'It's going to be a firestorm': No. 1 Texas, No. 11 Arkansas renew rivalry in Fayetteville
AUSTIN (KXAN) — After handling Prairie View A&M with relative ease, 11-2 Tuesday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, all eyes are on Fayetteville, Arkansas, as the No. 1 Texas Longhorns face off with No. 11 Arkansas in a 3-game Southeastern Conference series beginning Thursday.
The Razorbacks have dropped their past three SEC series, but Longhorns head coach Jim Schlossnagle isn’t going to be fooled by that. He knows how dangerous they are, especially at home in the confines of Baum-Walker Stadium where they’re 27-3 this season.
“(Head coach Dave) Van Horn has built such an unbelievable program, and the crowd and experience at their ballpark is unlike anything this team has seen this year, no disrespect to Mississippi State or anywhere else we’ve been,” Schlossnagle said. “They’re one of the most talented teams in the country, and they’ve had a couple of rough weekends, which can happen in this conference, and now they’re at home. It’s going to be a firestorm.”
It’s an old rivalry from the days of the Southwest Conference, one that Texas leads in the all-time series 56-34. Van Horn was a player and a graduate assistant in the program in the midst of it.
“There was a little extra excitement. It was fun,” he said. “They aren’t considered a rival that we play every year, we’ve got Missouri and Ole Miss for that, but I’m sure our fans will see it as a huge rivalry. Our players will get a feel for it once the game starts and see how the fans react.”
The Longhorns (38-5, 19-2 SEC) won’t have slugging outfielder Max Belyeu back for the series. Schlossnagle guessed that he’s about three weeks away “at the earliest” recovering from thumb surgery after hurting it in late March against Missouri. Friday starting pitcher Jared Spencer is out after shoulder surgery for the rest of the year. Still, Texas has truly used a next-man-up philosophy, and they’ve stacked up 10 consecutive wins, including sweeps of No. 10 Auburn and Texas A&M.
MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters
Jonah Williams, a freshman outfielder also on the football team, should be ready to go after being out briefly with a leg injury. Schlossnagle said, “he probably could have played” against the Panthers
Arkansas (37-9, 14-7 SEC) is tied with Louisiana State for second place in the SEC, five games behind the Longhorns. While it wouldn’t be ideal for Texas, the Razorbacks could sweep the Longhorns and would still be two games behind in the standings.
If the Razorbacks continue their great hitting, they’ll certainly have a shot to claim the series. They are No. 8 in Division I with a .320 batting average and have a tremendous blend of contact and power, smashing 94 home runs, the fifth-most in Division I. Junior infielder Wehiwa Aloy leads the way with 17 homers, tied for No. 9 in Division I. He’s hitting .370 after transferring from Sacramento State following the 2023 season. His brother, Kuhio, leads the Razorbacks with a .371 average, and he also hits for power. He has 11 homers and a team-leading 59 RBIs.
“Big, power arms — big ones — and big, power bats,” Schlossnagle said when he was asked to describe the Razorbacks.
Left-handed pitcher Zach Root leads the Arkansas starters with 81 strikeouts in 58 innings, and according to The Athletic’s Keith Law, is talented enough to be a first-round draft pick. His fastball reaches 97 mph at times and mixes in a curve, slider and changeup. He has somewhat of an unorthodox delivery, turning his body to help hide the ball until he lets it go, adding deception along with his above-average velocity.
He transferred after two years at East Carolina, where he was the No. 2 starter behind Trey Yesavage, the No. 20 overall pick in the 2024 MLB first-year player draft. Root’s ERA is a little inflated at 4.50 and he’s walked 22 batters and hit six.
Root is set to pitch the opener against Texas starter Ruger Riojas. Luke Harrison is scheduled to start on the mound for the Longhorns on Friday versus Arkansas’ Gage Wood.
The series opener is set for 6 p.m. and will be on ESPN2.
