FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas’ hopes of hosting its first NCAA baseball regional since 2010 did not materialize Sunday when the Razorbacks were not selected as one of the 16 host sites by the NCAA Selection committee.
Arkansas (37-20) won’t be playing regionals at Baum Stadium, but the Razorbacks are considered a lock to make the 64-team field, which will be released at 11 a.m. today on ESPNU.
Arkansas is one of two teams in the state preparing for the tournament. Central Arkansas, which won the Southland Conference Tournament Saturday to earn its first Division I NCAA bid, will find out its regional destination this morning, as well.
Arkansas’ biggest stumbling block to hosting was its position in the Ratings Percentage Index, which is one of the criteria used in selecting the regional hosts. Arkansas was No. 48 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings last week before defeating Ole Miss and LSU then losing to LSU at the SEC Tournament. The Razorbacks moved up to No. 30 in the unofficial rankings compiled by the respected Web site Boydsworld.com after their 2-1 finish at the SEC Tournament, but it was not enough in the eyes of the committee. The NCAA’s RPIs did not update on Sunday.
The Ratings Percentage Index is a scale used by the NCAA Selection Committee to rank Division I baseball teams by their performance in light of strength of schedule. Low RPI ranking numbers denote strong teams; and high numbers, weaker ones.
None of the host sites had an RPI rating lower than the No. 18 spot held by Kansas State. UCA (39-20) is No. 69 in the unofficial rankings.
Four SEC teams were chosen as host sites, including the league’s top two teams LSU and Vanderbilt, who played for the SEC Tournament title on Sunday with the Tigers claiming a 5-4 victory. The Commodores were No. 1 in the last NCAA RPI rankings and LSU was No. 6.
The other two selections from the SEC were Mississippi State (43-17) and South Carolina (39-18), who were Nos. 10 and 13, respectively, in the unofficial RPIs.
Arkansas had a 5-1 record against Mississippi State and South Carolina, including a sweep of a three-game series against the Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C., and finished ahead of both of those teams in the SEC standings. The Razorback went 18-11 in league play, while South Carolina was 17-12 and Mississippi State 16-14.
The Gamecocks were 0-2 in the SEC Tournament, while Mississippi State went 2-1, mirroring Arkansas’ results in the other side of the bracket.
The Hogs were 2-3 against LSU.
The other 12 host sites are Florida State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia and Virginia Tech from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA from the Pac 12, Indiana from the Big Ten, Kansas State from the Big 12, Louisville from the Big East and Cal State Fullerton from the Big West Conference.
Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn wanted to host an NCAA regional, but he didn’t spent a lot of time stumping for one in recent media appearances.
“I think the good thing about this team is we’ve got a bunch of guys that have been there at this time of the year,” Van Horn said after Saturday’s 3-1 loss to LSU that eliminated the Razorbacks from the SEC Tournament. “We’ll get back and get a little rest and be ready for a regional. Hopefully we’ll iron a few things out and get better.”
Arkansas went 10-7 in true road games, including victories in four of its five SEC road series.
“We have a great mind-set on the road,” Arkansas freshman Tyler Spoon said on Saturday. “We tend to play really well. … If we’re home for a regional, that’s great. If not, that’s great and we’re going to get ready to play whoever steps on the field against us.”
NCAA regional sites
ACC
Florida State
North Carolina
N.C. State
Virginia
Virginia Tech
PACIFIC-12
Oregon
Oregon State
UCLA
SEC
LSU
Mississippi State
South Carolina
Vanderbilt
OTHERS
Indiana
Cal State-Fullerton
Louisville
Kansas State
Sports, Pages 19 on 05/27/2013