Commentary

Diamond Hogs positioning for postseason push

Andrew Benintendi of Arkansas heads to first after hitting a 2-run single against Loyola Marymount during the second inning Saturday, March 7, 2015, at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.

— A team written off by many just a month ago, Arkansas baseball has suddenly positioned itself for the postseason with half the conference season remaining.

Entering this weekend's series at No. 1 Texas A&M, the Razorbacks are 22-16 overall and 7-8 in SEC games. Arkansas has won seven of its last eight games and three consecutive weekend series.

That's not bad for a team that was 12-13 overall and 1-5 in conference halfway through spring break.

This year's team won't mistake for one of Dave Van Horn's best at Arkansas, but it fits the same gritty personality many of his best teams have had. It's not a team full of high-draft picks and the pitching depth is subpar comparative to the last few seasons.

But the Razorbacks are finding ways to win games. They've won their weekend series opener four weeks in a row - including against LSU - and are 3-1 in SEC rubber games.

After playing 13 games in 16 days during one stretch in March, the Razorbacks' recent hot streak correlates with playing a more traditional pattern of games. That will continue through the end of the regular season, with only one more midweek game to play.

Arkansas' offense has improved and has the nation's top home run hitter tucked in the lineup. The top end of the pitching staff is producing most weekends, although with the lack of experience on the back end, it wouldn't be surprising to see another blowout somewhere down the line.

Arkansas is benefitting from an easier conference schedule that was front-loaded with series against Vanderbilt and LSU. Those clubs are ranked in the top 10 this week, as are Texas A&M and Florida, but only one other SEC team (Missouri) is in the top 25. The Razorbacks don't play two of those five teams this season.

It's a year in which a .500 conference record could push a team into the top half of the league standings, and the SEC hasn't had fewer than seven teams make the NCAA postseason since 2007.

Texas A&M (33-3) is the clear favorite at home this weekend, but past the Aggies, Arkansas' schedule gets much easier. The Razorbacks finish the season with home series against Mississippi State and Tennessee, and road series at Alabama and Georgia.

Those four teams are all at least three games below .500 in conference play entering Friday.

What Arkansas has working against it most is its schedule strength. The Razorbacks have played five games against Eastern Illinois and Mississippi Valley State, which both rank in the bottom 20 nationally in RPI.

A four-game series against California was crucial to the Razorbacks' strength of schedule, but it was canceled because of weather. The Bears are currently 64th nationally in RPI with a 23-11 overall record.

Arkansas' own RPI rose two spots to 84th nationally in the latest rankings. A series against the Aggies will help.

If Arkansas continues to have similar results to the last month, RPI will become a number to watch closely because of the significance it has on postseason selections and seeding. The Razorbacks started even lower in the RPI last season, but used a late-season surge to make the postseason.

Arkansas has positioned itself again to make another run at the NCAAs this year. Not many saw that coming.