Van Horn: 'We Found a Way to Win' After Razorbacks Sweep Alabama

Camden Kozeal delivered the go-ahead hit all three days and Ethan McElvain shut the door Sunday as Arkansas took something it had never won before at Alabama.

Arkansas Razorbacks relief pitcher Ethan McElvain against Florida. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Arkansas isn't quite ready to quit on this season. That much is clear.

For the third straight day at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, the Hogs found themselves trailing Alabama.

And for the third straight day, they came back to win.

Sunday's 3-2 victory completed a sweep of the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide and pushed Arkansas to 8-7 in SEC play — above .500 in the conference for the first time since March 28.

Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn didn't hesitate when asked what the weekend meant.

"It couldn't have come at a better time, obviously," Van Horn said. "We know what we're capable of. It's hard winning in this league.

"You look at what's going on around the league right now, the teams that maybe didn't win as much as the other teams the first four weekends, they were all winning this weekend for the most part and in a big way.

"We're one of them."

The Razorbacks (24-13, 8-7 SEC) won their first SEC series since a March 20-22 trip to South Carolina.

More than that, they did something nobody's done in Tuscaloosa all year knocking off a team that had won 18 straight at home, the longest active home winning streak in the country entering the weekend.

Alabama coach Rob Vaughn didn't sugarcoat it.

"We got beat by a team that was better than us for three days," he said.

Camden ALWAYS Clutch 🦆 pic.twitter.com/R2xRIQf3Fc

— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) April 12, 2026

Eighth Inning Hogs' Best Friend All Weekend

The Razorbacks' path to the sweep ran straight through the eighth inning in every game. Friday, they used a 6-run eighth to take the lead. Saturday, a 5-run eighth turned a tight game into a blowout.

Sunday was no different.

With the game tied 2-2, Ryder Helfrick drew a 1-out walk and reached second on a botched rundown when Alabama first baseman Luke Vaughn dropped the ball.

Two outs later, Camden Kozeal ripped a double down the right field line to score Helfrick and give Arkansas a 3-2 lead it wouldn't give back.

Kozeal was at the center of all three eighth-inning rallies. He led off Friday's eighth with a solo home run to pull the Hogs within one run.

Saturday, he doubled and scored to extend the lead. Sunday, he delivered the go-ahead hit.

"It [was] pretty exciting because all of a sudden, here we go," Van Horn said. "We [felt] like we were going to win the game. We felt like [Ethan] McElvain was going to come in and shut the door, and that's what he did."

Big E strikes out the side ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/r9M3nLgjH0

— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) April 12, 2026

McElvain Slammed It Shut

Left-handed closer Ethan McElvain was as good as advertised Sunday.

He retired every batter he faced across two innings and struck out the side in the eighth, working his fastball up in the zone at 95-96 mph.

It was a bounce-back performance after a tough outing Friday when he had to give way to Parker Coil after hitting a batter and allowing back-to-back singles in the ninth.

"I was just looking forward to the next outing, just to get back out there and get back in the zone," McElvain said. "One outing doesn't define who you are."

Van Horn was effusive in his praise.

"Boy, he threw well today," he said.

The bullpen's performance across all three games earned the head coach's highest compliment. Coil, Gabe Gaeckle and McElvain each threw two innings Sunday.

"It was a really good day by four veteran pitchers that said, 'Jump on our back, man. We're not going to let them score,'" Van Horn said. "And we found a way to win."

Gaeckle was especially sharp in the seventh inning when Alabama had the bases loaded with no outs and a chance to go back ahead.

He struck out two batters before getting a flyout to strand all three runners. The Crimson Tide stranded 12 baserunners on the day and went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

"You've just got to go out there and make pitches," Gaeckle said. "It was a rough stretch for me [as a starter]. For me, it was just executing pitches, trying to do a job."

No blink. No flinch. That's Gack. pic.twitter.com/6Q4KtK59kF

— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) April 12, 2026

Sweep That Stands Alone in Tuscaloosa

This was the first time Arkansas has ever swept a series on Alabama's campus.

The Hogs did sweep the Tide in 2015 but that was at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium while Alabama's home park was being renovated.

It's also just the fourth time in Van Horn's 24-year tenure that Arkansas swept a top-10 team on the road.

The previous instances were against No. 4 Mississippi State in 2021 (the year the Bulldogs won the national title), No. 3 LSU in 2004 and No. 6 South Carolina in 2013.

NOLAN SOUZA. TIE BALLGAME. pic.twitter.com/mZh3wlIiUv

— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) April 12, 2026

"It's hard to sweep anybody, much less sweep on the road and a top 10 team that's won 18 in a row at home," Van Horn said. "I guess you could say it's a little surprising. I'm not surprised that we won the series and then we had an opportunity to sweep.

"I was really proud of the way the team played. And, you know, even if we'd have lost today, they were into it and they wanted to win it.

"They weren't satisfied, so that was really good to see."

Wind played a big role in keeping Sunday's score down. Van Horn estimated both teams combined for what would've been six home runs on a calm day.

"Between the two teams, I think we would have definitely hit four home runs and they would have hit two," he said. "But the wind played a big part in the game today as far as keeping the score down."

Up next for the Razorbacks is a Tuesday game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock before a home SEC series against fourth-ranked Georgia starting Thursday at Baum-Walker Stadium.