By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas catcher James McCann said the Razorbacks knew they were Oklahoma-bound when the NCAA Tournament field was announced in 2009.

The Razorbacks already had wrapped up a regional hosting spot a year later. So the only drama in 2010 was finding out who else would be playing in Baum Stadium.

But when McCann and the Razorbacks sat down to watch the NCAA Tournament’s selection show on Monday morning, the junior said for the first time in his career he had no idea where Arkansas was heading this week.

“I was assuming it was UCLA or (Texas Christian) because those were the two schools that we had heard we were going to,” McCann said. “They started announcing them, we hadn’t been sent anywhere and it came down to Arizona State or TCU. So we thought we were going to TCU. All of a sudden we popped up on Arizona State. It was kind of a surprise.”

The Razorbacks will begin their postseason path in the four-team Tempe (Ariz.) Regional, making the long trek to Arizona State’s home field for the second straight season and third time in four years. The last trip came last June, when Arkansas lost a best-of-three series to the Sun Devils in the Tempe Super Regional.

Arkansas (38-20) is the region’s No. 2 seed and will play No. 3 Charlotte (42-14) on Friday at 4 p.m. Arizona State (39-16), the top seed, opens with New Mexico (20-39).

The Razorbacks will travel with a chip on their shoulders after not being selected as one of 16 regional hosts Sunday. Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said earlier this month he thought his team would host a regional by winning the SEC West and performing well in the SEC Tournament.

Arkansas did both. But the reward didn’t follow.

“I was disappointed because I truly thought we were going to host,” said Van Horn, who added he was more disappointed for fans hoping to watch the Razorbacks play in Baum Stadium. “But it’s a tough choice. It came down to probably Baum Stadium, UCLA and maybe one other (regional site).”

Tim Weiser, the associate commissioner of the Big 12 and the NCAA selection committee chairman, said there was plenty of discussion regarding the Razorbacks as a host.

Arkansas won 38 games, won the SEC West title and were high in the Ratings Percentage Index entering the final week of the season (No. 14). The Hogs would have packed Baum Stadium if selected, too. But Weiser pointed to other factors that put Arkansas on the road.

“I think those that were unsure about Arkansas probably pointed to a couple of things,” Weiser said. “One was their 15-15 conference record and the other was that they only won four of the ten league series that they played in.

“I know at least for a couple of members that was something that was pointed to.”

So Arkansas will travel to play in a regional for the fifth time in nine years under Van Horn.

McCann said it was a “bittersweet” fact because the Razorbacks believed they had done everything necessary to remain in Fayetteville this week.

But going to Tempe will give them an opportunity to even the score with Arizona State. The Sun Devils won two 12-inning games in a tightly contested Super Regional last June to advance to the 2010 College World Series. Arkansas hasn’t forgotten the disappointment.

“It’s something that I take to heart knowing we got knocked out by Arizona State last year,” McCann said. “We get to go back there. I feel like we have some unfinished business.”

Said pitcher DJ Baxendale: “It’s not so much a revenge factor with Arizona State as it is getting back there and getting to Omaha. We were very disappointed last year.”

The Razorbacks are hoping for a road run similar to 2009, when Arkansas won the Norman (Okla.) Regional and Tallahassee (Fla.) Super Regional to advance to the College World Series. Arkansas, which is 14-13 outside of Baum Stadium this season, has previously lost road regionals at Stanford (in 2008) and Texas (2003 and 2005) under Van Horn.

Van Horn said Arizona State is the obvious favorite to win the Tempe Regional again, but added “anyone can win it.”

So Van Horn said Arkansas was well on its way to moving past the disappointment of not being selected as a regional host. The Hogs’ sights are set on winning Friday’s opener.

“Initially, I was kind of shocked because I thought we were for sure hosting,” Van Horn said. “But then I moved on. I think we’ve just got to move on. It’s just the way it is. Sometimes you’ve get the draw, sometimes you don’t. We’re just excited to head out to Tempe and play Charlotte.”

Tempe Regional Glance
Team: Arizona State
Seed: No. 1
Record: 39-16
Road to Regional: ASU was banned from postseason play in 2011 because of NCAA violations, but the NCAA hasn’t ruled on its appeal. So ASU and will host for the fifth straight year after finishing tied for second in the Pac-10.

Tempe Regional Schedule
Friday, June 3
Game 1 – Charlotte vs. Arkansas, 4 p.m.
Game 2 – New Mexico vs. Arizona State, 9 p.m.
Saturday, June 4
Game 3 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 4 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 9 p.m.
Sunday, June 5
Game 5 – Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 3 p.m.
Game 6 – Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 8 p.m.
Monday, June 6
Game 7 (if necessary) – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, 8:30 p.m.