FAYETTEVILLE -- It doesn't get much bigger than No. 2 Arkansas at No. 8 Kentucky this weekend.
All season Arkansas has been at or near the top of the overall SEC standings. Right now Arkansas (39-7, 16-5) and Kentucky (33-9, 16-5) are tied with No. 1 Texas A&M (39-6, 15-6) as well as No. 3 Tennessee (37-8, 15-6) breathing right down their necks.
If Arkansas wins the regular season SEC they will have earned it. After Kentucky, they host No. 16 Mississippi State (29-15, 12-9) and then end the regular season at Texas A&M. The SEC is about as good this season as it has been and that's saying something. They have nine schools in the Top 25 and that doesn't include Oklahoma who will be in the SEC next season. Half the top eight are SEC schools.
Arkansas is coming off a perfect mid-week schedule this season for the first time 2005. The Kentucky Derby is Saturday, but the Hogs and Wildcats are probably second in order of importance up there. Dave Van Horn is aware of the Kentucky Derby.
"I know it is," Van Horn said. "Seems like every time we go there the Derby’s going. And it usually rains."
Van Horn also has a lot of respect for Kentucky who has a record of 17-4 at home. Just like the Hogs and most other top SEC schools they are difficult to beat when at home.
"To me, the series all count the same," Van Horn said. "It’s one win or one loss every time you play. You want to try to win two out of three so you have a tiebreaker. You win a couple games every weekend, you’ve got a chance to win the league. It’s a big deal, but it’s not a big deal. It’s another SEC series. The next weekend we’ve got Mississippi State, the last one we go to Texas A&M, so they’re all big. Teams are all good. Our focus is to go down there and get ready to play Friday and try to find a way to win."
Van Horn went into more detail on Kentucky's season.
"I think they have a really good team," Van Horn said. "They swing the bat extremely well, they pitch, they field the ball good and if you let them get on a roll, they can get on a roll. So we know we have our hands full."
Kentucky has a new stadium since the last time Arkansas went there. Van Horn likes what he has seen of it.
"It’s nice," Van Horn said. "We haven’t been there since, I think, 2019. I don’t remember exactly, but it’s been a while. Might have been sooner than that, but it seems like it. It’s really… I mean, it’s brand new. All turf, kind of like Vanderbilt’s field. It can be quick and lively."
The Razorbacks indoor facility has helped prepare them for the turf field in Lexington. It isn't something that concerns Van Horn.
"Pretty much the same turf," Van Horn said. "So we don’t get all caught up in it. It’s still a baseball field. It’s just a little different surface. Now it can get bouncy in the outfield. If the ball hits, it might jump up and you get a double on what should be a single. Just little things like that. These guys have grown up playing summer ball and high school ball on these type of fields. I’d say most every guy on our team’s played on this type of surface many a time. It’s just a nice ballpark. They built it four or five years ago and it’s one of the top fields in the league."
Second baseman Peyton Stovall, who had five hits in as many at bats on Wednesday against Missouri State, echoed what Van Horn said about the turf field.
"It’ll be a little different, but I think our indoor facility helps a lot, just being able to practice in there as much as we have, just always taking ground balls in there," Stovall said. "But like Coach Van Horn said, it’s pretty similar turf. We’ll go, fly out tomorrow, probably take some ground balls, hit on their park. But it’s going to be fun, looking forward to it and just play good baseball."
The Wildcats have five hitters batting over .300. Designated hitter Nick Lopez leads the way at .371 with four home runs and 32 runs batted in. First baseman Ryan Nicholson has a team-leading 14 home runs. He has knocked in 34 runs and hitting .321. Shortstop Grant Smith has five home runs, 30 runs batted in and hitting .307. Second baseman Emilien Pitre has five home runs, plated 41 runners and a batting average of .305.
Kentucky usually starts right-hander Trey Pooser, 3-0, 3.75; lefty Dominic Niman, 7-3, 5.00; and righty Mason Moore, 7-1, 5.08.
Friday's game will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday is at 1 and Sunday noon. All three games can be streamed on the SEC Network+.