FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas baseball team will play a ground-breaking schedule in 2021 by hosting all four in-state Division I schools at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Coach Dave Van Horn said Monday the Razorbacks have just added single games against the University of Central Arkansas and Arkansas State University. Those games would join previously scheduled meetings against University of Arkansas at Little Rock and University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
The Razorbacks faced UALR and UAPB last year and had three games on tap against those teams this year prior to the covid-19 pandemic halting the season on March 13.
Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek announced last week the school was loosening scheduling restrictions in an effort to play more regional games and reduce travel costs in all sports except football. The Razorbacks began adding games against schools from the UA System last year in multiple sports.
“I think that playing each other will grow our game and help make it more popular,” said Van Horn, who was a strong advocate for starting the series with UALR and UAPB last year.
“I think playing the other schools is gonna be great. Obviously it’s going to be a battle playing those guys on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between conference series. But at the same time, it’s just good for everybody involved.”
The dates for some of the in-state games are still tentative at this stage, UA officials said. The Razorbacks have not released their 2021 baseball schedule yet.