Arkansas Baseball: Tough SEC schedule ahead for Omahogs

The countdown to the most wonderful time of year is on! The Arkansas Baseball SEC Conference Schedule for 2023 is set, and it is a doozy!

Arkansas Baseball is set to open up SEC play by hosting Auburn March 17-19. Head Coach Dave Van Horn and his crew won the series last year but dropped the Saturday outing.

After that, they take their show on the road (March 24-26) to Alex Box stadium to face the Tigers of LSU, and former Razorback pitching coach, Wes Johnson, who joins the LSU staff in the same role this season. The Razorbacks swept the Tigers last year in Fayetteville and look to repeat in the Bayou.

The Razorbacks then host Alabama from March 31-April 2 and will be looking for redemption. The Hogs dropped three of the four games in Tuscaloosa last season.

Arkansas baseball will have a difficult road through the SEC in their attempt to get back to Omaha.

All eyes will be on Oxford, Mississippi, when the Razorbacks roll into town April 6-8 for a rematch of the College World Series semifinals. The Rebels took the series opener at home last season, with the Hogs winning the following two games in dramatic fashion. The two teams met up again in Omaha, with the Rebels giving the Hogs both of their losses to end their run for a championship.

April 14-16, former Arkansas baseball assistant Tony Vitello and the Volunteers come to Baum-Walker for what is easily the most awaited home series of the season for Arkansas. Arkansas and Tennessee have developed a bitter rivalry since the teams’ head coaches had a dust-up on the field in 2021. Hog Pen patrons will be in full force to see this showdown.

The Baum Squad travels to Athens, Georgia, to face the bulldogs April 21-23. This is the first meeting for the two teams since the 2021 season. They will return home to host the Aggies of Texas A&M on April 28-30 for what is always an intense series.

The next stop for the Hogs is Dudy Noble Field, where they take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Hogs swept the Bulldogs at “The Dude” in 2021, but State went on to win the National Championship.  Arkansas took the series last year, winning two of three.

Both teams claim to have the best college baseball stadium in the country and can make a strong argument. Dudy Noble field will be packed to the gills, and the atmosphere will indeed be electric.

On Mother’s Day Weekend, May 12-14, the Gamecocks of South Carolina travel to Northwest Arkansas, and while South Carolina was eliminated in the first round of the SEC Tournament last year, they took the series the last time the teams met.

The tough conference schedule wraps up with a trip to Vanderbilt on May 18-20. The Vandy Boys handily won the series in 2022, and Vanderbilt head coach, Tim Corbin, always has his crew ready. The Arkansas baseball squad will be ready to redeem themselves from last season’s disappointing loss.

The conference schedule is stout this coming season, and many of their toughest matchups will take place away from the comfort of Baum Walker Stadium. Arkansas baseball fans expect an appearance in Omaha again this summer,  but the Hogs will have to weather the brutal SEC schedule in addition to some formidable non-conference foes in 2023.