Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said prior to the SEC Tournament the team needed to bolster its resume to guarantee a host slot in a NCAA Regional. That was even with the Razorbacks as SEC West champs and a RPI in the Top 15.

An opening round loss to Alabama seemed to put the Razorbacks on shakier ground. They bounced back Thursday with a 7-2 victory against Mississippi State.

So the Razorbacks (37-19) have a SEC Tournament victory. They’re No. 14 in RPI. They’ve got a history of drawing crowds to Baum Stadium for regional play — last year no regional drew better than Fayetteville, which had a paid attendance of 44,904 over seven games.

Arkansas’ in, right?

Mark Etheridge of SEBaseball.com thinks the Razorbacks still have work to do. They’re in the tournament, but it’s no guarantee there a lock to host.

Asked on Twitter if Arkansas had done enough, Etheridge responded:

“Not yet. Still other games going on with host contenders”

Arkansas can further its case with a victory Friday against the loser of today's Florida-Alabama game. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.