NCAA MANHATTAN REGIONAL

Arkansas vs. Bryant University 7 Central tonight, Tointon Family Stadium, Manhattan, Kan.

ARKANSAS (37-20)

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP

POS, NAME KEY STATS

C Jake Wise .208, 22 RBI, .991 field.pct

1B Dominic Ficociello .253, 3 HR, 16 RBI

2B Jordan Farris .229, 3 HR, 20 RBI

3B Jacob Mahan .278, 20 RBI

SS Brett McAfee .252, 14 RBI

LF Brian Anderson .338, 4 HR, 33 RBI

CF Matt Vinson .299, 23 RBI, 8-9 SB

RF Tyler Spoon .288, 4 HR, 45 RBI

DH Joe Serrano .284, 18 RBI

P Barrett Astin 4-4, 1.94 ERA

BRYANT (44-16-1)

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP

POS, NAME KEY STATS

C Jonathan Scott .207, 996 field. pct.

1B Bobby Rinn .303, 26 RBI

2B Daniel St. George .292, 31 RBI

3B Kevin Brown .386, 46 RBI, 22 SB

SS Adam Claire .219, 12 RBI

LF AJ Zaronzy .307, 2 HR, 28 RBI

CF Carl Anderson .340, 47 RBI, 19 SB

RF Jordan Mountford .320, 3 HR, 22 RBI

DH John Mullen .282, 45 RBI

P Peter Kelich 7-4, 2.53 ERA

GAME BREAKDOWN

Both teams are hungry. The No. 12 Razorbacks, making their 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 26th overall, want to show they should be hosting a regional and get back to the College World Series after opening the season ranked No. 1 in most polls. The Bulldogs, in their first NCAA Tournament appearance, want to show they belong with the big boys.

The fact Bryant was made a No. 3 seed, rather than being relegated to No. 4 status as often happens with automatic qualifiers from smaller conferences, speaks to the respect the selection committee has for the Bulldogs.

Arkansas played a tougher schedule, but the Bulldogs are used to winning and don’t figure to be intimidated.

The Razorbacks have the nation’s lowest team ERA at 1.87, but their hitting and fielding have been inconsistent. If they struggle in either of those areas tonight, Bryant could pull off an upset.

PREDICTION Arkansas wins a tight, low-scoring game.