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Arkansas welcomes Texas A&M to Baum-Walker Stadium for three games this weekend. Here’s everything you need to know about the series…

Schedule (TV)

Friday, April 16 - 6:30 p.m. CT (SECN+)

Saturday, April 17 - 6:30 p.m. CT (SECN+)

Sunday, April 18 - 2 p.m. CT (SECN+)

All three games this weekend will be streamed on SEC Network-Plus, meaning they can be watched online on ESPN3.com or the ESPN app with a cable provider’s log-in credentials.

Weather Report

Rain is expected to impact Arkansas for the second straight weekend, as there is a 79 percent chance of rain at 6 p.m. Friday, according to the Weather Channel. However, that drops to 56 percent at 7 p.m. and 45 percent by 9 p.m. Temperatures will be in the low-50s.

There is a slight chance of rain Saturday afternoon, which could effect a potential doubleheader, but it should move out by the scheduled 6:30 p.m. first pitch for Game 2. Temperatures will once again be in the 50s and winds will be about 10 mph out of the northwest.

Sunday looks like the best day, as there is an expected high of 60 degrees, but there’s still a small chance for rain and winds will be 10-15 mph out of the northwest again.

Arkansas’ Starting Rotation (2021 stats)

Friday - Jr. LHP Patrick Wicklander (8 games/4 starts, 1-1, 2.76 ERA, 32 K/12 BB, 29 1/3 IP)

Saturday - So. RHP Peyton Pallette (9 games/6 starts, 1-2, 4.83 ERA, 44 K/13 BB, 31 2/3 IP)

Sunday - Sr. LHP Lael Lockhart (8 games/8 starts, 1-1, 4.24 ERA, 35 K/14 BB, 34 IP)

Despite their struggles last weekend, head coach Dave Van Horn is sticking with the same three starting pitchers he used at Ole Miss.

The trio combined for a 12.19 ERA in 10 1/3 total innings against the Rebels, with none of them lasting longer than four innings. They also allowed a .380 opponent batting average.

Getting deep into games has been a problem for Arkansas’ starting pitchers all season, but Van Horn is hopeful that means they have plenty of innings left in their arms and they’ll get it on track so the Razorbacks don’t have to rely so heavily on their bullpen.

“I think if you look all over the country, this time of year, a lot of times you’ll have some teams that are trying to figure it out a little bit…or they’re a little tired,” Van Horn said. “Our starters haven’t given us much innings, so they should have some stamina. They should have some innings built up and ready to go.”

In the Polls

Arkansas is once again the unanimous No. 1 team in college baseball thanks to a series win at Ole Miss and Vanderbilt’s series loss to Georgia last weekend. That of course gives the Razorbacks the top spot in the Rivals Composite Poll. On the flip side, Texas A&M has not appeared in the composite poll this season.

Scouting the Opponent

Record: 20-15 (3-9 SEC)

Head coach: Rob Childress (16th season)

Series history: Tied 43-43

Texas A&M’s starting rotation (2021 stats)

Friday - Sr. LHP Dustin Saenz (8 games/8 starts, 5-3, 3.19 ERA, 69 K/12 BB, 48 IP)

Saturday - Sr. RHP Bryce Miller (6 games/6 starts, 2-1, 3.58 ERA, 40 K/12 BB, 27 2/3 IP)

Sunday - Fr. RHP Nathan Dettmer (11 games/8 starts, 3-1, 2.43 ERA, 39 K/19 BB, 40 2/3 IP)

Texas A&M’s top hitters (2021 stats)

~Will Frizzell: .357/.446/.674, 11 HR, 28 RBI

~Ray Alejo: .345/.415/.491, 2 HR, 12 RBI

~Austin Bost: .328/.368/.538, 6 HR, 23 RBI

~Logan Britt: .282/.333/.524, 5 HR, 20 RBI

Notes and Tidbits

~Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress was a long-time pitching coach for Van Horn. The pair worked together at Texarkana College (1991-92), Northwestern State (1995-97) and Nebraska (1998-2002).

~Since Childress became the head coach of the Aggies in 2006, Van Horn owns a 14-9 record against his protege. All but one of those games - a loss in 2008 - have been since Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2013.

~Because the two schools were once members of the Southwest Conference, their history extends beyond their time together in the SEC. As mentioned above, the all-time series is tied 43-43, according to the UA media guide. To further illustrate how close the series is, Arkansas has outscored Texas A&M by just three runs, 438-435, in those 86 games.

~This will be a matchup of two of the top power-hitting teams in the country. The Razorbacks lead all of Division I with 63 home runs, while the Aggies are tied for 11th nationally with 44 home runs. However, it’s worth noting that Texas A&M is just sixth in the SEC in long balls, trailing Arkansas, LSU (54), South Carolina (50), Auburn (48) and Alabama (45).

~Texas A&M’s pitching staff averages 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings. That ranks seventh nationally, but fifth in the SEC, as Mississippi State (13.2), South Carolina (12.6), Ole Miss (12.1) and Vanderbilt (12.0) are the top four Division I teams in that statistic.

Quotable

Van Horn, on what he knows about Texas A&M:

“What we know about them is they have outstanding pitching. They have really good arms. This is a team A&M, they’re like all the teams in our league, you kind of have to throw the records out in league play. It’s really weekend to weekend. … Yeah, they’re 3-9, but they could easily be 9-3.”

Stat of the Week

Sitting at 28-5, Arkansas would reach the 30-win mark if it takes two of three games against Texas A&M this weekend.

Doing so by winning the first two games of the series would mark the quickest the Razorbacks have hit 30 wins (35 games) since 1989. If the second win comes in a Game 3 rubber match, it would be the quickest they’ve done so since the 2010 season.

HR Tracker

HawgBeat brought back the home run tracker earlier this season, when it became apparent Arkansas was going to make a run at the single-season record set in 2018.

The Razorbacks hit just one home run in the first two games against Ole Miss last week, but hit three in the rubber match and - after a one-homer game Tuesday - smacked eight against UAPB on Wednesday. That was one shy of matching the single-game record set against Grambling in 2010.

Not only does Arkansas lead all of Division I in home runs with 63 (Old Dominion and LSU are second with 54), but it is seven home runs ahead of its 2018 pace. It had just 56 long balls through 33 games that season and didn’t hit No. 63 until its 40th game.