Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Hogs,Trojans meeting good for both
FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Razorbacks’ temporarily most-embarrassing baseball defeat ultimately became the best loss they ever suffered for retaining perspective.
In 2019, when the Razorbacks broke their long-standing policy of not scheduling in-state opponents in athletics, the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans slaughtered them 17-7 in a midweek game at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.
The Hogs and Trojans renew their nonconference rivalry at 3 p.m. today at Baum-Walker, which was pushed up from 6:30 p.m. due to anticipated cold weather.
“You see!” those advocating the Razorbacks’ avoiding in-state competition exclaimed. “Just proof the Razorbacks have nothing to gain and everything to lose scheduling in-state schools they are supposed to beat.”
Razorbacks baseball Coach Dave Van Horn was not among that boohooing chorus. He has great respect for UALR Coach Chris Curry, one of his former graduate assistants. And he figured why not play Arkansas-Little Rock, Arkansas State, the University of Central Arkansas and Arkansas-Pine Bluff? Reigning national champion LSU faces Louisiana schools during nonconference play and remains powerful even with the occasional home state loss.
Van Horn tipped his cap to Curry’s crew and wrote it off as one of those midweek games when his second-line pitchers performed like fourth-raters. The sun would come up tomorrow and so would the more important SEC weekend series just as Curry prepped the Trojans for their important Sun Belt Conference series that upcoming weekend.
Not only did the sun rise the next Fayetteville morning, but when it set on the baseball season’s end the 46-18, SEC West champion Razorbacks played in the College World Series.
Last year’s 11-4 loss to Trojans didn’t dissuade the Razorbacks from winning the SEC.
So while both the Hogs (19-3, 5-1 SEC) and Trojans strive doing their best tonight, the reigning SEC champions off winning 2 of 3 at Auburn, will have their eyes on hosting reigning national champion LSU from Thursday through Saturday while
Curry’s Trojans (13-11, 2-1 Ohio Valley Conference) travel to St. Charles, Mo., for a Thursday through Saturday series with OVC foe Lindenwood.
Sure, beating the Razorbacks enhances the Trojans’ prestige but advances them no closer to an OVC title than the Hogs winning tonight would advance their SEC standing.
After losing 8-6 Sunday at No. 23 Auburn, Arkansas’ first SEC loss after sweeping three from Missouri at Baum-Walker and winning the first two in Auburn, Ala., Van Horn was asked last Saturday about his
approach to tonight’s nonconference game as LSU looms.
“We’re going to try to win the game, obviously,” Van Horn said. “They’re going to give us everything we can handle on Tuesday. I think they’re picked to win their league. If you’re picked to win your league, you’ve got a veteran team. I do need to fill in a few guys who need to get some at bats and we’ve got some good pitchers that need to pitch. We need to see if we need to add them to our roster on the weekend.”