Razorbacks to host Fayetteville Regional
FAYETTEVILLE - Officially the Arkansas Razorbacks were notified Sunday night they will at Baum Stadium host the Fayetteville Regional, one of the 16 4-team double-elimination regionals around the country that start college baseball’s national championship process culminating at the 8-team College World Series in Omaha.
All of the regionals start Friday and conclude Sunday, or Monday should the loser’s bracket team Sunday extend its regional to a winner take all championship game.
The 16 regional winners are bracketed for best 2 out of 3 Super Regionals with those eight winners advancing to Omaha.
The entire regional field and its pairings and brackets will be announced today.
Arkansas, 13th in last week’s USA Today Coaches poll, is 42-17 overall and concluded with Sunday’s 4-2 championship game loss to LSU as the runner-up in the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala.
Before the SEC Tournament, the Razorbacks finished the SEC regular season at 18-11 for second in the West to LSU and fourth overall in the league behind co-champions Florida, the East champion, LSU, both 21-9, and SEC East runner-up Kentucky, 19-11.
Arkansas played one less SEC game because of a rainout at Tennessee.
In the SEC Tournament recovered from a 4-3 firstround loss to Mississippi State to eliminate Auburn, 12-0 on the 10-rule after seven innings, eliminate Mississippi State, 9-2, eliminate Florida, 16-0 again on the 10-0-run rule in the seventh inning, and loaded the bases in Sunday’s ninth-inning before losing the championship game to LSU.
Arkansas junior first baseman Chad Spanberger, intentionally walked with runners at first and second and the Hogs down, 4-2 in Sunday’s ninth inning, was named the SEC Tournament MVP after hitting five home runs and knocking in 10 runs for the tournament including SEC records three home runs and seven RBI in the 12-0 victory over Auburn.
Arkansas pitchers Dominic Taccolini, Matt Cronin and Josh Alberius also adorn the SEC Tournament record from that 7-inning victory over Auburn by combining for the tournament’s first-ever no-hitter.
Spanberger hit so well that SEC regular season MVP, Mississippi State Bulldogs’ first baseman Brent Rooker, the SEC batting average-home run-RBI triple crown leader going into the SEC Tournament, gave the Razorback personal kudos during Friday’s 9-2 Arkansas triumph over the Bulldogs.
“Rooker last night was like, ‘You hit a double. Are you slumping or something?” Spanberger told the SEC Network Saturday after hitting two home runs against Florida. “That’s big coming from him. Eric (Cole, the Razorbacks right fielder who homered against Florida and also homered Sunday against LSU) said ‘Is this like a showcase for you or something?’ I don’t know what’s happening Just coming out and playing, I guess.”
Arkansas sophomore left-handed pitcher Kacey Murphy of Rogers also made the SEC Tournament team for throwing a 7-inning, 2-hit shutout against Florida, and Razorbacks junior Luke Bonfield was named the AllSEC Tournament designated hitter.
Cronin, who struck out the lone batter he faced Sunday in relief against LSU, and Murphy both emerged during the SEC Tournament as left-handed options on a Razorbacks staff that has been dominated by right-handed starters Trevor Stephan and Bryant’s Blaine Knight and right-handed reliever Jake Reindl.
Stephan pitched well in his no-decision in the eventual loss against Mississippi State.
Knight beat Mississippi State in the rematch going 6 2-3 with Reindl finishing.