Arkansas doesn't need a national seed in next week's NCAA Tournament to prove it is one of the elite teams in college baseball.
The Razorbacks have shown their mettle this week at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala., by fighting their way out of the loser's bracket and into the tournament championship game against LSU today at 2 p.m.
Arkansas made it this far by convincingly winning three consecutive games against top 25 teams. Facing elimination with a loss, the Razorbacks beat Auburn, Mississippi State and Florida by a combined score of 37-2, run-ruling the Tigers and Gators in seven innings.
The win over Florida - the SEC regular season champ and a lock to be a national seed as one of the nation's eight best teams - was most eye-opening. The Razorbacks chased all-SEC pitcher Brady Singer with eight runs in a little more than an inning, and got a complete game from Kacey Murphy, who was a midweek starter for the majority of the year.
Murphy's start - and a red-hot offense - gives a tired Arkansas pitching staff a fighting chance today against LSU. The Razorbacks likely will have to piece together a game from several pitchers, but more are available because Murphy gave them all another day's rest.
Win or lose today, Arkansas already has locked up a spot among 16 regional host sites, which will be announced tonight. The full field will be unveiled Monday at 11 a.m.
Coming into the SEC Tournament, some doubted whether Arkansas had done enough to host, but that doubt has been erased. The Razorbacks' RPI jumped to No. 12 on Saturday and only five teams in the country have more wins than Arkansas' 42.
A national seed, which would keep the Razorbacks at Baum Stadium for a super regional, is desirable, but seems unlikely because Arkansas only has played itself into the conversation at the midnight hour. The Razorbacks have won eight of their last 11 games, seven against teams that are likely to make the NCAA Tournament as at-large selections.
The belief is the national seeds already were close to sewn up entering this week. Oregon State, North Carolina, Louisville, LSU, Florida and Texas Tech are thought to be locks for a national seed.
Here is a look at the next six, based on RPI:
TCU
Record: 42-16
RPI: 7
SOS: 31
Conference Tournament Result: Eliminated by Texas in Big 12 semifinals.
Southern Miss
Record: 48-13
RPI: 8
SOS: 66
Conference Tournament Result: Plays Rice in C-USA Championship on Sunday.
Stanford
Record: 40-14
RPI: 9
SOS: 37
Conference Tournament Result: Pac-12 does not play tournament.
Kentucky
Record: 39-20
RPI: 10
SOS: 9
Conference Tournament Result: Eliminated by South Carolina in SEC quarterfinals.
Florida State
Record: 38-20
RPI: 11
SOS: 1
Conference Tournament Result: Plays North Carolina in ACC Championship on Sunday.
Arkansas
Record: 42-16
RPI: 12
SOS: 35
Conference Tournament Result: Plays LSU in SEC Championship on Sunday.
The Razorbacks' win total puts them in the conversation for a national seed, but Arkansas' RPI is hurt by having a nonconference schedule strength that ranks No. 114 nationally.
(On a related note, the NCAA's emphasis on schedule strength has led Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn to schedule more aggressively in future years. The Razorbacks tentatively are scheduled to host Southern Cal, Texas Tech and Texas next season, and play in a tournament in San Diego that includes Arizona and Michigan.)
A 43rd win against LSU would give Arkansas another data point for a national seed, but still might not push the Razorbacks into the top 10 of RPI.
Arkansas' chances of being a national seed at that point would hinge on whether the NCAA selection committee uses the eye test to determine the eight best teams.
If it does, the Razorbacks have made quite a closing argument this week in Hoover.