SCHEDULED GAME TIME Thursday, 6 p.m. Central
WHERE Founders Park in Columbia, S.C.
RECORDS Arkansas 30-6, 11-4 SEC; South Carolina 24-10, 10-5 SEC
LAST 10 Arkansas 8-2; South Carolina 7-3
RANKINGS Arkansas 1; South Carolina 11
STREAK Arkansas lost 1; South Carolina won 2
COACHES Arkansas: Dave Van Horn - 730-395 in 19th season at Arkansas and 1,050-554 in 27th season overall in Division I; South Carolina: Mark Kingston - 101-68 in fourth season at South Carolina and 374-248-1 in 12th season overall.
SERIES Arkansas leads 42-34
LAST MEETING Arkansas defeated South Carolina 14-4 on June 11, 2018, in Fayetteville in the third game of an NCAA super regional.
RADIO Razorback Sports Network can be accessed through local FM and AM affiliates, via the Arkansas Razorbacks Gameday app, via the TuneIn app or on ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Blackouts may apply.
TELEVISION The game will be televised by SEC Network and can be accessed via WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app (carrier login required).
ANNOUNCERS Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Ben McDonald (analyst)
PITCHING MATCHUP Arkansas RHP Caleb Bolden (2-0, 4.63 ERA in 23 1/3 innings) vs. South Carolina RHP Thomas Farr (2-3, 3.28 ERA in 49 1/3 innings)
FORECAST According to the National Weather Service, Thursday will be clear with a high near 65 degrees and a low near 42 in Columbia, S.C. West winds will be calm.
TEAM COMPARISONS
ERA: Arkansas 4.19; South Carolina 3.33
Earned Runs Per Game: Arkansas 8.37; South Carolina 5.83
Batting Average: Arkansas .287; South Carolina .268
Opponent Batting Average: Arkansas .231; South Carolina .213
Slugging Percentage: Arkansas .519; South Carolina .471
On-Base Percentage: Arkansas .412; South Carolina .367
Fielding Percentage: Arkansas .979; South Carolina .975
Strength of Schedule: Arkansas 4; South Carolina 18
NOTABLE Arkansas leads the SEC West and is tied with Vanderbilt for the overall SEC lead. South Carolina is one game back of both teams….The Gamecocks have the SEC’s second-best ERA (3.33) and third-lowest opposing batting average (.213) and third-most strikeouts (419)….South Carolina infielder/catcher Wes Clarke has hit 15 home runs this season, which is tied for the NCAA lead. The Gamecocks have hit 52 home runs, which are sixth most in the NCAA….Arkansas’ 70 home runs are the most in the NCAA this year. The Razorbacks have hit 43 home runs in their last 19 games….Arkansas also leads the NCAA in runs scored (306) and walks (224)….Arkansas designated hitter Matt Goodheart was named national player of the week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Perfect Game following a 10 for 17 week that included 10 RBI. Goodheart has hit five home runs in his last four games….Arkansas right fielder Cayden Wallace was named SEC freshman of the week for the second consecutive week. Wallace is batting a team-best .358 in SEC-only games….Arkansas has a 14-16 all-time record in Columbia, S.C., including a 6-6 record at Founders Park, which opened as Carolina Stadium in 2009. The Razorbacks’ last two trips to Columbia have resulted in sweeps. Arkansas swept then-No. 6 South Carolina in 2013, and the Razorbacks were swept by the Gamecocks in their last trip to Columbia in 2016….South Carolina is expanding its maximum capacity to 3,350 for this week’s games, up from 1,938 for earlier games this season. The listed capacity at Founders Park is 8,242, including 6,600 seats….This is Arkansas’ second of three SEC series that will begin on a Thursday. The Razorbacks lost their Thursday game against Auburn on April 1 and are scheduled to play Florida in a Thursday-Friday-Series beginning May 20 in Fayetteville….Arkansas is altering its weekend rotation due to a short turnaround from last week’s Texas A&M series. The Razorbacks and Aggies played all three games over two days….South Carolina won two of three games at LSU last week. Both of the Gamecocks’ victories came during a seven-inning doubleheader last Saturday.