FAYETTEVILLE — A poor weather forecast has forced Arkansas to change its midweek schedule.
The No. 10 Razorbacks' scheduled game against North Carolina-Charlotte on Tuesday has been canceled because of cold temperatures in the forecast. The game will not be made up, but a game between the teams scheduled for Wednesday at 3 p.m. will still be played.
"I would say the temperature we're looking at right now for Tuesday's ball game is not good enough to play," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said Monday prior to the cancelation. "We've got to see that climb a little bit."
Snow has fallen in Fayetteville the past two days. Public schools were canceled and classes at the University of Arkansas began late Monday because of poor road conditions.
Van Horn said snow on the field at Baum-Walker Stadium is melting and the surface might be playable Tuesday, but the concern is the frigid forecast.
The temperature is expected to reach 37 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, but wind gusts of around 20 mph will push the wind chill into the 20s during afternoon hours.
"It's really more about the wind chill than anything else," Van Horn said. "It's supposed to be really windy tomorrow. (The Weather Service) even said gusts up to 23 mph, north/northwest.
"The wind chill under 30 degrees is not good for that long. We've got a couple of kids that aren't feeling too good, a couple of coaches aren't feeling real good, and I think it's just from being outside so much in that type of weather, sweating and being cold and shivering. You've just got to be smart about it."
Single-game tickets purchased for Tuesday can be exchanged through the Razorback Ticket Office.
Van Horn said freshman left-handed pitcher Patrick Wicklander is likely to start for the Razorbacks (9-1) on Wednesday. Charlotte (6-5) has not announced its pitching plan.
This is the second year in a row the Razorbacks and 49ers will play only one game in a scheduled two-game series. A game between the teams at BB&T Ballpark - a minor-league facility in downtown Charlotte - was canceled because of rain and cold weather last March. Charlotte won 6-3 in a game on its campus the following day.
Arkansas already has had a number of weather-related changes to its schedule this season. Home series against Eastern Illinois and Stony Brook were modified to include doubleheaders, and all 10 of the team's games this season have been played in cold weather.