Hogs, Dogs set for heavyweight battle

FAYETTEVILLE -- The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks boarded a plane and actually flew to the Golden Triangle Airport between Columbus and Starkville, Miss., on Thursday.

That's opposed to last March 12, when the Razorbacks were just about to head out for their SEC-opening baseball series at Mississippi State when the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to their travel plans and then their season.

Last year's matchup promised to be meaningful. The series that starts tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Dudy Noble Field looks to be a clash of titans. Arkansas (16-3, 2-1) held on to a prime ranking this week even after losing three games in a row. No. 4 Mississippi State (17-4, 2-1) opened league play by winning two of three games at LSU last weekend.

State and school officials have given the Bulldogs clearance to a step up in attendance to around 8,000, just more than half capacity, though covid-19 and mask-wearing measures are still in place.

"We know what we're headed into," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "We're headed into a place that has a great baseball team. But not only that, I think they get to have [closer to] full capacity. ... It'll definitely be a challenge."

Said Mississippi State Coach Chris Lemonis, "I just think it's two of the top programs in the country. The last couple of years we've gone head to head, been in Omaha [at the College World Series] together. I think there's a lot of respect for both programs.

"Playing in this division, you're beating your head against some of the best teams in the country. Ole Miss is a rival, and the LSU weekend. ... I just think they're all so big in this league, it's magnified."

The Arkansas-Mississippi State series has had an interesting wrinkle in recent years. The home team has swept the series every year since 2016 in Starkville, including a 3-0 run by the Razorbacks in 2019.

"We're excited," Lemonis said. "This is the one that got pulled away from us last year. We were supposed to open with Arkansas and everything hit.

"The year before, we went to Arkansas and had a bad outing. I know a lot of the older guys in the program were excited to play. They're obviously very talented, well coached, and it will be a great matchup all weekend."

Arkansas first baseman Matt Goodheart said the Razorbacks are excited just to be playing games after the shutdown of last season.

"We were in shock last year when everything went down," he said. "We were pretty amped up then about going to Mississippi State as we are now. Not many of us have been to Starkville. We hear that's a good time and we're ready to get down there and compete."

Van Horn said his players have done a great job handling the added responsibilities of competing at a premier level during a health crisis.

"You know the players are getting tested twice a week," he said after Wednesday's 9-4 victory over Memphis, the Hogs' fourth in a row. "They had to get tested today before the game so they can get on a plane tomorrow. They had to get tested Monday so they could play Tuesday and Wednesday.

"If it all goes well and they all get on the plane tomorrow, that gets them through the weekend. It never stops. It's non-stop. But the last year has been tough on everybody.

"I think we've all answered the question a bunch, but it's almost a year that you almost don't know where it went, at least when it comes to sports or losing a season the way we did. But it's good to see the way the team's responded. They just seem to have a little bit more giddy-up. You can tell every game means a little bit more."

The Razorbacks went 3-0 at the season-opening College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas, with wins over Texas Tech, Texas and TCU. The Bulldogs went 2-1 against the same opponents, with the loss coming against TCU.

"We're looking forward to going to Starkville," Van Horn said. "And we know how good they are. We got to see them play three games in Arlington, and they're really good."

Arkansas junior left-hander Patrick Wicklander (0-0, 2.51 ERA) will make his first weekend start of the season tonight, and he'll be opposed by lefty Christian MacLeod (2-1, 1.74), one of 12 Bulldogs pitchers with an ERA of 1.74 or less with at least two innings pitched.

The Bulldogs rank second in the country with a team ERA of 2.30.

"They're one of the best teams in the country," Van Horn said. "Statistically their pitching staff is as good as anybody in the country. Maybe the deepest in the country."

The task of scoring on the Bulldogs looks formidable on Saturday and Sunday as well, with right-handers Will Bednar (1-0, 0.00) and Jackson Fristoe (2-1, 1.71) slated to start.

Arkansas will turn to right-hander Zebulon Vermillion (2-0, 2.13), who has had back-to-back eight-inning starts, and lefty Lael Lockhart (1-1, 2.38).