#2 Arkansas Heads to Kubota College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field
ARLINGTON, Texas – After an Opening Weekend series win at home, the second-ranked Razorbacks hit the road for the first time this season and make their way down to Arlington, Texas, to compete in the Kubota College Baseball Series.
No. 2 Arkansas (3-1) will square off against No. 7 Oregon State (5-0), Oklahoma State (2-2) and Michigan (2-2) during the three-game tournament at Globe Life Field, home of the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers. The action gets started Friday, Feb. 23, with first pitch between the Hogs and Beavers scheduled for 7 p.m. on FloBaseball.
This weekend will mark the Razorbacks’ third appearance (2021, 2023, 2024) in the Arlington-based tournament. Arkansas is 5-1 all-time in games played at Globe Life Field, including a perfect 3-0 record in 2021 and a 2-1 record in 2023.
Kubota College Baseball Series Schedule
Friday, Feb. 23
#7 Oregon State vs. #2 Arkansas – 7 p.m. – FloBaseball – Listen – Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 24
#2 Arkansas vs. Oklahoma State – 7 p.m. – FloBaseball – Listen – Live Stats
Sunday, Feb. 25
#2 Arkansas vs. Michigan – 1 p.m. – FloBaseball – Listen – Live Stats
On the Mound
Friday, Feb. 23
Oregon State – RHP Aiden May (1-0, 1.69 ERA)
Arkansas – LHP Hagen Smith (0-0, 27.00 ERA)
Saturday, Feb. 24
Arkansas – RHP Brady Tygart (1-0, 1.80 ERA)
Oklahoma State – RHP Brian Holiday (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday, Feb. 25
Arkansas – LHP Mason Molina (0-0, 4.91 ERA)
Michigan – TBA
Tune In
Brant Freeman (play-by-play) and Pat Combs (analyst) will have the call on FloBaseball. All three of the Razorbacks’ games in the Kubota College Baseball Series 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 and Oregon State meet for the seventh time in history Friday night. The series is tied, 3-3, with all six previous games having also been played at neutral sites, including two games in the 1986 NCAA Regional in Stillwater, Okla., one game in San Jose, Calif., during the 1995 regular season and three games in the 2018 College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
Arkansas is 21-26 against Oklahoma State, most recently defeating the Cowboys, 18-1, in last season’s College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field. The Razorbacks, who are playing Oklahoma State for the third consecutive season, are 8-6 in the series (14 meetings) under head coach Dave Van Horn.
Arkansas and Michigan, meanwhile, will clash on the diamond for the first time in history in Sunday’s tournament finale.
Hogs at Globe Life Field
Arkansas, 5-1 all-time in games played at Globe Life Field, is set to make its third appearance in the Arlington-based tournament this weekend. The Razorbacks also competed in tournaments at Globe Life Field in 2021 and 2023.
The Hogs went a perfect 3-0 in the inaugural College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field in 2021, sweeping the state of Texas by steamrolling through a loaded tournament field that included Texas Tech, Texas and TCU.
Arkansas went 2-1 in the College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field in 2023, picking up wins against Texas and No. 9 Oklahoma State.
H. Smith on the Mound
Razorback ace Hagen Smith will toe the rubber in Friday’s tournament opener against Oregon State. It will be the left-hander’s second career start on the mound at Globe Life Field.
Smith, a native of Bullard, Texas, made his first career start at Globe Life Field against Texas (Feb. 17) in last year’s College Baseball Showdown, tossing five shutout innings with eight strikeouts while allowing just one hit to lead the Razorbacks to a season-opening win over the Longhorns.
Winning on Opening Weekend
Arkansas opened the 2024 season by taking three-of-four games against James Madison, winning its 28th consecutive non-conference home weekend series in the process. The Razorbacks have not lost or tied a non-conference home weekend series since dropping two-of-three games to South Alabama in 2014.
With last Friday’s season-opening win, Arkansas improved to 21-1 overall on Opening Day under head coach Dave Van Horn, including a 16-1 record when opening the season at home.
For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).
