Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn, heading into his 22nd season with the Diamond Hogs, has taken his bunch to the NCAA Tournament 20 times since 2003. In that span, Arkansas has made nine Super Regionals and seven trips to the College World Series.
This year’s Arkansas teams may have the best shot to make it to the showcase as any in recent memory. The Diamond Hogs are ranked inside the top four in every national collegiate baseball poll in the country.
Led by preseason All-Americans Hagen Smith, a left-handed starter who is expected to go in the first round of the MLB Draft, and transfer shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas has both pitching skill and depth and bats and defense that makes just about every other team in the nation jealous.
James Madison may not be terribly familiar to Arkansas fans, but the Bulldogs play in the Sun Belt, largely considered the best non-power conference baseball league in the land. JMU went 31-25 last year and were picked to finish 10th in the 14-team conference this year.
If you can’t make it to Baum-Walker Stadium for the opener, here’s how catch the Razorbacks elsewhere.