FAYETTEVILLE -- Finally, the Arkansas Razorbacks make their belated 2017 SEC baseball tournament debut today against the Mississippi State Bulldogs this morning in Hoover, Ala.
Originally scheduled to play Wednesday night against Tuesday's late-night winner of the play-in game between Mississippi State and Georgia, the Razorbacks wait until 9:30 a.m today to debut because Tuesday's rain delays into late night postponed the battle of Bulldogs until Wednesday morning.
Mississippi State, behind Konnor Pilkington's five-hit shutout through eight innings and the 21st home run of the season by SEC triple-crown winner Brent Rooker, beat Georgia 3-0.
The Starkville, Miss., Bulldogs lost 3-1, 5-4 and 6-1 to Arkansas in the season-opening SEC series March 17-19 at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville but rallied temporarily to lead the SEC West before finishing third at 17-13. Ranked No. 19 nationally, the Bulldogs are 35-22 overall.
The SEC tournament, extending until Sunday's championship game, went into double-elimination mode with top four seeds Florida, LSU, Kentucky scheduled to debut Wednesday against Tuesday's play-in winners but with more rain delays Wednesday.
Wednesday's scheduled matchups were Kentucky defeating South Carolina, 7-2, then LSU vs. Missouri rain delayed with LSU leading 5-1 in the fifth inning and Florida and Auburn still to play.
East Division champion Florida, West Division champion LSU, East runner-up Kentucky and West runner-up Arkansas earned seeds by finishing first through fourth in the overall SEC regular season standings.
Coach Dave Van Horn's nationally 13th-ranked Razorbacks, 18-11 in the SEC regular season with one rainout (at Tennessee), are 39-15 overall. Florida and LSU each went 21-9 in the SEC and Kentucky 19-11.
If the Razorbacks lose this morning, they would have to play again at 4:30 p.m. today against Wednesday's Florida-Auburn loser.
If the Razorbacks win this morning, they face the Auburn-Florida winner on Friday at a time to be determined.
Van Horn has had junior right-hander Trevor Stephan set to start Arkansas' SEC-tournament opener.
Because Blaine Knight, a co-ace starter with Stephan, pitched last Saturday and needed more rest Van Horn had planned for him to be a Game Three starter on Friday. However, Knight would be a Game Two starter if the Razorbacks win this morning.
If the Razorbacks must play a losers'-bracket game this afternoon and Van Horn sticks to his plan of resting Knight, their afternoon starter could be determined by who wasn't used in relief for the morning game.
All SEC-tournament games are televised on the SEC Network (Resort Channel 79).
Regardless of what transpires in Hoover, Van Horn believes the nationally 13th-ranked (USA Today coaches poll) Razorbacks have done enough to host a NCAA regional next week at Baum Stadium. Regional sites and pairings will be announced Monday.
Sports on 05/25/2017