Arkansas baseball to participate in Globe Life Field tournament
Football season is right around the corner, but that doesn't stop baseball from being on the forefront of fans' minds, especially for fans of the Arkansas baseball team.
On Tuesday, the dates were announced for the tournaments set to be held in Arlington, Texas, at Globe Life Field — the home of the Texas Rangers.
From February 23-25, Globe Life Field is set to host Arkansas, Michigan, Oklahoma State and Oregon State. The only team of those four that didn't make the NCAA Tournament was Michigan, which lost in the national championship series in 2019.
Arkansas fans are familiar with Oklahoma State and Oregon State. The Razorbacks faced off against the Cowboys in the Stillwater Regional during the 2022 postseason. That high-scoring affair led to the breaking of the previous postseason record for runs scored in a regional. The teams in the Stillwater Regional drove 148 runs across, which broke the 141-run record.
As much as fans would like to forget, the Oregon State Beavers defeated the Razorbacks in the 2018 National Championship series. Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn and company will definitely have more motivation for that game.
From March 1-3, TCU, Arizona State, USC and Texas A&M will all travel to Globe Life Field to face off. While the Razorbacks don't play, this tournament field has some interesting storylines.
TCU played in the Fayetteville Regional during the 2023 postseason and prevented the Razorbacks from advancing to the Super Regionals. The Horned Frogs and Diamond Hogs also played at Globe Life Field on Feb. 18 in the 2023 College Baseball Showdown.
Texas A&M is a fellow SEC team, and this will be a good opportunity to get an early look at the Aggies.
Arkansas has played well in recent neutral-site tournaments. In 2023, the Razorbacks went 2-1 in the College Baseball Showdown against Texas, TCU and Oklahoma State. In 2021, the Diamond Hogs played in the Round Rock Classic and finished 2-1 with wins over Indiana and Louisiana and a loss to Stanford.
With Arkansas returning pitchers Hagen Smith and Brady Tygart, plus the addition of the No. 1 high school recruiting class and another strong transfer class, the Razorbacks should have as good a chance as anyone of winning this tournament at Globe Life Field.
Premium tickets for the College Baseball Series will go on sale Wednesday.