FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For all the criticism that Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek gets, the one thing that he can’t be criticized for is the lack of postseason chances that the Razorbacks have year after year to compete for a national championship.
With the Hogs securing the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament, Arkansas is just one of 14 schools that have made a bowl game, March Madness and a baseball regional.
It should come as no surprise that the overwhelming majority of schools on the list are from the SEC. Nine of the 14 schools come from the SEC.
The usual suspects include Florida, Alabama and Texas, who have built powerhouses over the years.
But the list also includes a school like Vanderbilt, who locked down the No. 1 overall seed in baseball and made the NCAA Tournament in basketball and a bowl game for the first time this decade.
Arkansas won the Liberty Bowl in football, made a run to the Sweet 16 and now hosts postseason baseball for the third straight season.
There’s also the Director’s Cup, which measures the success of all the athletic programs on campus with a scoring system that weighs all sports the same.
It may not hold the same prestige as a national title in a major sport, nor should it, but is a useful tool in measuring the overall success of the department compared to its rivals.
Basketball coach John Calipari, who contributed a decent chunk of points himself by making a run in the postseason from a double-digit seed, was quick to point out the Directors Cup.
Arkansas carries just 19 athletic programs, the lowest among any team ranked in the top 15. The Hogs carry just barely over half of Stanford, who leads the standings with 36 sports.
With the diamond sports both likely to contribute big points, the Razorbacks could jump its fellow SEC rivals in Florida and Alabama in the standings.
While fans yearn for the elusive national championship, just making the postseason is harder than most realize. Arkansas has had a remarkable track record of getting a shot.
The basketball team has made appearances in six of the last eight years in March Madness. Making the baseball tournament is more of a formality than a chore.
If not for one poor season in 2016, the Razorbacks would be right up there with Vanderbilt, who just made their 18th straight tournament under coach Tim Corbin.
No one will be parading around a top 10 finish in the Learfield Cup standings, but maybe this will finally be the year that baseball picks up 100 points for the school, the number of points given out to national champion.
The final standings will be released after a baseball champion is crowned in Omaha, Neb. following the last game of the College World Series.
The Razorbacks begin their quest against North Dakota State 2 p.m. Friday. The winner of that game will face the winner of Creighton and Kansas at 7 p.m. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
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