The wait is over.
Arkansas baseball officially begins its regular-season and march toward Omaha and the College World Series on Friday afternoon against Illinois State at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The Diamond Hogs are ranked No. 2 in the nation by D1Baseball.com and in the Top 10 in five other polls. The Collegiate Baseball poll is the outlier as it has Arkansas ranked No. 20 in the nation.
SEC coaches also tabbed the Razorbacks as the favorites to win the West as the Diamond Hogs picked up five of a possible 14 first-place votes and 80 total prediction points. Ole Miss and Mississippi State each picked up four first-place votes and a total of 77 points. LSU was picked fourth in the division, but received one first-place vote.
Illinois State was picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference, a league that occasionally gets two teams in the NCAA Tournament. Dallas Baptist, a team Arkansas has seen recently in the Tournament, was a unanimous first-place selection.
Senior Connor Noland, an All-American as a freshman, is set to take the mound on opening day. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. on a cold day in Fayetteville.
How to Watch
When: 3 p.m.
Where: Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville
Traditional TV: SEC Network+
Online live stream: ESPN.com/watch
For those seeking the radio broadcast of the game, you can find the complete list below. In Northwest Arkansas, KQSM 92.1 will be the broadcaster in 2022.
Arkansas radio affiliates
Batesville, KWOZ-FM, 103.3
Camden, KCXY-FM, 95.3
Crossett, KAGH-FM, 104.9
Crossett, KAGH-AM, 800
DeQueen, KDQN-FM, 92.1
DeWitt, KDEW-FM, 97.3
El Dorado, KMRX-FM, 96.1
Fayetteville, KQSM-FM, 92.1
Forrest City, KBFC-FM, 93.5
Fort Smith, KERX-FM, 95.3
Glenwood, KHGZ-FM, 98.9
Glenwood, KHGZ-AM, 670
Hot Springs, KTTG-FM, 96.3
Jonesboro, KEGI-FM, 100.5
Little Rock, KABZ-FM, 103.7
Magnolia, KZHE-FM, 100.5
Marshall, KBCN-FM, 104.3
Mena, KTTG-FM, 96.3
Mena, KENA-FM, 104.1
Monticello, KGPQ-FM, 99.9
Morrilton, KCON-FM, 99.3
Mountain Home, KOMT-FM, 93.5
Ozark, KDYN-FM, 96.7
Ozark, KDYN-AM, 1540
Searcy, KRZS-FM, 99.1
Texarkana, KKTK-AM, 1400
Wynne, KWYN-FM, 92.5