The setting was subdued Monday night at Baum Stadium for what could’ve been Arkansas’ season finale.

The Razorbacks’ 12-6 win over Western Illinois was played before a sparse crowd, as the 1, 120 in attendance left a pasture of seats empty. The impromptu game, scheduled last week, was meant to bolster Arkansas’ NCAA Regional credentials. The Razorbacks were left out of the eightteam SEC Tournament field for the first time since 2001.

Arkansas’ fate is now in the hands of the regional selection committee, who will announce the 64-team field Monday at 11: 30 a. m. on ESPN.

“ We’re hoping right now, ” said Logan Forsythe, Arkansas’ junior third baseman. “ It’s going to be a bad week, because we’ve got to wait. Nobody wants it to be over with, but it’s not up to us now. ”

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Forsythe made the most of what could’ve been the last game of the season, going 2 for 2 with an RBI and three runs scored. After the game, he and his Razorback teammates convened on the infield to show their appreciation for each other.

“ Maybe this is the last time we ever go through that line with this group of players, ” said Andy Wilkins, Arkansas’ freshman first baseman. “ Hopefully that’s not the case, but if it is we were just trying to make it special. ”

Wilkins trumped Forsythe at the plate, raking a solo home run over the visitor’s bullpen in the first inning. He finished the night 2 for 2 with two runs and three RBIs. His productive evening followed an 0-4 showing last Friday at Mississippi State.

“ This weekend I was probably trying to do way too much, ” Wilkins conceded. “ I was just trying to stay relaxed and get the W for the day. It’s definitely a chance that this is the last game.

“ For me, I was trying to win the game for the guy next to me who might not be here next year, the seniors. It’s a tough deal leaving. I just wanted all those guys to be able to play some more games. ”

Forsythe said the Razorbacks (34-22 ) were taking nothing for granted Monday. The thin crowd didn’t discourage him and his teammates from giving their best.

“ We knew we weren’t going to pack the house, ” Forsythe said of the small crowd. “ It’s a Monday. You don’t expect that much. The fans that showed up are the true fans, the ones that come out here and support us.

“ We knew we had to come out here and take care of business, because even if it is the last game, you shouldn’t lay down. Everybody came out here and busted their butt. It was a good game, a good win. ”