#5 Arkansas, #3 Mississippi State Clash at Baum-Walker Stadium on SEC Opening Weekend
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Fifth-ranked Arkansas (12-5) hosts third-ranked Mississippi State (15-2) inside the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium on SEC Opening Weekend. First pitch in the top five showdown between the Hogs and Bulldogs is set for 6 p.m. Friday, March 13, on SEC Network+ with Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Troy Eklund (analyst) on the call.
Game two of the SEC Opening Weekend series gets underway at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 14, on SEC Network with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Chris Burke (analyst) in the broadcast booth. First pitch in the series finale between Arkansas and Mississippi State, meanwhile, is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, March 15, on SEC Network with Neal and Burke on the call.
Arkansas has been the conference’s most consistent winner over the last near-decade, having won 18-plus SEC games in eight consecutive seasons and 20-plus SEC games in five of the last six seasons entering the 2026 campaign. LSU is the only other program in SEC history with least eight consecutive seasons of 18 or more SEC wins (10 from 1996-2005).
Schedule
Friday, March 13
#3 Mississippi State vs. #5 Arkansas – 6 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
Saturday, March 14
#3 Mississippi State vs. #5 Arkansas – 1 p.m. – SEC Network – Listen – Live Stats
Sunday, March 15
#3 Mississippi State vs. #5 Arkansas – 2 p.m. – SEC Network – Listen – Live Stats
On the Mound
Friday, March 13
Mississippi State – RHP Ryan McPherson (3-0, 1.96 ERA)
Arkansas – RHP Gabe Gaeckle (2-1, 2.61 ERA)
Saturday, March 14
Mississippi State – LHP Tomas Valincius (3-0, 1.74 ERA)
Arkansas – LHP Hunter Dietz (2-1, 2.84 ERA)
Sunday, March 15
Mississippi State – RHP Duke Stone (3-0, 3.06 ERA)
Arkansas – LHP Colin Fisher (2-1, 1.17 ERA)
Tune In
Friday’s SEC opener between fifth-ranked Arkansas and third-ranked Mississippi State will stream on SEC Network+ with Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Troy Eklund (analyst) on the call. Saturday and Sunday’s games, meanwhile, will televise nationally on SEC Network with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Chris Burke (analyst) in the broadcast booth.
The SEC Opening Weekend series between #5 Arkansas and #3 Mississippi State 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 (play-by-play) and Bubba Carpenter (analyst) on the call. A full list of radio affiliates is available here.
History Lesson
Arkansas is 61-58 all-time against Mississippi State, including a 29-20 record in Fayetteville. Under head coach Dave Van Horn (2003-pres.), the Razorbacks are 38-29 overall and 20-13 at Baum-Walker Stadium against the Bulldogs.
The Hogs have won eight consecutive series against the Bulldogs inside the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022 & 2024), with the last series loss in Fayetteville coming in the 2007 season.
Arkansas will square off against Mississippi State on SEC Opening Weekend for the first time since 2017, and for only the second time since joining the conference in 1992. In the last SEC Opening Weekend series between the two programs during the 2017 campaign, the Razorbacks swept the Bulldogs in a three-game series at Baum-Walker Stadium.
SEC Opening Weekend
Since joining the conference in 1992, Arkansas owns a 17-16 series record on SEC Opening Weekend, including an 11-3 record in home series and a 6-13 record in road series. The Razorbacks, opening league play at home for the eighth time in the last nine seasons, have won eight consecutive SEC Opening Weekend series, including six sweeps in the process.
Arkansas swept Mississippi State in 2017, Kentucky in 2018, Missouri in 2019, Kentucky in 2022, Auburn in 2023 and, most recently, Missouri in 2024. The Hogs, who took two-of-three games on the road against Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., last year, have not lost an SEC Opening Weekend series since being swept by South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., in 2016.
It Just Means More Wins
Entering the 2026 campaign, Arkansas has won 18 or more SEC games in eight consecutive seasons. LSU is the only other program in SEC history to record at least eight consecutive seasons of 18 or more SEC victories (10 from 1996-2005).
Additionally, Arkansas has started 8-4 or better in SEC play for eight consecutive seasons. Arkansas’ streak is 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.
The Razorbacks have finished with 20 or more SEC wins in a season six times in program history, including five times in the Dave Van Horn era (2003-pres.). Arkansas (2023-25), one of three teams in SEC history along with Tennessee (1993-95) and LSU (1996-98) to reach the 20-win mark in league play in three consecutive seasons, has won 20 or more games in conference play in five of the last six seasons, making them the only team in league history to accomplish the feat.
For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).
