Missouri State will return to Baum in 2018

September 27, 2017 at 3:59 p.m.

by Matt Jones

Missouri State coach Keith Guttin walks back to the bench after talking with the home plate umpire about his decision to continue the game against Arkansas after heavy rain began to fall in the 8th inning of an NCAA college baseball regional tournament game, Sunday, June 4, 2017, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

FAYETTEVILLE — Another Arkansas-Missouri State baseball game has been scheduled for next April at Baum Stadium.

The Razorbacks and Bears are scheduled to play Tuesday, April 17 at 6:35 p.m., according to the Missouri State schedule that was released Wednesday. It is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2018.

Arkansas and Missouri State have developed a regional rivalry in the past few years, intensified through several close games played in the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks beat the national-seed Bears 2-1 in a best-of-three super regional at Baum Stadium in 2015, and Missouri State eliminated Arkansas in a winner-take-all game at the Fayetteville Regional earlier this year.

The regional included perhaps the most unique game either program has ever played - an 11-10 Arkansas win that was restarted after midnight and didn't end until 3:10 a.m., and was finished in a rain storm. Following Missouri State's loss to TCU in the super regional, the Razorbacks hired away the Bears' hitting coach, Nate Thompson, to the same position.

It will mark the fourth consecutive season the teams will play a game in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks played games at the Bears' home park in both years the teams met in the NCAA Tournament.

The game against Missouri State is one of nine confirmed nonconference dates for Arkansas in the coming season. The Razorbacks are scheduled to play in the Tony Gwynn Classic in San Diego on Feb. 23-25 along with Arizona, Michigan, San Diego, San Diego State, Grand Canyon, Indiana State and Cal Poly Pomona.

Arkansas also is scheduled to host Southern Cal for a weekend series on March 2-4 and a midweek series against Southeast Missouri State on March 20-21, according to a game contracts.

The Razorbacks' known SEC dates include at Ole Miss on March 30-April 1; home against Auburn on April 6-8; at LSU on May 4-6; home against Texas A&M on May 11-13; and a regular-season finale series at Georgia on May 17-19. Those series dates are subject to change for TV.

Arkansas will release its full schedule later in the fall.