How to Watch Arkansas Baseball’s NCAA Regional Opener Against Missouri State

Today marks the start of one of the craziest tournaments in college sports, the NCAA Baseball Tournament.

What shocking upsets are in store? Who will be this year’s Murray State and shock the nation with a deep run? Which favored teams fall flat and don’t advance past their own regional?

Those questions and more will start to be answered today. Arkansas is hoping that its trip to Lawrence, Kan. for the NCAA Regional isn’t as exciting and that they return home with another weekend of baseball to play.

But this is tournament baseball. If Murray State’s run last year to the College World Series taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected.

What that means for the Razorbacks will be learned soon enough. Or maybe a little later due to inclement weather in the area Friday. (See weather forecasts below.)

Here’s everything to know about the start of regional play for Arkansas.

The Opponent: Missouri State

Arkansas and its fans need no introduction to the Bears.

The Bears took the first meeting this season in a 15-14 shootout in Springfield back on March 31, then Arkansas flipped the script three weeks later with a 12-4 win in Fayetteville after an eight-run eighth inning blew things open.

Missouri State earned its way into the field as an at-large out of Conference USA, finishing 20-10 in league play and an impressive 21-3 at home. They rolled through their two pool-play games at the CUSA Tournament before Liberty knocked them out in the semifinals.

The Bears can hit. They’ve launched 104 home runs, and three different players sit at 16 apiece. Curry Sutherland, Carter Bergman and Taeg Gollert are the names Arkansas has to keep an eye on. Bryce Cermenelli has been steady at the top of the order with a .348 average, and Logan Fyffe leads the team at .371. Even with a quieter season than expected, Caden Bogenpohl is still a real threat from the left side.

The problem for Missouri State has been on the mound. They give up six runs a game, and opponents are hitting .291 against them. Senior right-hander Jason Schaaf is expected to get the ball Friday, carrying a 5.74 ERA across 13 starts. Former Razorback Ross Felder has been one of their main bullpen options, but he’s sitting at a 5.30 ERA himself.

Starting Pitchers

LHP Max Knight vs. RHP Gabe Gaeckle

• Knight: 6-3, 4.69 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, 40.1 IP, 44 H, 27 R, 21 ER, 32 BB, 57 SO, .291 Opp. BA
• Gaeckle: 6-3, 3.99 ERA, 67.2 IP, 75 H, 36 R, 30 ER, 32 BB, 80 SO, .277 Opp. BA

Weather Forecast

Arkansas spent part of its practice Thursday in the rain and that experience may pay off on Friday.

“It was good to get out there on the turf. There’s no dirt. There’s no mud, so I felt like it was pretty safe,” Van Horn said. “Looking at the forecast, we might play in some wet conditions. The field’s slick, and then the ball will hydroplane a little bit.”

Storms are in the forecast throughout the day in Lawrence. According to the National Weather Service, there are “Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 1pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 77. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%,” during the day.

At night, the forecast calls for “A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers between 11pm and 1am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 50%.”

How to Watch: Missouri State vs. No. 14 Arkansas

• Who: Missouri State Bears (34-19) vs. No. 14 Arkansas Razorbacks (39-20)
• When: 5 p.m., Friday
• Where: Hoglund Ballpark, Lawrence, Kan.
• TV: ESPNU
• Radio: Live Radio
• Stats: Live Stats
• Series History: Arkansas leads the all-time series 60-32
• Last Meeting: Arkansas 12, Missouri State 4 (April 21, 2026)
• Last time out, Razorbacks: lost to Georgia, 11-1 (SEC Tournament Final)
• Last time out, Bears: lost to Liberty, 7-5 (CUSA Tournament Semifinal)

Betting Odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

• Missouri State: +1.5
• Arkansas: -1.5

Moneyline

• Missouri State: +190
• Arkansas: -250

Total

• Over: 13.5 (-102)
• Under: 13.5 (-125)