Shocking upset: Arkansas eliminated from Super Regional despite heroic effort from Kevin Kopps
No. 1-seeded Arkansas’ season is over.
The Razorbacks fell 3-2 to North Carolina State on Sunday, sending the Wolf Pack to the College World Series in Omaha.
Arkansas won the opening game of this series 21-2, but lost the following two games by one run each.
The loss comes despite an incredible effort from pitcher Kevin Kopps. Making his first start of the season, Kopps threw 118 pitches across 8+ innings. He made just two mistakes, but the final one decided the game — a ninth-inning homer by NC State’s Jose Torres.
Here’s the play:
Jose Torres ?
NC State takes the 3-2 lead over No. 1 Arkansas in the top of the ninth.
? @NCStateBaseballpic.twitter.com/2qlr0rSDnx
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 14, 2021
Kopps also pitched two innings in yesterday’s defeat to the Wolf Pack. This was his first loss of the season.
Arkansas’ offense failed to back up Kopps’ dominance. The Razorbacks found just four hits and trailed for most of the game. They got a game-tying home run in the eighth inning, but it wasn’t enough.
Instead, North Carolina State advances to Omaha for the first time since 2013.