Arkansas Begins NCAA Tournament Run in Lawrence Regional

Arkansas has a legitimate gripe with its NCAA Tournament fate, but the field has been set and the Razorbacks know where they’re headed.

The Razorbacks (39-20) will be the No. 2 seed in the Lawrence Regional, hosted by first-time host Kansas (42-16). They’ll be joined by Missouri State (34-19), as the No. 3 seed, and Northeastern (38-20), as the No. 4 seed.

Arkansas will face the Bearcats to start the regional on Friday.

Arkansas’ Case for Hosting a Regional

Arkansas had a hosting resume. The selection committee ignored it.

The Razorbacks beat Mississippi State head‑to‑head, finished ahead of the Bulldogs in the SEC standings, and picked up three more SEC Tournament wins, including victories over Tennessee, Texas and Auburn. They closed the season 13‑5 and reached the SEC title game. They also improved in every major metric the committee claims to value, jumping to 21st in RPI and 13th in both DSR and KPI. Their Quad 1 wins climbed from 14 to 18.

None of it mattered.

Mississippi State still hosted despite losing the head‑to‑head series, finishing behind Arkansas in the league, and winning fewer SEC games when the tournament is included. The committee leaned on early‑season results and outdated metrics that overvalue March losses and undervalue May wins. Arkansas’ midweek loss to Stetson in March carried more weight than beating two regional hosts in Hoover.

The SEC Tournament didn’t help Arkansas’ case, and it rarely helps anyone’s. If a deep run and three Quad 1 wins don’t move the needle, then the event has no real impact on hosting.

Arkansas had the results, the momentum and the resume. The committee still said no, and that’s the problem.

But it’s a problem for another day. For now, the focus is on getting out of the Lawrence Regional and into the following weekend’s super regionals.

2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament Schedule

Regionals

• May 29 – June 1

Super Regionals

• June 5 – June 8

Men’s College World Series

• June 12 – June 22
• Game 1 | 2 p.m. Friday, June 12 on ESPN
• Game 2 | 7 p.m. Friday, June 12 on ESPN
• Game 3 | 3 p.m. Saturday, June 13 on ESPN
• Game 4 | 8 p.m. Saturday, June 13 on ESPN
• Game 5 | 2 p.m. Sunday, June 14 on ESPN
• Game 6 | 7 p.m. Sunday, June 14 on ESPN
• Game 7 | 2 p.m. Monday, June 15 on ESPN
• Game 8 | 7 p.m. Monday, June 15 on ESPN
• Game 9 | 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 16 on ESPN
• Game 10 | 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 16 on ESPN
• Game 11 | 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 17 on ESPN
• Game 12 | 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 17 on ESPN
• Bracket 1 | TBD Thursday, June 18 on ESPN (if necessary)
• Bracket 2 | TBD Thursday, June 18 on ESPN (if necessary)
• Championship Series Game 1 | TBD Saturday, June 20 on ESPN
• Championship Series Game 2 | 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 21 on ABC
• Championship Series Game 3 | 7 p.m. Monday, June 22 on ESPN (if necessary)