games 11 times. LSU is the only other team in the SEC to post at least six consecutive seasons of 18 or more SEC wins, doing so in 10 straight seasons from 1996-2005.

With just one win this weekend at Vanderbilt, the Razorbacks can secure their 20th conference win of the campaign. Arkansas has won 20 or more SEC games just three times since 1992, the team’s first season competing in the SEC.

1999: 22-8 (SEC champions)
2019: 20-10 (T-1st SEC West)
2021: 22-8 (SEC champions)

Hagen on the Hill
Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith will start his third consecutive series opener, getting the ball in Thursday night’s game against Vanderbilt. The left-hander was the Razorbacks’ No. 1 starter to begin the year but transitioned to a “wild card” role due to early-season injuries to the team’s pitching staff.

For the year, Smith has made 14 appearances with eight starts, including four in SEC play. He is 7-1 with a team-leading 2.47 ERA and two saves over 58 1/3 innings of work on the mound. The true sophomore has struck out a team-high 86 batters and limited opposing hitters to a meager .184 batting average.

Three of Smith’s four SEC starts this season have come on the road. In his last SEC road start, Smith spun five innings of two-run ball at Mississippi State on May 5, matching his season high with eight strikeouts to earn the win.

For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).