FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said Thursday he thinks the College Baseball Showdown will still be played this weekend while Texas recovers from a week of energy and water shortages.
“We haven’t been told anything different,” Van Horn said. “We talked to some of the administrators of the tournament a couple of times yesterday. They said they’re still ready to go.”
The No. 8 Razorbacks are scheduled to play No. 4 Texas Tech on Saturday, No. 10 Texas and No. 11 TCU during the three-day, six-team event at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Mississippi State and Ole Miss are also scheduled to play games there.
All six teams and the host city have been affected by the winter storm that swept across the South earlier this week. In Texas, millions lost power as the state's energy providers struggled to keep up with demand. Boil orders have also been issued for several of the state's water systems, including by the city of Arlington.
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Travel concerns caused tournament organizers to push the event back one day. It was originally scheduled to begin Friday.
“I know some of the teams are having some issues in their own hometown areas, so to speak, on getting out of town,” Van Horn said. “As far as the tournament and electricity and power at the ballpark, they’re good to go.
“That could change throughout the day, but as of right now we’re planning on heading out tomorrow.”
On Wednesday, Texas Tech athletics director Kirby Hocutt said he thought the event would still be played.
“There’s been no conversation about canceling the entire week,” Hocutt said on his radio show. “The delay trying to get all the teams safely there and get past some of this colder weather was a priority. So hopefully the moving back to Saturday, Sunday, Monday…is going to help and allow us to play this weekend. Right now we fully expect to play all three games starting on Saturday.”
Weather conditions are forecast to improve in Arlington by the weekend. The high temperature in the city will be near 60 degrees Sunday and Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
Globe Life Field has a retractable roof that allows for the games to be played in a controlled climate.