The No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks (1-0) will clash with the No. 15 TCU Horned Frogs (1-0) in an evening matchup at Globe Life Field in the College Baseball Showdown.
Arkansas took down the Texas Longhorns, 3-2, on Friday night behind a five-inning start from Hagen Smith that featured eight strikeouts and a save from Brady Tygart that saw the sophomore fan three batters.
TCU dominated SEC East powerhouse Vanderbilt, 11-4, on Friday afternoon. The Horned Frogs posted nine runs across the sixth and seventh innings and recorded 12 total hits in the matchup.
While the matchup against an always tough Longhorns team resulted in an Opening Day win for the Razorbacks, head coach Dave Van Horn was already worrying about TCU after the game.
"They looked really athletic to me," Van Horn said. "They've got a superstar third baseman. You saw him hit that ball about 430 feet way up into the seats. They're just scrappy."
The superstar third baseman he alluded to is junior Brayden Taylor, who was named preseason player of the year in the Big 12. He went 2-5 from the plate with the homer in Friday's win over the Commodores.
Van Horn also mentioned that the Horned Frogs are very familiar with Globe Life Field, as they've played at least 10 games in the ballpark. With less than a 30 minute drive from the TCU campus, the Horned Frogs have an advantage of knowing the lay of the land.
"We're going to have to play really good (Saturday)," Van Horn said. "When we get the chance to score, we're going to have to score."
HawgBeat will have you covered with live updates, stats, commentary and much more throughout the game, and you can check out details on how to watch, projected starting pitchers, notes and more below:
How to Watch/Listen
Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (1-0) vs TCU Horned Frogs (1-0)
When: Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7:35 p.m. CT
Where: Arlington, Texas — Globe Life Field
Stream/Online: FloSports
*Click here to get FloSports for just $12.50/month rather than the full price of $29.99/month. It says it’s for the CAA conference games only but it actually gives you full access to everything.*
Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Brett Dolan and Bubba Carpenter)
Arkansas Starting Pitcher
Redshirt junior RHP Will McEntire
2022 stats: 12 GP, 8 GS, 2-2 W/L, 2.59 ERA, 48.2 IP, 23 BB, 49 K
Arkansas Starting Lineup
1. Tavian Josenberger CF
2. Peyton Stovall 2B
3. Caleb Cali 3B
4. Brady Slavens 1B
5. Jared Wegner LF
6. Jace Bohrofen RF
7. Kendall Diggs DH
8. Hudson Polk C
9. John Bolton SS
TCU Starting Pitcher
Junior RHP Cam Brown
2022 stats: 13 GP, 9 GS, 5-2 W/L, 4.42 ERA, 53.0 IP, 31 BB, 49 K
TCU Starting Lineup
1. Austin Davis RF
2. Elijah Nunez CF
3. Brayden Taylor 3B
4. Kurtis Byrne C
5. David Bishop 1B
6. Luke Boyers LF
7. Cole Fontenelle DH
8. Tre Richardson 2B
9. Anthony Silva SS
Notes
~ Arkansas is ranked by all six major college baseball polls to begin the season:
Perfect Game – No. 4
NCBWA – No. 6
USA Today Coaches – No. 6
Collegiate Baseball – No. 7
D1Baseball – No. 8
Baseball America – No. 11
~ TCU was also ranked by all six major college baseball polls:
Perfect Game – No. 14
NCBWA – No. 16
USA Today Coaches – No. 17
Collegiate Baseball – No. 15
D1Baseball – No. 15
Baseball America – No. 14
~ The Razorbacks finished 2022 with a 46-21 record, including a 3-2 record at the College World Series. The Horned Frogs were 38-22 last year and they went 2-2, falling to Texas A&M in the College Station Regional.
More of HawgBeat's Arkansas Baseball Coverage
Diamond Hogs’ pitching shines in season-opening win
Hogs win nail-biter over Texas, 3-2
WATCH: Van Horn, players recap 3-2 win over Texas
Live Scoreboard: Arkansas 3, Texas 2
Scouting Arkansas' College Baseball Showdown opponents
HawgBeat's week-by-week picks for Diamond Hogs' 2023 season
Arkansas' weekend rotation set for College Baseball Showdown
