FAYETTEVILLE -- Rolling into SEC play on a heater has become commonplace for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The University of Arkansas is smoking again, with a 10-game winning streak and a No. 1 ranking in hand with Missouri (9-8) in for a three-game set at Baum-Walker Stadium, beginning at 6:30 p.m. tonight.
The Razorbacks (14-2) also entered SEC play riding a 10-game winning streak last season, and they've had on average a five-game win streak entering conference action over the last nine years.
The return of tri-captain Peyton Stovall at second base has helped ignite an Arkansas offense that is hitting .331 and scoring nine runs per game since his return on March 9.
"We're obviously feeling a lot better on the offensive side having Peyton back in the lineup, swinging the bat really well and hitting the ball hard," Coach Dave Van Horn said. "Then on the defensive side as well he gives us another option, experience in the middle, so I'm really liking that a lot.
"As far as not being injured and beaten up, we're in a good position right now."
The Razorbacks are looking to challenge atop the SEC again after winning or tying for the SEC overall title two of the last three years. Arkansas has won or tied for the SEC West crown in four of the last five years.
Ace left-hander Hagen Smith (2-0, 2.12 ERA) will make his fifth start, looking to build on three strong outings in a row. Smith has allowed only 1 run -- on a solo home run -- and 5 hits over his last 16 innings while striking out 38 batters in that span.
Missouri will start sophomore 6-foot right-hander Logan Lunceford (1-0, 8.36), who has allowed 23 hits and 1 walk in 14 innings, with 12 strikeouts. He picked up his win with five shutout innings against Purdue Fort Wayne last weekend, and his ERA suffered with a 7-run outing in which he recorded four outs in a no-decision against Northern Kentucky the week before.
While Smith's pitch cap had been about 80 the last three starts, he worked only 64 pitches last week because weather concerns on Friday pushed him to Saturday.
"We've tried to take care of them and pull them 80 pitches or so," Van Horn said of the Hogs' starting trio of Smith, Brady Tygart and Mason Molina.
"We took him out of the game an inning earlier than we normally would have this time of year. They'll kind of show us what to do, but the [pitch count] number is higher if they can reach it. If it's a stressful 90 pitches or so, maybe you get them out early. If it's an easy 80, you let them go out and if they get to 100 you let them go. ... They've done a good job of throwing enough strikes that they can keep their pitch counts down."
Missouri is working under first-year Coach Kerrick Jackson, the first Black head baseball coach in SEC history.
The Tigers have not had a winning SEC record in the 11 seasons since they joined, with a high of 15-15 in 2015, and they finished last in the SEC East the last three years with a combined league record of 28-62 under Steve Bieser.
On Jackson's staff is Tim Jamieson, who racked up 698 wins in 22 seasons as the Tigers' head coach from 1995-2016.
Jackson predicted the Tigers would do great things under his leadership.
"I'm not going to put a timetable on it because all good things take time," Jackson said for Missouri's media guide. "We will do it in a time frame that is necessary for us to be successful. But I assure you we will be successful. We will be competitive in the SEC. We will return to regional play and it will all be done with the idea of getting to Omaha."
The Tigers got their heads above .500 at 9-8 with a 5-4 win in 10 innings at Kansas on Tuesday.
Van Horn said the overall stats for the Razorbacks and Tigers are not that different.
"Their top-of-the-line pitchers have done well, their weekend starters and one or two of their relievers," Van Horn said. "Other than that I've just watched them a little bit here and there and followed some scores. I know that was a really big win for them the other night at Kansas, to win that game in extra innings.
"I think it's still too early to know exactly what you're getting into. But when SEC games start anything can happen. Teams usually elevate if they can. We expect it to be a really good SEC series."
Van Horn said his biggest lineup decisions will come at third base between Jared Sprague-Lott (team-high .381 average, 1 HR, 6 RBI) and Peyton Holt (.372, 5 RBI) and designated hitter, where players like Nolan Souza (.364, 1, 6), Jayson Jones (.211, 3, 13) and Ross Lovich (.370, 1, 9) enter the picture.
Lovich will be going against his brother, Jackson (.369, 5, 19), a sophomore first baseman from Overland Park, Kan. The Razorbacks have a commitment from a third Lovich brother, Eli, an outfielder and pitcher.
"First off a [sophomore] hitting five home runs that might be leading his team up there in Jackson, and then you've got Ross here, who's swung the bat extremely well, been on base a lot, hit a home run the other day," Van Horn said. "He's hit some balls hard that have been caught. ... Then we have the youngest brother [Eli], who is a senior in high school. He'll probably be here. Kind of neat. A lot of good baseball players in that family."
Other Tiger hitting standouts include Jackson Beaman (.346, 3, 13), Jedier Hernandez (.341, 1, 11), Trevor Austin (.328, 7, 16) and Thomas Curry (.304, 2, 14).
Today's game
NO. 1 ARKANSAS VS. MISSOURI
WHEN 6:30 p.m.
WHERE Baum-Walker Stadium,
Fayetteville
RECORDS Missouri 9-8;
Arkansas 14-2
STARTING PITCHERS Missouri RHP Logan Lunceford (1-0, 8.36 ERA); Arkansas LHP Hagen Smith (2-0, 2.12)
SERIES Tied 33-33-1 per Missouri records
TV None
RADIO Razorback Sports Network
STREAMING SEC Network-Plus