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Arkansas beats Tennessee in blowout to win Super Regional, advance to College World Series
By Andrew Olson
Published:
A new national champion will be crowned in Omaha this year. Arkansas won the Fayetteville Super Regional in an 11-4 blowout on Sunday, sending the Razorbacks back to the College World Series and eliminating defending national champion Tennessee from the NCAA Tournament.
Fans may have expected a pitcher’s duel with Arkansas’s Gage Wood and Tennessee’s Liam Doyle, the 2025 SEC Pitcher of the Year, on the mound. Neither starter made it through the 4th inning, but things went much better on the bump for the Hogs.
In the 4th inning, Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello made multiple pitching changes, and they did not work out for the Vols. When the dust settled on a 5-run 4th inning for the Hogs, Doyle finished with a line of 3.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 6 K, 2 BB.
Doyle was pulled for Brayden Krenzel, who allowed an inherited runner to score on a wild pitch and then hit Arkansas star Wehiwa Aloy, the SEC Player of the Year. With the 2025 season on the line, Vitello pulled Krenzel and turned to AJ Russell.
Facing Russell, Maxwell hit the 1st grand slam of his career to make it a 7-1 game in the top of the 4th inning, as Arkansas was the visiting team in Sunday’s Game 2. From there, the Hogs cruised to victory.
GRAND SLAM ALERT
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 8, 2025
Logan Maxwell's first career grand slam puts the Razorbacks up 7-1!! #RoadToOmaha x ESPN / @RazorbackBSB pic.twitter.com/fGwBKmXDIk
Wood’s day ended in the 4th inning after allowing a leadoff walk and recording a flyout. He went 3.1 IP, allowing 1 earned run on 3 hits on 48 pitches (26 strikes). Dave Van Horn turned to Cole Gibler.
It remained a 7-1 game through the 5th and 6th innings. In the top of the 7th, Arkansas added more insurance runs after Nate Snead replaced Russell. The Hogs would make it a 10-1 game, with all 3 runs being charged to Snead, though 2 came home as the result of bases-loaded walks by Brandon Arvidson.
The Arkansas bullpen mostly managed to contain UT. Gibler finished with a line of 2.2 IP, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 4 while walking only 1 over 45 pitches (29 strikes). Aiden Jimenez was charged with Tennessee’s 2nd run of the game, finishing with a line of 1 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 K over 20 pitches. Parker Coil got in an inning of work and Christian Foutch closed it out in the 9th inning.
It wasn’t the smoothest outing for Foutch, who gave up a 1-out double and 2-out home run, making it an 11-4 game. But the rally was too little, too late for Tennessee, as Foutch managed to record the 3rd and final out.
THE FINAL OUT #RoadToOmaha x ESPN / @RazorbackBSB pic.twitter.com/7ZIdwwVoy6
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 8, 2025
Arkansas returns to the College World Series for the 12th time in program history. The Razorbacks, seeking their first national championship, will first face LSU or West Virginia.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
