Arkansas Baseball enjoyed a three-game sweep over top-10 teams to open the 2021 season at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, defeating Big 12 powers Texas Tech, Texas, and TCU.
The Razorbacks will get a chance to capitalize on that weekend by opening the 2023 season at the home of the Texas Rangers, as part of the State Farm College Baseball Showdown February 17-19.
The three-game weekend set will feature three teams from the SEC, and three teams from the Big 12. Arkansas will be joined by Vanderbilt and Missouri at next season’s classic, and will compete against Oklahoma State, Texas, and TCU.
“We’re thrilled to be included in the field for the 2023 State Farm College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field,” Arkansas head baseball coach [autotag]Dave Van Horn[/autotag] said in a press release. “It’s a great season-opening event at an incredible venue right down the road from Fayetteville. We loved our experience there to begin the 2021 season, and our fans did too.”
One of Arkansas’ key wins in the inaugural classic in 2021 was a 4-0 shutout of rival Texas. In the game, [autotag]Brady Slavens[/autotag] went 2-for-4 with two RBI while [autotag]Peyton Pallette[/autotag] struck out eight Longhorns in 4.1 innings. Out of the bullpen, [autotag]Caleb Bolden[/autotag] struck out seven batters.
Texas was only limited to two hits, both were by Murphy Stehly. The announced attendance for the game was 17,587, which marked the second-highest attended college baseball game of the season.
As part of the State Farm College Baseball Showdown, Arkansas is guaranteed a rematch with Oklahoma State. The Razorbacks and the Cowboys battled in three classic games during the Stillwater Regional in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, with Arkansas winning the deciding game, 7-3, to advance them to the Chapel Hill Super Regional, and ultimately to the College World Series.