The Arkansas Razorbacks and Tennessee Volunteers are set to clash in the Fayetteville Super Regional this weekend with a berth to the College World Series in Omaha on the line.
It wasn't but three weeks ago that these two teams faced off, as the Hogs won the series over the Vols 2-1 to cap off the regular season, but the stakes are even higher now. Arkansas hasn't advanced to Omaha since 2022, while Tennessee is the defending national champion.
In the last matchup, Arkansas plated a total of 23 runs across three games and won two of those, but since this is the second time in three weeks the two have faced off, offense may be an even higher priority.
"You can go back and look at your previous at-bats and just find the arm slots, see where they stand on the mound," Arkansas second baseman Cam Kozeal said Friday. "All that good stuff. It’s just, you’ve done it before, so it already brings a comfort level."
On top of the hitters' familiarity with the opposing pitchers, which goes for the Razorbacks and the Volunteers both, this weekend's series will feature two of the most powerful offenses in the nation.
Tennessee is third in the country in home runs (128) while Arkansas is sixth (120), and they're the two highest left in the NCAA Tournament. When it comes to home runs per game, Arkansas and Tennessee both average 2.03 per game, but it's worth noting Tennessee has played four more games than Arkansas has.
Along with the powerful offenses that will take the field this weekend, Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said the wind and weather could also play a factor.
WATCH: Dave Van Horn, players preview Fayetteville Super Regional
"Right now, it’s all about the wind when you’re talking about the ball carrying," Van Horn said. "The wind’s going to blow out, it’s blown in all week with all this heat and south-southwest winds. Now you’re going to change over to west-northwest or whatever and it’s going to be jumpy. It is what it is."
That said, Tennessee's pitching is also not one to mess with. The Vols boast the country's leader in strikeouts in lefty junior Liam Doyle, who owns a 2.84 ERA in 92 innings of work this season.
The Hogs got to Doyle in the first matchup and scored eight runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings, but he put on a show in the Knoxville Regional last weekend. He made two appearances in one weekend and allowed just four hits and one run to go along with 16 strikeouts allowed across nine total innings.
"It was pretty gutsy on his part, he wanted the ball, wanted to help his team win and he threw really good two or three days before that," Van Horn said. "He’s a really good pitcher. He’s won a lot of games, leads the country in strikeouts. We’ll worry about him when we get to him."
Van Horn said the offense or defense having the upper hand this weekend could "be either way," but he's focused on how his team is playing.
"I think bottom line, it's what your players do," Van Horn said. "Are your hitters locked in, swinging at strikes? Pitchers throwing strikes, and doing what they do? I think it gives coaching staffs an opportunity to maybe see more of what might get them out or what won't. And then we got to use it. But really it comes down to the players, they just got to do what they do."
The Razorbacks and Volunteers will meet in Game 1 of the Fayetteville Super Regional on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT. The game will air nationally on ESPN.
