Arkansas Can't Ignore Lesson of Razorbacks' Past as Key Season Moment Arrives

It all seems to be lining up.
Arkansas has found its Friday night starter in Hunter Dietz and has managed to fight off the mid-season hitting flu just enough to support him well over the past five weeks.

As a result, the Hogs have won the opener of the past five SEC series, a slate that includes Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Ole Miss and Oklahoma. The win over the Tide ended an 18-game home winning streak in Tuscaloosa, added a win over a Bulldogs team that is on fire right now as Georgia shapes into a national championship favorite and the Rebels and Sooners help the Razorbacks chip away significant chunks at that pesky RPI rating that keeps haunting Arkansas without reason.

After falling two spots to No. 30 following a dramatic series clinching win over No. 17 Ole Miss, the Hogs have clawed back to No. 17 as their previous opponents' opponents picked up key wins and Arkansas also added the quality opponents Oklahoma has faced to the bag.

However, Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn is a prove it on the field type of man. There's just something about being able to point to a long list of series wins over Top 25 teams when trying to make the argument to host a regional.

So here sits Arkansas in what one would assume is prime position. Pitching has come along to a point where it's relatively consistent.

The bats have heated up so much that not only have the long list of presumed stars caught fire and become a force of terror as they step to the plate, but even those who were so far off the radar as hitters they may literally have not been on opposing team's scouting reports are affecting games.

Freshman Christian Turner, who hadn't logged a hit since April 10 nor a home run since March, hit the walk-off home run to clinch a much needed series win over Ole Miss that changed the complexion of the entire season. Then, stepping into the realm of the extreme when it comes to ridiculousness, freshman Alexander Peck, who was 1-for-15 on the season for a .067 batting average, stepped up and hit a home run in the fifth inning to help Arkansas put away an easy 12-2 win in explosive manner after the bloodied face of fellow freshman Carter Rutenbar forced him into service against the Sooners Friday.

It felt so easy against Oklahoma that securing the series feels almost unavoidable. It's the Hogs' destiny to lock this one up and eventually force the selection committee to let Arkansas host, as is the perceived yearly right.

Slow Down Because History Says So

However, Arkansas history is littered with warnings against the Razorbacks getting too confident when they find themselves at the peak of feeling unstoppable.

In 2021, the Arkansas Razorbacks felt inevitable.

They had powerful bats, a strong set of starting pitchers, and when it came time to lock an opponent up, Hogs coach Dave Van Horn would simply call up the Kopps.

The Razorbacks looked virtually unbeatable and there may never again be a point of confidence as high during any Arkansas sport as there was when Hogs fans watched Kevin Kopps come through the bullpen door on a given night. Darren McFadden, Todd Day and Hagen Smith each had their certain moments, but none were the guarantee of success Kopps was in his final season at Arkansas.

When the Hogs hit the grass at Baum-Walker in the Super Regional against NC State in Gane 1, the No. 16 Wolfpack looked overwhelmed, handing Arkansas its 50th win of the year with no struggle, 21-2. The series felt over before it started.

The Hogs had a mission and all that was needed to reach the final stage was to merely show up the next day.

Unfortunately, the Razorbacks' bats were a little cold, probably from stiffness created by swinging for those 17 hits, nine of which were for extra bases, including four home runs along with eight walks while also doing all that running around the bases.

Still. Arkansas had just enough juice to be in the game late as the visitors in their home stadium. After trailing 6-2, the Razorbacks stormed back to cut it to one in the top of the 7th with a three-run rally started by a Brady Slavens home run that helped eventually make it 6-5.

Then, Van Horn went to Kopps in the bottom of the eighth. That meant it was over.

Three out of every four pitches he threw that season went for a strike. He also struck out 131 of the 335 hitters he faced.

Despite working as a reliever, he put together a 12-1 record with 11 saves. The man was dominant.

It took a 19-point advantage the night before. It was only going to take one Saturday, so out came Kopps who sent NC State back to the bench with a fat zero on the board.

The Arkansas offense failed to respond. So, Kopps did it again, sitting down six batters in a perfect two innings while striking out two.

Unfortunately, yet again, the bats went quiet and Arkansas fell, 6-5. It felt very much like the game a few years earlier when the Hogs dropped a pop-up against Oregon State that would have won the national title.

The air was gone. A team Arkansas bettered that season at that point by 16 wins was going to leave Baum-Walker with a victory.

Not Outside the Box, Burning the Box

The next day, desperate to get his championship level team to the College World Series, Van Horn did something entirely unorthodox.

He sent the unanimous First Team All-American Golden Spikes winner right back to the mound on 24 hours rest and rode him for over eight innings and 118 pitches. In the ninth, Van Horn sent Kopps back out for an 11th straight inning of work.

Completely exhausted, Kopps finally broke, giving up the game-winning home run before Patrick Wicklander could come in and record the final three outs. Arkansas couldn't honor Kopps' gutsy performance by scoring at least a run in the bottom of the ninth, leading to a shocking 3-2 loss.

Moment That Should Echo to Now

The College World Series berth that had seemed impossible to avoid never happened for Arkansas. With that series loss came a lesson.

It's a moment Van Horn should point toward this afternoon. The Razorbacks are on fire, and, much like NC State, Oklahoma feels so easy to bowl over right now.

However, just like 21-2 was the result of a single game, 12-2 is also. The Hogs don't get to start with extra points on the board or begin the top of each inning with an out already in the books.

It's another day and another fight. Arkansas can't come in feeling overconfident even if it had actually done anything to deserve it.

This is a team that is just now beginning to reach its potential. It's a potential that everyone was warned at the beginning of the season has a high ceiling.

However, this isn't a team that has maxed out. There is still growth to be had.

That starts with focusing on getting the series win just like the last few the Hogs managed to secure. If Arkansas can clinch the series against Oklahoma, the world is theirs going forward.

Should the Hogs lose the next two, this thing could spiral away as quickly as Van Horn got this thing put back together. If Kopps couldn't keep a series from slipping away, this group certainly can't.

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