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Arkansas Just Made SEC Tournament's Most Important First Impression

Razorbacks hit four home runs, beat Tennessee 8-4 and kept Hunter Dietz fresh for Texas on Friday.
Andy Hodges|
Arkansas Razorbacks Zack Stewart after hitting a homer against the Tennessee Volunteers in the SEC Tournament.
Arkansas Razorbacks Zack Stewart after hitting a homer against the Tennessee Volunteers in the SEC Tournament. | Arkansas Communications

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Arkansas Razorbacks

If Dave Van Horn drew up exactly how he wanted Wednesday to go, it probably looked something like this.

Four home runs. A comfortable margin. A bullpen that didn't get shredded.

Most importantly pitcher Hunter Dietz sat in the dugout for the entire game with fresh legs and a full pitch count ready to go whenever Van Horn needs him most.

The Razorbacks beat Tennessee 8-4 in the SEC Tournament opener Wednesday and it's hard to imagine a better-case scenario for an Arkansas team needing multiple wins to keep its claim in the NCAA regional hosting conversation going.

Now they'll get to play Texas on Friday. Just that will have Arkansas fans fired up. Remember our line that fans love to hate the Longhorns more than they love the Razorbacks.

The Hogs didn't just win but did it the right way, protecting their ace and doing damage with the long ball early enough to take the suspense out of the game.

That's a good day at the office. Van Horn knows it.

A Head Coach With a Little Extra Stake in This One

Let's be clear, Dave Van Horn isn't just coaching for a SEC Tournament run here.

He's probably coaching with one eye firmly on the NCAA selection committee and what kind of case Arkansas can make to host a regional the following week.

The Razorbacks came in at 36-19 overall and 17-13 in SEC play as the No. 7 seed. That doesn't get you into the Top 16 automatically.

It requires you to go out and make some noise in Hoover, which is exactly what Wednesday's win started to do.

Van Horn has been around long enough to know what the committee looks at.

Winning in the SEC Tournament, especially against quality opponents, moves the needle. A win over Tennessee, which came in at 38-19, isn't just a line on a résumé.

The way Arkansas handled it, getting out to a four-run lead before the Vols' dugout could process what was happening, made it look convincing.

One win doesn't host a regional. It does get you to Friday and Friday is what matters now.

Best Possible Start You Could Script

Forget the final score for a second and look at how the first inning unfolded.

Tennessee lefty Evan Blanco came in 7-3 with a fresh win over South Carolina under his belt. He'd looked sharp just days earlier.

None of that mattered once Camden Kozeal hit one out in right center to put Arkansas on top immediately.

Then Zack Stewart followed with a two-run shot to right and suddenly it was 3-0 before the crowd settled into their seats.

Nolan Souza doubled to right to score TJ Pompey and make it 4-0, all before the second inning ever arrived.

That's not just a good start but the kind of first inning that takes the other team's starting pitcher out of his comfort zone and puts your own dugout at ease.

Considering the way this season has gone with just about everybody having at least one big inning in every game, Van Horn probably wasn't ready to relax.

Saving the Ace Was Smartest Move in Stadium

The decision to hold Dietz back didn't just make sense. It may have been the most important call Van Horn made all week.

After moving into the Friday night starting role early in the season, this will keep him on the same schedule he had for a couple of months. Nothing could have been better for Van Horn's sleep.

Dietz threw 99 pitches against Kentucky. Running him back out there on short rest in a one-game-at-a-time tournament format against an opponent like Tennessee would've been burning a resource Arkansas can't afford to waste.

Tate McGuire got the nod instead and handled his role. Parker Coil, James DeCremer and Cole Gibler all contributed out of the bullpen.

Nobody was perfect. Tennessee scored in the fifth on a Henry Ford double and added another in the seventh on a Blake Grimmer double but the lead was never seriously threatened.

In the fifth inning, Pompey's three-run homer to left effectively ended any remaining drama and pushed the lead to 8-3.

That's when you get the idea your day is going to end the right way.

The payoff for protecting Dietz comes Friday against Texas.

That's when Van Horn's going to want his best option available and because of how Wednesday was managed, he'll have it.

Texas Won't Be Tennessee

Here's the part where the comfort of Wednesday's result has to be set aside entirely.

Texas is a different kind of problem.

The Longhorns probably aren't going to give up four runs in the first inning and spend the rest of the game playing catch-up.

But that's a Friday conversation.

Wednesday's task was to survive, advance and not waste your ace and the Razorbacks checked every single box.

Van Horn got exactly what he needed. Now it gets harder.

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Andy Hodges
ANDY HODGES

Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.

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