FAYETTEVILLE-– No. 3 Arkansas (36-12, 17-7 SEC) welcomes No. 6 South Carolina (36-12, 14-9 SEC) to Baum-Walker Stadium for top-10 SEC showdown in the penultimate weekend of the regular season.
First pitch in the series opener between the Razorbacks and Gamecocks is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 12, on SEC Network+. Game two is slated to begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 13, on SEC Network+, while the series finale will get underway at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 14, on SEC Network+.
This weekend’s three-game set in Fayetteville marks the first top-10 series played at Baum-Walker Stadium since then-No. 1 Arkansas hosted then-No. 9 Florida in the final weekend of the 2021 regular season. The Hogs swept the Gators to clinch the regular-season SEC title and conclude the regular season with a 42-10 overall record and a 22-8 mark in SEC play, tying a program record for most SEC victories in a single season.
Schedule
Friday, May 12
#6 South Carolina vs. #3 Arkansas – 6:30 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
Saturday, May 13
#6 South Carolina vs. #3 Arkansas – 6 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
Sunday, May 14
#6 South Carolina vs. #3 Arkansas – 2 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
On the Mound
Friday, May 12
South Carolina – RHP Eli Jones (4-2, 3.38 ERA)
Arkansas – LHP Hagen Smith (7-1, 2.56 ERA)
Saturday, May 13
South Carolina – TBA
Arkansas – TBA
Sunday, May 14
South Carolina – LHP Matthew Becker (4-1, 4.46 ERA)
Arkansas – TBA
Tune In
Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Troy Eklund (analyst) will have the call of all three games 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 (play-by-play) and Bubba Carpenter (analyst) on the call.
A full list of radio affiliates is available here.
History Lesson
Arkansas is 44-35 all-time against South Carolina, including a 22-12 record in games played in Fayetteville. Under head coach Dave Van Horn, the Hogs are 28-21 overall with a 12-9 record at home against the Gamecocks since 2003.
The Hogs, 7-3 in their last 10 games against the Gamecocks, have won three straight three-game series against South Carolina, including a pair of series wins at Baum-Walker Stadium in 2018. Arkansas won the regular-season series before defeating South Carolina in three games in the NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional to advance to the College World Series.
Arkansas has not lost a regular-season series to South Carolina since 2016 and has not dropped a three-game series at home to South Carolina since the 2012 campaign.
In the Polls
Collegiate Baseball – 3
D1Baseball – 3
NCBWA – 3
Perfect Game – 3
USA Today Coaches – 3
Baseball America – 4
Senior Saturday
Prior to Saturday night’s game, the Razorbacks will honor three members of its senior class and soon-to-be-graduates of the University of Arkansas: infielder John Bolton, infielder Brady Slavens and outfielder Jared Wegner.
Home Sweet Hogs
Arkansas is 28-3 (.903 winning percentage) at Baum-Walker Stadium this season. It represents the Hogs’ best home record since winning 29 of their first 32 games at Baum-Walker Stadium in 2018.
In 2018, the Razorbacks advanced to the College World Series and finished as the national runner-up, setting school records for single-season home wins (34) and home winning percentage (.895) in the process. Excluding 2020, the Hogs have won 28 games or more at home for six consecutive seasons, including a program-record 34 wins at home in 2018.
2017: 29-8 at home / 45-19 overall
2018: 34-4 at home / 48-21 overall
2019: 33-7 at home / 46-20 overall
2020: N/A
2021: 30-8 at home / 50-13 overall
2022: 28-7 at home / 46-21 overall
2023: 28-3 at home / TBD
Machine of Consistency
Under head coach Dave Van Horn, Arkansas has started 16-8 or better through 24 games of SEC play for four straight seasons. Including this year, the Hogs have gone 17-7 three times in that span with 20 or more wins in 2019 and 2021.
2019: 17-7 start / 20-10 final SEC
2020: N/A
2021: 17-7 start / 22-8 final SEC record
2022: 16-8 start / 18-12 final SEC record
2023: 17-7 start / TBD
Arkansas is guaranteed to finish with a winning SEC record for the sixth consecutive season. It is the first time in program history that Arkansas has recorded six straight seasons with a winning SEC record. The Hogs’ previous longest streak for was four seasons (2012-15).
Hagen on the Hill
Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith will start his second consecutive series opener, getting the ball in Friday night’s game against South Carolina. 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.
For the year, Smith has made 13 appearances with seven starts, including three in SEC play. He is 7-1 with a team-leading 2.656 ERA and two saves over 42 2/3 innings of work on the mound. The true sophomore has struck out a team-high 79 batters and limited opposing hitters to a meager .181 batting average.
Smith’s three previous SEC starts this season have all come on the road. In his last SEC start, Smith spun five innings of two-run ball at Mississippi State on May 5, matching his season high with eight strikeouts in the outing to earn the win.
For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).
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Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly and in its entirety from the University of Arkansas Office of Communicaitons, Oliver Grigg.
