No. 12 Arkansas baseball hit with stunning NCAA Regional host snub

No. 12 Arkansas baseball (39-20, 17-13 SEC) had an excellent run in the SEC Tournament, defeating three ranked teams: No. 23 Tennessee, No. 5 Texas, and No. 6 Auburn. However, in the championship game, No. 4 Georgia ended the Razorbacks' run with an 11-1 run-rule victory in seven innings. Georgia had the competitive edge afforded by earning a double bye, which gave it many more fresh arms in the bullpen than the Razorbacks.

Dave Van Horn could have used his ace Hunter Dietz to offer a robust counter to the edge the Bulldogs had in this game. He understood, however, that it was much more vital to save his arm for the NCAA Regional Tournament. With Dietz on the mound, Arkansas had a victory this season against Georgia in Game 1 of the series at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, winning 6-3, but ultimately lost the competitive series.

Georgia arguably has the nation's best lineup from top to bottom. Therefore, the Razorbacks either needed Dietz on the mound again or to have most of their pitchers available in the bullpen to defeat such a potent lineup. Although the SEC Tournament did not conclude as the Hogs desired, most, if not all, teams will find it difficult to match Arkansas's three consecutive wins in this tournament.

Also, Arkansas has had one of the best second halves of the season in the country, which means the team is playing its best at the right time. The Razorbacks have 20 SEC wins in arguably the toughest conference in college baseball, won seven out of 10 conference series, and had 18 Quadrant 1 wins, which is the second most in the nation. Despite achieving such feats, the Hogs are inexplicably outside the RPI top 20, as they are No. 21.  

Given what the Razorbacks have accomplished, it was widely thought before and after their game against Georgia that they would be an NCAA Regional Tournament host, especially after defeating three ranked teams in the SEC Tournament, including No. 5 Texas and No. 6 Auburn.

Arkansas baseball denied as NCAA Regional Tournament host

Much to Razorback Nation's surprise, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee did not select the Hogs to host a regional tournament, even though Dave Van Horn had received strong messages that his team would be selected as a regional host. Van Horn shared that he now questions the value of the SEC Tournament, given that, in his estimation, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee did not give the Razorbacks credit for the excellent wins they posted in the SEC Tournament.

The NCAA has not been kind to Arkansas this season. Before the Razorbacks' final three games of the regular season, a three-game series in Lexington, Kentucky, against the Kentucky Wildcats, the NCAA allowed them to cancel their midweek game against Northern Kentucky for reasons other than inclement weather after it had issued a notice to all NCAA Division I head baseball coaches about potential penalties for cancelling games for any other reason than inclement weather to attempt to manipulate their RPI.  

Although the NCAA lost its legitimacy many years ago, it continues to prove incapable of effectively governing and overseeing intercollegiate athletics, its two central responsibilities. Higher education administrators whose institutions participate in intercollegiate athletics must come together to consider alternatives to the NCAA and to eliminate it as the official oversight and governance body of intercollegiate athletics.

When Michael Alford, Chair of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, explained why the Razorbacks were not selected as a regional host over Mississippi State, a team that lost its series against Arkansas, finished behind the Hogs in the conference, and did not have a better strength of schedule than Arkansas, he used Mississippi State's "very strong conference schedule" as a chief justification for the team hosting a regional over Arkansas. Such an explanation is lazy and incompetent, to say the least.

Instead of choosing the Arkansas Razorbacks to host an NCAA Regional Tournament, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee put Arkansas in the Lawrence Regional, where Kansas is the No. 1 seed, Arkansas is the No. 2 seed, Missouri State is the No. 3 seed, and Northeastern is the No. 4 seed. Arkansas will face Missouri State on Friday at 5:00 p.m. CT.

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