HawgBeat – D1Baseball projects in-state foe for Fayetteville Regional

The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks have won three straight SEC series and they are looking to finish the regular season with their fourth straight this weekend at Vanderbilt.

D1Baseball moved Arkansas up one spot to No. 2 in its Top 25 poll this week after the Diamond Hogs took the weekend series over South Carolina. Wednesday’s Field of 64 projection from D1Baseball featured the Diamond Hogs as the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Razorbacks have been a top-eight national seed in all seven D1Baseball projections, but the three teams slated to visit Baum-Walker Stadium have rotated in and out. This week’s update includes an old rival and an in-state foe in the Fayetteville Regional:

1. Arkansas (2) (38-13 overall record)

2. Texas (35-18)

3. Oral Roberts (29-14)

4. Little Rock (30-19)

The Texas Longhorns (RPI: 30) have won three straight series. The Longhorns are tied for third in the Big 12 standings and they have a 10-7 record on the road this season.

Oral Roberts (RPI: 77) has a 40-11 record and it is 20-1 in the Summit League. With wins over Oklahoma State, Missouri State, Memphis and Wichita State, ORU could present a tough challenge as a three-seed.

The Little Rock Trojans (RPI: 158) are 30-19 overall and 14-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Trojans split a pair of midweek matchup with the Razorbacks back on April 11-12 in Fayetteville.

Opposite the Fayetteville Regional is the Durham Regional, hosted by the No. 15-seed Duke Blue Devils (RPI: 16). Also included in the Durham Regional is Alabama, Kansas State and UNC Wilmington.

Arkansas (RPI: 4) seems to have all but secured a top-eight seed for the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks are 30-4 at home this season, including 13-2 against SEC opponents, so the home-field advantage would be monumental as the seek a return trip to the College World Series.

Here is the Hogs’ record breakdown against RPI teams:

No. 1-25: 12-4

No. 26-50: 7-4

No. 51-100: 5-3

No. 101-200: 8-2

No. 201+: 6-0

Next up for Arkansas is a matchup at the Vanderbilt Commodores (RPI: 7) beginning on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT. The series opener at Charles Hawkins Field will stream live on the SEC Network, accessible through the ESPN app.

*D1Baseball’s Mark Etheridge, Kendall Rogers and Aaron Fitt assembled the postseason projections.