As expectations continue to soar, so do the preseason accolades for the Arkansas baseball team.
The Diamond Hogs checked in at No. 4 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s preseason Top 30 poll, which was released Thursday. Arkansas also began 2022 at No. 4 in the publication’s rankings.
Wake Forest sits atop the current poll, followed by conference foes, LSU and Florida. The SEC leads the nation with nine programs on the list, which also includes No. 5 Tennessee, No. 7 Vanderbilt, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 15 South Carolina, No. 23 Alabama, No. 25 Auburn.
The NCBWA is the fourth of college baseball’s five major polls to release their preseason rankings. The Razorbacks are sitting at No. 2 in the Perfect Game poll and No. 3 in both, the Baseball America and D1Baseball, polls. The USA Today coaches poll has yet to be released.
With the season set to begin in two weeks, the anticipation is at a fever pitch for the Diamond Hogs, who posted a 43-18 overall record in 2023, winning their fourth overall SEC championship, and second in the last three seasons. Arkansas is the only SEC program, and one of just two teams in the nation – alongside Southern Miss – with at least 40 wins in each of the last six full seasons.
Not only does Head Coach Dave Van Horn have a core group of returning starters and lettermen, but he has also brought in the nation’s top recruiting class, as well as a number of key additions through the transfer portal.
The Razorbacks open the season at home on Feb. 16, with the first of a four-game series with James Madison.