Razorbacks travel to Columbia for key three-game SEC series

COLUMBIA, Mo. — There’s no time to breathe in the SEC and No. 24 Arkansas knows it.

The Razorbacks are making their second-to-last road trip of conference play, traveling to Columbia to face Missouri at Taylor Stadium for a three-game weekend series running from Thursday through Saturday.

First pitch Thursday night is set for 7 p.m. on SEC Network, with Mark Neely handling play-by-play and Gregg Olson serving as analyst.

Friday’s game two also gets going at 7 p.m. on SEC Network with the same broadcast team in place. The series wraps up Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. first pitch, this one streaming on SEC Network+ with Dan McLaughlin on play-by-play and Dylan Kelly in the analyst’s chair.

Fans who’d rather listen can catch every pitch on the Razorback Sports Network from Learfield with Phil Elson can listen on 103.7 The Buzz in Little, ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home and statewide on select local stations.

Arkansas walks into Missouri sitting at 27-15 overall and 9-9 through 18 SEC games. The Tigers, meanwhile, have had a tough year with a 20-21 overall record and just 3-15 in conference play, the lowest record in the league.

A Series Record That Tells the Story

The all-time series between these two programs is fairly tight, with Arkansas holding a 31-25 edge overall.

But road games in Columbia have historically been trickier for the Razorbacks — they’re just 11-14 in games played there over the full history of the series.

Since Missouri joined the SEC ahead of the 2013 season, though, the script has flipped completely in Arkansas’s favor.

The Hogs own a 17-4 overall record against the Tigers in that span, going 10-2 at home and 7-2 on the road. Under coach Dave Van Horn, Arkansas is 20-4 overall with a 7-2 road mark against Missouri.

The Razorbacks haven’t lost a weekend series to Missouri since 2016.

That season, Arkansas dropped a series against the Tigers at Baum-Walker Stadium, then went on to finish 26-29 overall with a 7-23 SEC record, the worst of the Van Horn era. Since the start of the 2017 campaign, the Hogs are 13-2 in their last 15 games against Missouri.

Not only that, but Arkansas has never lost an SEC weekend series in Columbia.

The Razorbacks have won three consecutive series played at Taylor Stadium — in 2014, 2017 and 2022 — and have won five consecutive series against Missouri overall, including matchups in 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024 and 2025.

The 18-Win Streak on the Line

There’s a milestone chase quietly happening in Fayetteville this season.

Entering 2026, the Razorbacks had already won 18 or more SEC games in eight consecutive seasons, from 2017 through 2025.

They’re one of only two programs in SEC history to do that. LSU is the other, having done it for 10 straight seasons from 1996 through 2005.

To keep that streak alive for a ninth year, Arkansas needs to go 9-3 over its final 12 conference games. At 9-9, the math is doable, but there’s no margin for error.

This weekend’s series against a Missouri team that’s struggled in SEC play is exactly the kind of opportunity the Hogs can’t afford to let slip.

Dietz Takes the Ball Thursday Night

If there’s a name that’s become synonymous with Arkansas’s rotation this spring, it’s Hunter Dietz.

The left-hander from Trinity, Fla., missed significant time in his first two college seasons because of injuries, but he’s been one of the most dependable starters in the SEC in 2026.

Through 10 starts, Dietz carries a 4-2 record and a 3.59 ERA. His 84 strikeouts in 52.2 innings lead the entire SEC, a number that’s turned heads across the country.

After starting the year as the Razorbacks’ game two starter, Dietz earned a promotion and will be making his third straight series-opening start Thursday night against Missouri.

His five quality starts this season lead the team and include outings that range from efficient to downright dominant.

Against UT Arlington on Feb. 28, he threw seven innings and allowed no runs on two hits with eight strikeouts. Against Stetson on March 7, he went six innings and struck out 12 without allowing an earned run.

He carried that form into the SEC schedule, striking out 12 against South Carolina on March 21 in 6.2 innings, fanning 11 against Auburn on April 3 in seven innings and working six innings against Alabama on April 10 while allowing just two earned runs.

Dietz has recorded three double-digit strikeout games this season against Stetson (12), South Carolina (12) and Auburn (11).

With one more double-digit performance, he’d tie for seventh in single-season history among Razorback pitchers in that category. Currently, he’s tied for eighth alongside names like Blaine Knight (2017), Mason Molina (2024) and Zach Root (2025). Hagen Smith holds the record with 11 such games in 2024.

The Rest of the Weekend Rotation

Behind Dietz, left-hander Cole Gibler gets the ball Friday night. Gibler’s been solid in 2026, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.38 ERA.

He’ll face Missouri’s Brady Kehlenbrink, a sophomore southpaw who’s struggled in league play with a 3-6 record and a 6.49 ERA.

Missouri is sending Javyn Pimental to the mound Saturday afternoon, a lefty who’s 2-1 with a 4.45 ERA. Arkansas has not yet named a starter for Saturday’s series finale. Missouri’s Thursday starter is Josh McDevitt, a right-hander with a 3-4 record and a 4.08 ERA.

The Hogs haven’t just won this rivalry series repeatedly, they’ve done it in different situations, against different Missouri rosters, under different circumstances.

But with conference standings tightening and a historic SEC win streak on the line, this weekend in Columbia carries a little extra weight for Arkansas.