Arkansas baseball climbs in new Field of 64 projections
What a difference a weekend makes.
After losing two of three games at SEC leader Kentucky just over a week ago, the Arkansas Razorbacks are back on the rise in this week’s Top 25 rankings and the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll.
RELATED: Arkansas up to No. 2 in new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll
The Diamond Hogs (42-10 overall, 19-8 SEC) won two of three from a solid Mississippi State team over the weekend at Baum-Walker Stadium in conference play.
With that, Arkansas climbed back up to the No. 2 overall seed in On3’s latest Field of 64 projections for the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament. On3 had forecast the Razorbacks as its No. 4 seed a week ago.
In its weekly outlook for the postseason, On3 moved Arkansas ahead of Texas A&M and Clemson for higher seeding. Kentucky is projected as the overall No. 1 national seed.
Did the Hogs earn the higher seed? Well, sure. But their climb back to the No. 2 seed was helped in large part by Texas A&M’s recent struggles. The Aggies suffered their second straight series loss over the weekend, dropping two of three at Ole Miss one week after falling at LSU. Prior to that, Texas A&M had been ranked No. 1 in the nation for three straight weeks.
On3’s Jonathan Wagner explains:
“Arkansas gets the nod as our No. 2 overall seed, largely due to Texas A&M’s struggles as the two teams gear up to meet this weekend. The Razorbacks are a safe top eight seed, and could still be in contention for the top couple of seeds should they win over the weekend. Arkansas is joined in the Fayetteville Regional by Oregon, Virginia Tech and New Mexico.”
The final Field of 64 that will make up the NCAA Tournament and compete for a berth in the College World Series in Omaha will be unveiled on Selection Monday, May 27 at 11 a.m. CDT.
Arkansas will close out the regular season beginning Thursday with its much-anticipated three-game series in College Station against the Aggies. First pitch Thursday is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT. The game can be seen on ESPN2.
