FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will put a nine-game win streak in baseball on the line when it opens a two-game nonconference series against Nevada in Baum Stadium tonight.
If the weather cooperates, of course.
Heavy rains are expected to drench the area today, which could force some shuffling to the series. Arkansas (19-2) and Nevada (10-8) are scheduled to play at 6:35 p.m. today and Wednesday. But Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn wouldn’t be opposed to playing a doubleheader on Wednesday if necessary.
“I think that if for some reason we don’t play (tonight) we are on spring break,” Van Horn said. “We, the players, wouldn’t have a problem playing a doubleheader early if we needed to. …
“There’s always that possibility.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Arkansas will make the decision sometime today.
The Razorbacks ran their win streak to nine games after going 5-0 last week. It was headlined by their weekend sweep of Alabama in the Southeastern Conference opener. The Razorbacks’ success — coupled with South Carolina’s three losses at Kentucky — helped them move to No. 3 in the Baseball America poll.
Arkansas’ nine-game win streak is the longest of the season. It’s also the program’s longest since 2010, when the Razorbacks won 13 straight games.
The midweek series with Nevada also will end a 10-game homestand. The Razorbacks will travel to Mississippi State on Thursday and play a three-game series against the Bulldogs. Arkansas will then play three games at LSU.
So Van Horn and the Hogs plan to enjoy more home success before leaving town.
“I’ve been told that they’re very scrappy and have a good team,” Van Horn said of Nevada, which lost two of three games to Cal-Irvine last week. “They’ve been scoring some runs. So it will be another challenge and hopefully we’ll continue to keep playing well.”