Hogs Travel to Tuscaloosa for Final Weekend Series

Oliver Grigg May 18, 2022

Game Notes Press Conference: Dave Van Horn

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Tied for first atop the SEC West with three games left to play in the regular season, No. 7 Arkansas (37-14, 17-10 SEC) travels to Alabama (27-24, 10-16 SEC) this weekend with an opportunity to clinch its fourth consecutive division title.

The series between the Razorbacks and Crimson Tide gets underway at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 19, on SEC Network+ from Sewell–Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Friday’s contest will broadcast nationally on SEC Network with a 7 p.m. first pitch, while Saturday’s finale begins at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+.

With a sweep this weekend, Arkansas would become the first team since LSU (1996-98) to win 20+ SEC games in three straight seasons. The Razorbacks need just one more win to reach 18+ conference wins for the fifth consecutive season, a feat that was most recently accomplished by Florida (2014-18).

Schedule
6 p.m. Thursday, May 19
at Alabama – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats

7 p.m. Friday, May 20
at Alabama – SEC Network – Listen – Live Stats

1 p.m. Saturday, May 21
at Alabama – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats

Matchups
Game 1
Arkansas RHP Will McEntire (1-1, 1.96 ERA) vs. Alabama RHP Garrett McMillan (4-4, 3.51 ERA)

Game 2
Arkansas RHP Connor Noland (5-3, 3.38 ERA) vs. Alabama RHP Jacob McNairy (5-2, 4.60 ERA)

Game 3
Arkansas RHP Jaxon Wiggins (6-2, 5.31 ERA) vs. Alabama LHP Grayson Hitt (4-3, 5.02 ERA)

Tune In
Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Lance Cormier (analyst) will have the call on SEC Network+ in Thursday’s series opener as well as Saturday’s series finale. Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Chris Burke (analyst), meanwhile, are on the call for Friday’s nationally televised broadcast on SEC Network.

Fans can catch all the action through the ESPN app on smartphones, computers and tablets or via Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

The series can also be heard on the Razorback Sports Network from Learfield/IMG, including locally in Fayetteville on 92.1 FM or through the Razorback app, with Phil Elson on the call all weekend long. A full list of radio affiliates is available here.

Series History

Arkansas and Alabama will meet for the 95th time in history when the two teams open the series on Thursday night. The Crimson Tide owns an all-time advantage of 49-45, including a 25-16 mark in Tuscaloosa.
Arkansas, however, has won four straight series and eight of the last nine over Alabama.
The Hogs have not lost a series in Tuscaloosa since 2011. Arkansas’ last sweep in T-Town occurred in 2015.

Leading Off

Dave Van Horn’s Hogs enter the final weekend of the 2022 regular season in position to win its fourth consecutive SEC West title (2018, 2019 & 2021).
Arkansas and Texas A&M (33-16, 17-10 SEC) are tied atop the Western Division standings with three games left to play. The Aggies, however, own the tiebreaker by virtue of a series win over the Razorbacks earlier this season.
The Razorbacks rank second in the SEC and fifth nationally in fielding percentage (.983), committing just 32 errors in 51 games this season. Arkansas set a school record in fielding percentage (.980) last season with 45 errors over the course of 63 games.
RHP Connor Noland’s 86 strikeouts rank second most among all SEC pitchers this season. Arkansas’ ace holds a 5-3 record with a 3.38 ERA over 77 1/3 innings (13 starts) on the mound in 2022.

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