The Hogs closed the regular season with a 43-13 record and earned the No. 3 overall national seed, securing the right to host the Fayetteville Regional. In their last outing the Hogs fell to Ole Miss in the SEC tournament. The Kansas Jayhawks are the No. 2 seed in the regional, Creighton is the No. 3 seed, and North Dakota State is the No. 4 seed. The Razorbacks will open regional play against North Dakota State on May 30 at 2 p.m.
Previewing North Dakota State
North Dakota State enters the Fayetteville Regional after winning the Summit League championship. The Bison carry a 20-32 overall record and a 13-15 mark in conference play. As a team, the Bison are hitting .255 with a .354 on-base percentage. Power isn’t a major factor for North Dakota State’s offense, which has hit just 30 home runs on the season. Jake Schaffner leads the team with a .384 batting average and a .443 on-base percentage, while Davis Hamilton, second in batting average, leads the team with 37 RBIs.
On the mound, the Bison have struggled with a 6.05 team ERA. Opponents are hitting .280 against them, and in 437 1/3 innings, North Dakota State has allowed 477 hits and 324 runs while striking out 364 batters. Though the Bison have given up only 49 home runs, they’ll face an Arkansas lineup that has hit 110.
Previewing the Hogs
Arkansas enters regional play as the No. 3 national seed with one of the most powerful offenses in the country. The Razorbacks are hitting .313 as a team with 110 home runs. Seven players have hit 10 or more home runs this season, led by Wehiwa Aloy with 18. Aloy, named SEC Player of the Year, is also a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist. Five Razorbacks are batting over .330.
On the mound, Arkansas has a team ERA of 4.06 and is holding opponents to a .235 batting average. In 477 innings pitched, the Hogs have allowed 422 hits and 232 runs, while walking 168 batters and striking out 587. Freshman Aiden Jimenez will get the start against North Dakota State, marking his second start of the season. He has a 3.37 ERA in 34 2/3 innings, allowing 34 hits and recording 34 strikeouts.
Broadcast Information
First pitch is set for 2 p.m. on May 30 at Baum-Walker Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.