FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will play one of college baseball's hottest teams in the NCAA super regional round this weekend.
Missouri State has won 19 consecutive games entering the best-of-three series in Fayetteville. The Bears are 48-10 overall and had the nation's No. 8 RPI entering the postseason.
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Despite being one of eight national seeds, Missouri State won't host a super regional because of a scheduling conflict at its home stadium. The Bears share Hammons Field with the minor league Springfield Cardinals.
Missouri State won both the regular season and conference tournament championships in the Missouri Valley Conference, which received three bids to the NCAA postseason and had three teams in the top 19 in RPI.
The Bears haven't lost since April 25 against Illinois State. Missouri State has won 37 of its last 40 games.
Here are five things to know about the Razorbacks' upcoming opponent:
Beat Arkansas: The Bears have already been to Baum Stadium once this season. Missouri State beat Arkansas 2-0 on March 31. Andy Cheray, Zach Merciez and Bryan Young combined to strike out eight batters in the shutout. The Bears scored both runs in the top of the fifth inning off Arkansas starter James Teague.
Strong Schedule: Including the postseason, Missouri State has played 16 games this year against teams that made the NCAA Tournament and is 12-4 in those games. The Bears are 9-4 against teams from power five conferences and went 2-1 against regional host Dallas Baptist.
Ace Pitcher: Junior right-hander Jon Harris is expected to be a first-round MLB Draft selection this month. Harris has a 1.85 ERA and 8-1 record in 14 starts this season. He has struck out 113 batters and was named the pitcher of the year in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Solid No. 2: Behind Harris is Matt Hall, a hard-throwing left-hander who leads the NCAA this season with 163 strikeouts in 116 innings. Hall has at least 11 strikeouts in his last five outings, including a career-high 15 against Wichita State during a regular season game last month. Hall has pitched against Arkansas twice in his career. He pitched 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief during a home game in 2014. As a freshman, Hall allowed four runs in four innings at Baum Stadium.
Good Genes: Outfielder Tate Matheny is the son of St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. The junior had a grand slam and 5 RBIs in the Bears' regional opener against Canisius. He is batting .291 with 5 home runs and 42 RBIs this season. He has a team-best .993 fielding percentage.