Razorbacks Open Arlington With Top Beaver Australian Prospect

Oregon State's Travis Bazzana likely highest draft pick Hogs will encounter all season

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Coach Dave Van Horn was clear. Take nothing away from the Razorbacks' opening weekend opponent. 

James Madison picked off its highest-ranked win in program history, then followed it two days after a four-game series with the Hogs by knocking off Virginia Tech. Despite the Dukes notching a pair of notable wins, the competition for Arkansas is about to crank up multiple echelons. 

"We’re going to see some elevated velocity on the mound," Van Horn said. "That’s going to make the competition ramp up. Neutral site, it’s going to be a super big challenge for us. I’m looking forward to seeing how we play. How do we react when we get there? I think when we walk away on Sunday afternoon, we’ll have a lot better feel of what we are all about or what we really need to work on." 

It's not just on the mound that the Razorbacks will faced an increased test. No. 4 Oregon State features Travis Bazzana, a Top 3 draft prospect according to MLB.com and also the current reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week and Co-National Perfect Game Player of the Week. 

Bazzana, a native of Sydney, Australia, finished opening weekend  9-for-16 across four games with three homers. He has been given a 60 grade on an 80 scale by MLB.com for both his power and his speed. 

There also is the added layer of the rematch from the 2018 College World Series, where Oregon State picked up the national title at the hands of the Hogs, 2-1. New Oregon State Coach Mitch Canham (hired in 2019) is trying to ignore all of the fan excitement behind the situation. 

"I don't pay much attention to social media, or I guess the pulse of all that stuff," Canham said. "I do know I think we stayed pretty close with the alums and I remember watching a lot of the the run that the Beavs made back when I was in Modesto with the Mariners and coaching and seeing all that stuff. I think the biggest thing is we get to face tremendous competition. We're out there. Arkansas is a program that is at the top of the line every single year."

Arkansas faces Oregon State in the first of three games as part of the College Baseball Series in Arlington, Texas. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. this Friday. The event will be streamed exclusively on FloBaseball.

HOG FEED:

OREGON STATE WILL BE ULTIMATE TEST OF HOGS' PATIENCE, FOCUS

TRANSFER TRACKER SEASON OFFICIALLY BEGINS FOR ARKANSAS BASKETBALL

FORMER RAZORBACK SENT BACK TO G-LEAGUE AFTER GETTING TASTE OF NBA 

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