1) The Class of Albany

Congrats to the Great Danes for making their first NCAA Regional. Further congrats on the absolute class that team showed in defeat. No tears, no whining, just appreciation for being where they were and being able to play two games of regional baseball. UAlbany's players did their school and the America East Conference proud, and we look forward to watching them return to the regionals in the future.

2) No Excuses

One might say Dave Van Horn had no excuses to give for the way Arkansas played tonight. Van Horn isn't a coach who makes excuses in the first place though.

"I give all the credit tonight to Oklahoma State," Van Horn said. "They played really well, and we didn't play well."

Short, simple and to the point. Vintage Van Horn

Make no doubts, the Arkansas coach isn't going to sleep tonight. Losing drives this guy crazy, and with this being the worst performance from a Razorback team since I can remember, Van Horn will kick the intensity in the Razorback dugout about three more notches up.

3) One Thing I Hate

During this baseball season, the two teams I've covered the most are Arkansas (9 games) and Creighton (7 games). I absolutely hate the fact that one, or possibly both of these teams will end their season tomorrow. I hate it because these are two great teams who have had remarkable seasons. They're led by coaches who set the standard for not only great baseball, but for class as well. Both teams have given moments this year that have left me speechless. And tomorrow, when Nick Schmidt and Ben Mancuso take the mound, I'm sure we'll see more incredible things from these two teams. You just wish, as a baseball fan, that it didn't have to be an elimination game to see it.

4) Key To The Regional

Frank Anderson put his big hitters right at the top of the lineup tonight, hoping to rattle Todd early and often. It worked, and it leads to the key of the regional. If anyone's going to beat OSU this weekend, it's going to have to be a team that can shut the Cowboys down in the early innings.

5) NCAA Umpire Rules

For the record, the umpires made the correct call. According to the rules, if a fair ball hits an umpire, it's a dead ball and the batter gets first. However, let me be the first to say I HATE this rule.

I know that being an umpire is not an easy job. I know some calls are going to be missed now and then. However, one can't help but notice that more and more calls are being missed each season. Maybe it's heat, maybe it's fatigue, but umpires aren't as sharp as they used to be. If you're not going to be sharp enough to dodge a ball, then someone needs to get Patches O'Houlihan over and re-train them. After all, if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.

Secondly, I'd only accept this rule if baseball umpires had to pass fitness tests. Football and basketball refs have to pass physical exams to see if they have the endurance to move up and down all game. Baseball umps don't have to move much, but if touching the ball has this much effect on a game, an umpire better be fit enough to dodge it. After all, that wasn't a screaming line drive tonight (and it's a whole different story if it's a hit like that...though I bet that ump would've dodged then!).

Did it affect the outcome of the game tonight? No. Did it hurt Arkansas? Absolutely. Does the rule need some changing? You better believe it.

And with that, we move on to tomorrow's action....

#1 Arkansas vs. #2 Creighton - 2:37 pm (CSTV)
Winner vs. #3 Oklahoma State - 6:37 pm (CSTV)

We'll also have some features, as we talked with a student volunteer about their work at the regional, and we'll try to get some reaction from others who are at the park as well.

For now, we bid you good night from Fayetteville, and we'll see you tomorrow afternoon!