FAYETTEVILLE -- The University of Arkansas baseball team isn't hosting an NCAA regional as was assumed most of the season, but at least the Razorbacks weren't shipped out to either coast.
Arkansas was sent to the Stillwater (Okla.) Regional, the closest site at 183 miles west of Fayetteville, a much less expensive and manageable trip for fans than Corvallis, Ore., Charlottesville, Va., or Miami.
The Razorbacks (38-18), the regional's No. 2 seed, open against No. 3 seed Grand Canyon (41-18) at noon on Friday at host Oklahoma State's O'Brate Stadium.
Top-seeded Oklahoma State (39-20) plays No. 4 seed Missouri State (30-27) at 6 p.m. in Friday's nightcap.
For most of the season, college baseball websites had Arkansas as a regional host, but that changed when the Razorbacks went 2-6 in their last eight games. They take a four-game losing streak into the NCAA Tournament.
"I didn't feel like we were going to host a regional," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said Monday after the 64-team NCAA Tournament bracket was announced. "Our RPI wasn't really where it needed to be and losing down the stretch didn't help obviously.
"I'm just glad we're in a regional, and you'll take whatever they give you. But I think it is kind of nice to be a little bit closer."
Arkansas is No. 41 in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index after being No. 20 three weeks ago when the Razorbacks won two of three games at Auburn.
"Maybe just change your mindset a little bit and take a step back and re-evaluate the long season," Van Horn said of what the Razorbacks need to do to do to regain the form that helped them start 16-8 in SEC play. "Maybe think about more the good things that we have done and just be real positive."
Arkansas is playing on the road in a regional for the first time since 2015, when the Razorbacks also were the No. 2 seed in Stillwater and went 3-0 with victories over (in order) Oral Roberts, Oklahoma State and St. John's. They then beat Missouri State two of three games in a super regional at Fayetteville to advance to the College World Series.
This will be the fifth time the Razorbacks have been in a regional in Stillwater -- including 1983, 1986 and 1988 -- but the first time they will play in O'Brate Stadium, which opened last season.
"I haven't seen the facility since it's been completed, but it looks beautiful," Van Horn said. "So I'm excited to see that and play there."
Grand Canyon, located in Phoenix, made the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team after winning the regular-season Western Athletic Conference championship with a 25-5 record.
The Antelopes have victories over Oregon State, Stanford, Texas Tech, Arizona and Arizona State.
Van Horn's Razorbacks have faced Grand Canyon and Coach Andy Stankiewicz four times, going 4-0 with two victories each in 2017 and 2020. All the games were in Fayetteville.
The Antelopes are batting .309 with a 4.48 ERA and .974 fielding percentage.
"Coach Stankiewicz is a good friend of mine and a great coach," Van Horn said. "They're always good. A good defensive team, can pitch and this year they're swinging it.
"Arizona has a lot of good players. They recruit out of Arizona, big time. They get kids out of California. Grand Canyon is an up-and-coming university nationally. It's a good place."
The Razorbacks have trailed by at least three runs in their last eight games against Vanderbilt, Alabama and Florida, though they managed to come back and win one each against the Commodores and Crimson Tide.
"It seems like we've struggled a little bit getting off to a good start," Van Horn said. "We've been behind a lot, trying to fight back, and we did a few times down the stretch.
"But more times than not we didn't catch them obviously. I think more than anything, we need to change our minds. It's a new season and anything can happen."
Up Next
No. 13 Arkansas vs Grand Canyon at the NCAA Stillwater (Okla.) Regional
WHEN Noon Central on Friday
WHERE O’Brate Stadium, Stillwater, Okla.
RECORDS No. 2 seed Arkansas 38-18; No. 3 seed Grand Canyon 41-19
STARTING PITCHERS To be announced
COACHES Dave Van Horn (788-420 in 20th season at Arkansas, 1,108-579 in 28th season overall); Andy Stankiewicz (341-235-1 in 11 seasons at Grand Canyon).
SERIES Arkansas leads 4-0
RADIO Razorback Sports Network
TV SEC Network
STREAMING ESPN3.com
SHORT HOPS Arkansas is ranked No. 13 in the USA Today coaches’ poll released Monday, but is No. 41 in the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index (RPI). The low RPI is the result of what the NCAA formula perceives as a weak non-conference schedule … Grand Canyon, the Western Athletic Conference regular-season champion, made the NCAA Tournament as one the final at-large selections after losing twice to Abilene Christian in the WAC Tournament … The Antelopes are No. 50 in the RPI … The Arkansas-Grand Canyon winner will play the Oklahoma State-Missouri State winner on Saturday night, with the losers of each game meeting earlier Saturday in an elimination game … The Razorbacks are playing on the road in an NCAA regional for the first time since 2015, when they won the Stillwater Regional and eventually advanced to the College World Series … Arkansas has lost its last four games, including two at Alabama and to Alabama and Florida at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. … Arkansas and Grand Canyon last played in 2020 when the Razorbacks beat the Antelopes 6-1 and 10-9 in Fayetteville before the season was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY Off
WEDNESDAY Off
THURSDAY Off
FRIDAY vs. Grand Canyon noon
SATURDAY TBA
SUNDAY TBA
MONDAY TBA