SUPER REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

Part of the beauty of baseball is that a team like Arkansas can look lousy for a couple of weeks, then turn into champions by winning three consecutive games at last week’s Houston Regional. One thing seems certain at this weekend’s best-of-3 super regional at Baylor. Arkansas won’t beat the Bears by getting only two hits, like it did in a 1-0 victory over Rice last Saturday at the Houston Regional. Baylor’s lineup is too good for that, with six regulars hitting better than .300.

Arkansas has a good enough team to beat Baylor if its offense can produce some runs.

Baylor lost its opening game 4-2 to Oral Roberts last weekend, then reeled off four consecutive victories in the Texas heat to win the Waco Regional. That’s an impressive feat, no matter the competition.

The Arkansas-Baylor series features superb pitching matchups, with DJ Baxendale (7-4, 2.83 ERA) and Ryne Stanek (7-4, 2.83 ERA) going up against the Bears’ Trent Blank (10-1, 2.32 ERA) and Josh Turley (9-1, 1.83 ERA). If Arkansas can earn a split in the first two games, that would force a deciding game Monday, with Randall Fant (2-2, 3.62 ERA) likely opposing Baylor’s Tyler Bremer (7-1, 3.08 ERA).

Arkansas has won some big games on the road this season, particularly at Florida, but the Razorbacks must beat Baylor twice on its home field with a trip to the College World Series at stake.

That’s a long, tall task, especially at Baylor Ballpark, where the Bears are 33-4 this season.

PREDICTION Baylor wins super regional, 2-1.