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Arkansas 16, at Kentucky 12

Saturday, May 16, 2026 · Final · SEC Playoffs Game 3 (ARK wins 2-1)

Arkansas at Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Interstat) — The Arkansas Razorbacks and Kentucky Wildcats meet Saturday in the series finale of their three-game Southeastern Conference series at Kentucky Proud Park. The weather forecast calls for clouds and a game-time temperature of 66 degrees.

Arkansas (35-19) won Friday’s game 5-4 to even the series after Kentucky (31-19) took the opener Thursday 4-3. Saturday’s winner claims the series.

Arkansas right-hander Hunter Dietz is scheduled to start. He took the loss Thursday despite allowing no hits over six innings. He gave up three earned runs on three walks and hit a batter while striking out nine. Dietz (7-2, 2.88 ERA) has been sharp recently: He threw seven innings of seven-hit ball with one earned run and seven strikeouts in a 12-2 win over Oklahoma on May 8, and six innings of four-hit, one-run ball with nine strikeouts in a 12-2 win over Mississippi on May 1.

Kentucky reliever Nate Harris will be a key arm out of the bullpen. He earned the win Thursday, working three scoreless innings with one hit allowed, one earned run and three strikeouts in the 4-3 victory. Harris struggled in his previous outing May 10 at Florida, allowing three earned runs on no hits and three walks in one-third of an inning with no strikeouts.

The series has been close. In Thursday’s game, Arkansas took a 3-0 lead before Kentucky rallied with a four-run sixth inning. Friday, Arkansas scored three runs in the first inning and held on as Kentucky scored two in the ninth.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Arkansas victory, and its ELO system gives the Razorbacks a 55.9 percent probability to win.

Arkansas has won five of its last seven games, including a 5-1 win over Northwestern State on April 29. Kentucky has split its last six games, including a 9-5 win at South Carolina on April 26.

The game is the final regular-season meeting between the two teams this year. Both are vying for position in the SEC tournament.