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The Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team advanced to the Super Regional round of the NCAA tournament after defeating Creighton 8-3 on Sunday (June 1) at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks, the national No. 3 seed, secured the NCAA Fayetteville Regional title in front of nearly 10,000 fans.
Arkansas' victory was powered by strong pitching performances from right-handers Gage Wood and Gabe Gaeckle, who combined for 20 strikeouts without allowing a walk. Wood struck out 13 batters over six innings, while Gaeckle added seven more strikeouts in three scoreless innings, earning his first save of the season. Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn praised the pitchers, saying, "All we were really trying to do is throw the first pitch for a strike and get ahead of them."
The Razorbacks' offense was fueled by four home runs, including two from right fielder Logan Maxwell. Maxwell's first homer came in the first inning, setting the tone for Arkansas' lead. Justin Thomas and Ryder Helfrick also contributed home runs, with Helfrick earning regional most valuable player honors.
Creighton managed to score its only runs on a three-run homer by Ben North in the fourth inning. Despite the loss, Creighton coach Ed Servais acknowledged the strength of Arkansas' team, stating, "It’s going to take a heck of a team to beat them next week."
Arkansas, now with a 46-13 record, will host the Super Regional later this week against the winner of the Knoxville Regional championship game between Tennessee and Wake Forest.