Arkansas and Northeastern will meet Sunday at noon at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, Kansas, with one team leaving the NCAA Lawrence Regional and the other staying alive. The No. 2 seed Razorbacks and No. 4 seed Huskies are playing an elimination game, and the winner moves on to face Kansas at 5 p.m. Sunday.
The game will be televised by ESPNU, with Victor Rojas and Connor Wanhanen on the call, and also carried on the Razorback Sports Network with Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter. Fans can stream it on WatchESPN.com or the app with a subscriber login, or follow Arkansas through local FM and AM affiliates, the Arkansas Razorbacks Gameday app, the Varsity Network app or ArkansasRazorbacks.com, though blackouts may apply.
That makes the noon first pitch the kind of date postseason baseball is built around: there is no cushion, no tomorrow for the loser, and only one more game waiting for the survivor if it wants to keep climbing. Arkansas and Northeastern both have to win twice Sunday and once Monday to take the regional, which leaves little room for a slow start at a ballpark listed at 2,500 seats.
On the mound, Arkansas is expected to turn to right-hander Tate McGuire, who is 1-1 with a 5.20 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 45 innings. The matchup is tight in the numbers that usually decide this time of year. Arkansas has a slightly better opponent batting average, at.247, and a better slugging percentage, at.477, while Northeastern answers with a.395 on-base percentage and a.974 fielding percentage, both marginally better than Arkansas. The Razorbacks also score 7.10 runs per game to Northeastern's 7.27, and the pitching staff numbers are close as well, with Arkansas at a 4.61 ERA and Northeastern at 4.91.
Weather could play a role too. The National Weather Service is calling for a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms Sunday afternoon in Lawrence, where the forecast high is 88 degrees and east winds could move in from left field at 5-10 mph, gusting to 20 mph. Dave Van Horn brings a 973-493 record in 24 seasons at Arkansas and 1,293-650 in 32 seasons overall in Division I, while Mike Glavine is 396-241-1 in 12 seasons at Northeastern. By Sunday evening, one of those teams will be headed to Kansas, and the other will be done.
