Arkansas Welcomes Oklahoma State Oral Roberts and Princeton to Fayetteville Regional
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas was awarded the No. 2 seed at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional on Monday and joins a field that features top-seeded Oklahoma State, No. 3-seed Oral Roberts and No. 4-seed Princeton.
The 21st-ranked Razorbacks will open with ORU at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 2, at Baum Stadium. It will be the second meeting this season between the Hogs and Golden Eagles with ORU capturing a 5-4 win in Tulsa on May 2.
It is the Hogs’ 19th appearance in the NCAA tournament and the third time to host a NCAA Regional. Arkansas has a 40-38 overall record in NCAA Tournament play and a 30-26 record in NCAA Regional action.
The first game of the NCAA Fayetteville Regional will feature the No. 1-seeded Cowboys against No. 4-seed Tigers at 2 p.m. from Baum Stadium. Arkansas knocked off Oklahoma State on Feb. 12 in Mobile, Ala., with the Hogs’ pitching staff combining to no-hit the Cowboys in a 3-0 win. UA and Princeton have never met on the baseball diamond.
The winners of Friday’s games will play at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, with the losers squaring off at 2 p.m. The loser of the 2 p.m. game will be eliminated with the winner playing the loser of the 7 p.m. winner’s bracket game at 2 p.m., Sunday, June 4. The first championship game is slated 7 p.m., Sunday, June 4. If a second championship game is needed it will be played at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 5.
Oklahoma State enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed after finishing second in the Big 12 during the regular season with a 39-17 overall record. The Cowboys had reeled off 20 wins in their last 24 games before going 0-3 in the Big 12 Tournament last week.
The second-seeded Razorbacks are hosting a NCAA Regional for the third time in school history (1999, 2004 & 2006) after finishing the regular season with a 38-19 overall record and an 18-12 mark in the SEC. Arkansas tied No. 7-national seed Georgia for third in the Southeastern Conference while finishing second in the SEC West to the No. 4-national seed Alabama. UA also posted an 18-12 mark against top-25 competition this season.
Oral Roberts enters the four-team regional as the No. 3 seed and one of the hottest teams in the country. The Golden Eagles are fresh off of another Mid-Con Tournament championship and have won 26 of their last 28 games. That streak includes two wins over Oklahoma State and Wichita State and a 5-4 win over the Razorbacks.
Princeton earned the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament field in early May by winning the Ivy League title. The Tigers have a 19-24-1 overall record after challenging early-season road trips, but finished strong with an 11-9 mark in conference play.
Arkansas boasts a 58-31 edge in its all-time series with Oral Roberts, including a 5-2 mark under the guidance of head coach Dave Van Horn and a 2-1 record in NCAA Tournament play. The Cowboys own a 41-19 lead their series with the Hogs and a 2-0 record in the NCAA Tournament. However, Van Horn boasts a 3-0 mark against Oklahoma State since his arrival in Fayetteville and a 15-9 mark against the Cowboys in his career as a head coach, including winning 11 of his last 12 games against OSU.
All-session ticket packets are available for $60 each. Ticket packets can be purchased by visiting the UA Ticket Office, going online at www.hogwired.com and clicking on the ticket button or by calling 800-983-HOGS (4647). The UA ticket office accepts Visa, Mastercard or Discover.
Fayetteville Regional Schedule
Friday, June 2
#1 Oklahoma State vs. #4 Princeton, 2 p.m. (Game 1)
#2 Arkansas vs. #3 Oral Roberts, 7 p.m. (Game 2)
Saturday, June 3
Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 2 p.m. (Game 3)
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m. (Game 4)
Sunday, June 4
Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 2 p.m. (Game 5)
Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 7 p.m. (Game 6)
Monday, June 5
Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, 7 p.m. (Game 7)*
*if necessary
