No. 3 Arkansas (43-13, 20-10 SEC) is hosting a regional once again in the NCAA Baseball Tournament as the road to Omaha, Neb. begins. The Razorbacks’ first challenge will be against the North Dakota State Bison (20-32, 13-15 Summit) at Baum-Walker Stadium in the Fayetteville Regional.
Arkansas vs NDSU preview: Fayetteville Regional
This is the first time since March 17, 1982, that Arkansas and NDSU have faced off. The Hogs swept the Bison in a doubleheader with current head coach Dave Van Horn starting at second base for Arkansas. Van Horn went on to win the 1982 Southwestern Conference Newcomer of the Year award and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 10th round.
NDSU started the year with a record of 1-13 but finished third in the Summit League with a 13-15 conference record. The Bison had to win the Summit League tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, knocking off the Omaha Mavericks in the opener in 10 innings, 1-0, then won two out of three against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles — who had shared the Summit League regular-season title with the St. Thomas Tommies.
Who is starting on the mound?
Arkansas will send RHP Aiden Jimenez on the mound for his second start of the season. His first start came in the last regular season series of the season against Tennessee on March 16 in the second game of the three-game slate. Jimenez tossed 2.1 innings while allowing four runs and seven hits on 43 pitches (31 strikes) in the 8-6 victory. The Elk Grove, Calif. native has been lights out for the Razorbacks with an ERA of 3.38 across 34.2 innings of work in 18 appearances with 34 strikeouts and a 4-1 record but has allowed seven runs in his last three games on the bump across four frames.
NDSU will start LHP Nolan Johnson on the hill. The southpaw has started 15 games as the ace for the Bison while posting a 4-5 record with an ERA of 4.14 in 82.2 innings and 77 strikeouts. Opposing hitters are batting .241 against Johnson with a WHIP of 1.181.
NDSU’s Top Hitters:
INF Jake Schaffner leads the team with a .384 batting average and an on-base percentage of .443. He has hit two home runs and 21 RBIs while stealing 18 bags on 24 attempts. OF Colton Becker leads NDSU with five homers while slashing for an average of .286 with 32 RBIs. INF Davis Hamilton has a team-most 37 RBIs with four home runs and is second behind Schaffner with an average of .314 in 12 stolen bases on 15 attempts.
Bison Bullpen:
LHP Danny Lachenmayer is having an incredible freshman year coming out of the bullpen for the Bison. He has registered a 2.60 ERA through 34.2 innings in 22 games while posting a 2-3 record with eight saves and 53 strikeouts. RHP Hayden Sylte has also been effective in 10 reliefs appearances while putting up an ERA of 2.61 across 20.2 frames with a record of 1-0 and is allowing an opponent batting average of .157.
The Razorbacks and the Bison will faceoff at Baum-Walker Stadium on Friday with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The game will be followed by the Kansas Jayhawks taking on the Creighton Bluejays at 7 p.m. and will also be streamed on ESPN+.