#1 Arkansas Heads to Athens for SEC Weekend Series at #7 Georgia
ATHENS, Ga. – Unanimous No. 1 Arkansas (31-3, 11-1 SEC), winners of a program-record 11 consecutive SEC contests and off to its best 34-game overall start in school history, embarks on its third SEC road series of the season this weekend with a trip to Athens, Ga., to square off against No. 7 Georgia (30-5, 8-4 SEC) at Foley Field.
First pitch in the series opener between the Razorbacks and Bulldogs is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT Friday, April 11, on SEC Network+ with Matt Stewart (play-by-play) and Jason Jacobs (analyst) on the call. Arkansas has won each of its first four SEC weekend series and has swept three consecutive SEC weekend series for the first time since the 1999 campaign.
At 11-1 in conference play, the Hogs have started 8-4 or better through the first 12 games of SEC play in eight straight seasons (2017-pres.), representing the best stretch of starting 8-4 or better in SEC play by a team since LSU did so in eight consecutive seasons from 1991-98. Additionally, thanks to its 11-1 start to league play, Arkansas has ensured an 11-4 or better start through its first 15 games of SEC play for the fifth consecutive season, starting 11-4 three times (2021, 2022 and 2023) and matching its program-best 15-game SEC start with a 12-3 mark once (2024) since 2021.
Schedule
Friday, April 11
#1 Arkansas vs. #7 Georgia – 5 p.m. CT – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
Saturday, April 12
#1 Arkansas vs. #7 Georgia – 3 p.m. CT – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
Sunday, April 13
#1 Arkansas vs. #7 Georgia – Noon p.m. CT – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
On the Mound
Friday, April 11
Arkansas – LHP Zach Root (5-1, 3.48 ERA)
Georgia – RHP Brian Curley (2-0, 3.45 ERA)
Saturday, April 12
Arkansas – RHP Gabe Gaeckle (2-0, 5.77 ERA)
Georgia – RHP Kolten Smith (2-1, 4.34 ERA)
Sunday, April 13
Arkansas – LHP Landon Beidelschies (4-0, 3.82 ERA)
Georgia – RHP Leighton Finley (2-0, 6.44 ERA)
Tune In
Matt Stewart (play-by-play) and Jason Jacobs (analyst) have the call on all three games of this weekend’s series between top-ranked Arkansas and seventh-ranked Georgia on SEC Network+ The entire weekend series between the Razorbacks and Bulldogs can also be heard on the Razorback Sports Network from Learfield, including locally in Fayetteville on 92.1 FM or through the Razorback app, with Phil Elson on the call. A full list of radio affiliates is available here.
History Lesson
Arkansas comes into the weekend series owning a 37-28 overall record against Georgia, including a 13-18 mark in games played in Athens. Under head coach Dave Van Horn, the Hogs are 24-20 overall and 9-11 in Athens against the Bulldogs.
Entering this weekend, the Razorbacks and Bulldogs are an even 7-7 over their last 14 meetings on the diamond since the 2017 campaign. Arkansas was swept on the road by Georgia in 2023 and has not won a weekend series in Athens since the 2015 season, when it took two-of-three games against the Bulldogs at Foley Field.
Hogs’ Historic Start
Following its midweek win against Arkansas State on Tuesday night at Baum-Walker Stadium, Arkansas improved to 31-3 overall on the year, representing its most wins through the first 34 games of a season in program history.
Arkansas swept Missouri last weekend to improve 11-1 in SEC play, matching the team’s best 12-game start to conference play since 1992 and 2024. With a series win against the Bulldogs this weekend in Athens, the Hogs can make more program history by achieving their best 15-game SEC start – either 13-2 with two wins or 14-1 with a sweep.
SEC Sweepin’
Arkansas has won each of its first four conference series to begin the season, including an SEC Opening Weekend series win on the road at Ole Miss (March 14-16) before securing sweeps in each of its last three SEC series against South Carolina (March 21-23), on the road at Vanderbilt (March 28-30) and, most recently, against Missouri (April 5-6).
The Hogs have swept three consecutive SEC weekend series for the first time since 1999 and enter this weekend riding a program-record 11-game SEC winning streak. In 1999, Arkansas swept Tennessee at home, Florida in Gainesville, Fla., and Kentucky at home in three consecutive weekends as part of its then-program best 10-game SEC winning streak.
It Just Means More Wins
Thanks to its 11-1 start to SEC play, Arkansas has ensured an 11-4 or better start through its first 15 games of league action for the fifth consecutive season. Since the 2021 campaign, the Razorbacks have started 11-4 on three occasions (2021, 2022 and 2023) and matched their program-best 15-game SEC start with a 12-3 mark once (2024).
Arkansas has finished with 20 or more SEC victories in a season five times in program history, including four times under head coach Dave Van Horn. The Razorbacks reached the 20-win mark in SEC play in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024 for the first time in program history. Arkansas, which has reached the 20-win mark in SEC play in four of the last five full seasons, is the first team since LSU from 1994-97 to post four 20-win SEC campaigns in five years.
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