FAYETTEVILLE — We should know a lot more about Arkansas' baseball team following this weekend's trip to Mobile, Alabama.
The Razorbacks will play Central Florida on Friday, South Alabama on Saturday and Maryland on Sunday at Stanky Field. The Knights and Terrapins are ranked in Baseball America's top 25 poll, and the Jaguars won two of three games last season at Baum Stadium.
All four teams in the field are 3-0 after the opening weekend. Combine that with the road and neutral site element, and it's a showcase that could bolster the Razorbacks' RPI by the time postseason sites are announced in May.
Maryland is picked to win the Big Ten this season after coming within one win of the College World Series in 2014. Central Florida is projected to finish second in The American.
The Razorbacks have not done well in these types of settings the last two years. In 2013, Arkansas lost four games in four days during a showcase outside Phoenix and the Razorbacks were 1-3 in a four-game trip to San Francisco last season.
With the level of competition, Arkansas figures to be more tested than it was by North Dakota last weekend. The Razorbacks won three games in two days by a combined score of 36-7, with the closest game decided by seven runs.
Arkansas' offense had 18 extra-base hits and its pitching staff struck out 39 batters. It was as solid of an opening weekend as we've seen from the Diamond Hogs in recent years, but it was expected against a program that was seeing its first outdoor playing time of the year.
North Dakota will play its first 21 games of the season on the road because of the harsh weather on its campus. With snow covering the ground and wind chills well below 0 degrees, the team had only practiced indoors leading up to its trip to Arkansas.
That won't be the case this weekend. Central Florida and South Alabama have been able to do more outdoor work than the Razorbacks, especially this week as snow and ice cover the ground in Fayetteville.
It's the kind of week Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn referenced over and again when clamoring for an indoor facility, which was finished last summer. The Razorbacks appear to have made good use of the facility with zero errors through three games - a notable feat for any time during the season, but especially so this early.
Dominic Taccolini will start against Central Florida and Zach Jackson against South Alabama. A starter for the Maryland game will be determined Saturday. Taccolini and Jackson each had eight strikeouts in starts last weekend.
The Razorbacks will again be without top pitcher Trey Killian, who is likely out until SEC play begins with an injury to his throwing elbow. The rest of Arkansas' staff has a combined nine starts, including the three in last week's series.
Given those circumstances, if the Razorbacks can come home with two more wins under their belt, it should bode well for the rest of the season.