The Basics
Game 12
Oral Roberts (5-6, 0-0) vs. #6 Arkansas (9-3, 0-0)
Dates: March 3, 3:00 PM
Location: Baum-Walker Stadium (Fayetteville, AR)
Live Stats: Arkansas Athletics
Video: SEC Network+
 
TULSA, Oklahoma – The Oral Roberts baseball team is set to wrap up its 10-game road stretch with a midweek matchup at #6 Arkansas on Tuesday, March 3 at 3 p.m.
 
Fans can watch the action live on the SEC Network + or follow updates on X at @ORUBASE.
 
Last Time Out:
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 2-1 weekend in Texas, going 1-1 against Dallas Baptist (L, 5-6; W, 8-6) and defeating Air Force, 6-3.
 
Makani Tanaka led the team over the three games, batting .429 with six hits in 14 at-bats, including five extra-base hits with three doubles, a triple and a homer, while drawing both a walk and an intentional walk. Cooper Combs also recorded six hits at Horner Ballpark, batting .400 over the weekend with five RBI.
 
Starters Nathan Love and Conner Johnson each picked up a win in Dallas, while Weston Rouse was awarded the save in the second game against DBU. Rouse closed for the Golden Eagles, throwing 3.2 innings while allowing no runs on two hits and striking out four.
 
Pitching Matchup:  
Tuesday: LHP Jackson Farrell (First Appearance) vs. RHP James DeCremer (0-0 / 0.00 ERA / 5.2 IP)
 
Inside the Series:
In a series dating back to 1970, Tuesday's game will mark the 114th meeting between ORU and the Razorbacks. The 2026 season marks the third consecutive year the teams have met after a four-year break following their 2019 matchup.
 
Scouting the Opponent:
Arkansas is currently 9-3 on the season and has been consistently ranked as a top-10 team this week, coming in at No. 6 by D1Baseball, No. 8 by the NCBWA and No. 9 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
 
This past weekend, Arkansas took a series against UT Arlington, falling 4-3 in the opener before defeating the Mavericks, 9-0 and 11-1 (7 inn.).
 
Junior infielder Camden Kozeal currently leads the Hogs and ranks 11th in the nation in home runs with six on the season. Not far behind him is Ryder Helfrick with five homers. Kozeal's 16 RBI are good for 11th in the SEC, while his .905 slugging percentage ranks seventh.
 
Kozeal slashed .375/.444/.813 last week, starting all four games for the Razorbacks. He scored four runs with six hits, including a double and two home runs, driving in seven RBI.
 
James DeCremer is set to start on the mound for Arkansas, making his third appearance and second start of the season. DeCremer, a transfer from Oregon State, made his debut with the Hogs in a 6-5 win against Texas Tech, throwing two relief innings while allowing no runs on one hit with a walk and one strikeout.
 
The right-handed redshirt sophomore made his first start last week against Arkansas State, throwing 3.2 innings while allowing no runs on one hit and striking out three.
 
Head coach Dave Van Horn has built a 1,313-643 career record, including a 952-475 mark in 24 seasons at Arkansas.
 
Leading Off with Tanaka:
As the Golden Eagles settle into the 2026 roster, senior outfielder Makani Tanaka has found himself at the top of the lineup for ORU, batting leadoff in the last five games after opening the season in the five-hole. Transferring from Saddleback College ahead of the 2025 season, Tanaka has cemented himself in the ORU batting order and leads the team with a .519 on-base percentage.
 
Last week, Tanaka led the team over four games, batting .412 with seven hits in 17 at-bats, including three multi-hit performances. Tanaka had five extra-base hits across the four games– three doubles, a triple and a 402-foot home run to left-center that gave the Golden Eagles the advantage over Air Force.
 
 
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