HawgBeat's coverage of the Razorbacks' Road to Redemption in Omaha is brought to you by Arkansas Oral Surgery, which has offices located in Conway and Russellville.
FAYETTEVILLE — After getting early games for the super regional, Arkansas’ first game in Omaha is in primetime.
First pitch for the Razorbacks’ matchup with Florida State is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT Saturday, the NCAA announced Monday night. It will be televised on ESPN.
This will be the sixth time Arkansas has played the Seminoles, with the previous five all coming in the postseason and ending with wins for the Razorbacks.
They beat swept Florida State in the 2004 Fayetteville Super Regional and 2009 Tallahassee Super Regional, plus beat it once in the 1985 South II Regional en route to the College World Series.
All but one of those games was decided by two or fewer runs, though, with Andrew Darr hitting a walk-off double in the last matchup a decade ago.
Both teams have massive storylines heading into Omaha. The Razorbacks are looking to redeem themselves after coming within a strike of winning their first national title last season, while the Seminoles are trying to send legendary head coach Mike Martin out with his first title in his final season.
“Two days before the season, I sent him a long text telling him how much I appreciated him and wishing him good luck and hopefully he has a great last season,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said after beating Ole Miss. “He sent me a nice note back and now we get to play each other, so I’m excited to shake his hand.”
HawgBeat will be in Omaha for the duration of Arkansas’ stay and will provide comprehensive coverage of the event, thanks in large part to our sponsor, Arkansas Oral Surgery.
Here are the game times for all of the first-round matchups: