In what seems like a yearly tradition at this point, Little Rock baseball has started a run in a Regional. This time around, the Trojans are 2-0 in the Hattiesburg Regional, with wins over host Southern Miss on Friday and Jacksonville State on Saturday night, advancing to the Hattiesburg Regional Championship. A familiar place for the last two years, as two out of the three Regional appearances in school history have seen the Trojans competing for a spot in a Super Regional, which would be a first-ever trip for the program. 

Despite having only three regional appearances in school history, this Little Rock Baseball team has turned into a college baseball household name, a household name that took the country by storm last season as they came out of the loser’s bracket to advance to the Baton Rouge Regional Championship series, where they forced a winner-take-all championship with the eventual National Championship-winning LSU Tigers. It was last season that the country saw firsthand the culture and the baseball excellence that Little Rock baseball has built under the leadership of Coach Chris Curry. 

What Coach Curry has done with the program since taking over as Head Coach before the 2015 season. Hasn’t always been easy with limited resources compared to other programs at that level, but Coach Curry and his staff have stayed the course, and now the Trojans are one win away from heading to the Super Regional for the first time in school history. 

As it goes with any team that wins, what makes this Little Rock team different? Or as Coach Curry put it on Friday after the win over Southern Miss, “ lethal, not dangerous.” Coach Curry not only has a special group of guys in the program, but also a group of guys who love their brothers on the team and playing baseball for Little Rock. What they do that works for them might not be something that attracts the eyeballs of the elite of college baseball, but over the last two years, the Trojans of Little Rock have continued to prove they can play and compete with the best of the best. There aren’t many teams at their level that can manage the frenzy that is Alex Box Stadium, or let a late-game deficit determine the outcome at Pete Taylor Park. Those points alone, plus a lot more, are what make Little Rock such a lethal team to face in a Regional. 

I think another way to describe this team is ‘relentless.’ Little Rock is a baseball team that can beat you a million different ways, and we’ve seen that this weekend in Hattiesburg. Friday, the Trojans had to mount a comeback but got the timely hitting to score runs, while on Saturday, the Trojans jumped out on Jacksonville State in the first inning before adding a pair of runs in the top half of the 8th to secure the victory. Not to mention, this is the same Little Rock team that last year had to go on a miracle run in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament just to be in a Regional. Now, they’re heading into Sunday 2-0 in Regional play and needing one win in a possible two games to head to a first Super Regional in school history. Being relentless, combined with a culture built from the ground up, is the core of what makes this program so special and unique, especially in a regional setting. 

We saw it last year with Murray State out of the Missouri Valley Conference, that a team from a conference similar can make a deep run in Regional play, and Little Rock like Murray State last season has all the momemtum to be the next four seed to not only start a Regional 2-0, but to have a combined mometum and talent to things to the next level by advancing to a Super Regional and even beyond given the right matchup, the Trojans could take a similar road as Murray State and earn a trip to the College World Series. However, this ends for Little Rock, the Trojans have once again given hope to a college baseball so eager for the next Cinderella to rally behind. 

At the end of the day, what separates college baseball from the other sports is the parity and opportunity that allow any program, no matter its size or budget, to compete with and beat programs with the biggest budgets, nicest stadiums, and even the most expensive rosters. Little Rock just plays baseball the way that baseball should be played, and they win games, not much more you can ask for out of a program like Little Rock. Ever so often, college baseball will have a program like Little Rock, Murray State last year, Fresno State in 2007 and 2008 that remind all of us the sheer beauty and simplicity of college baseball, in many circles college baseball is often reffered to as one of the last few college sports that have remained pure of the drama and greed we see in other sports, the story of Little Rock baseball this tournament is only begining, my reccomendation wheather be a fan or a college baseball purist, enjoy what we’re witnessing and don’t be too prideful to let your judgement get in the way of cheering on greatness. Little Rock baseball is on the verge of something magical that has the potential to be talked about for generations to come. 

Something to monitor: this is only the 11th time since the Regionals format changed in 1999 that a four-seed has started 2-0 in Regional play. Again, everything with this Little Rock Trojans team points back to the relentless effort, combined with love for each other, and the sport of baseball. 

With the win on Saturday night, Little Rock will now await the winner of Virginia and Jacksonville State on Sunday night, as they just need one more win to advance to a Super Regional for the first time in program history. First pitch for the Regional Championship is slated for 8:00.

Photo Credits- Little Rock baseball on X