Nobody Saw Hogs Sitting on Top of SEC, Even Dave Van Horn

With back-to-back SEC sweeps, Razorbacks have flipped script on season ... again

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
May 7, 2023 10:54 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Considering the doom-and-gloom contingent of Arkansas fans were giving up a couple of weeks ago, the change is dramatic after getting second straight sweep of an SEC team on Sunday in Starkville, Miss., with an 11-6 win.

The Razorbacks have been hit with more injuries in a season that would have wiped out some teams, coach Dave Van Horn has just dealt with it and keeps winning. Even the cynical folks like me didn't see sitting on top of the entire league heading into the final couple of series as possible, but Van Horn usually knows how to win in the postseason.

That's not taking anything for granted, but a lot of people were throwing in the towel on this season after getting swept on the road against Georgia a couple of weeks ago. They also probably jumped the gun with some rather lackluster efforts in midweek losses at Missouri State and in North Little Rock against Lipscomb. Those are about finding some depth for the postseason.

You get the idea Van Horn is just finding the right combination of buttons to mash when they count the most. He takes one series, one game at a time and knows if they keep winning everything else tends to sort itself out come June, hopefully ending in Omaha, Neb.

From No. 1 starter Jaxon Wiggins going down for the season before it even got started to losing top relief pitcher Dylan Carter it's been one after another all over the field. Through it all, Van Horn takes it one after another.

"The team's kinda unreal," Van Horn said after the 11-6 win Sunday for a second straight SEC series sweep. It's typical he would credit the players, which is part of the reason he wins. "They just show up. They show up every day to play and they think they can win."

Now they've got to do it in six more league games with South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Fans shouldn't take anything for granted, although the Hogs play well at Baum-Walker and finishing the season at Vanderbilt is just closing preparation for the SEC Tournament that starts the next week.

"They're just trying to win today," Van Horn said about this team. "We try not to worry about everybody else."

Before I've talked about how much he sounds at times a lot like Nick Saban at Alabama without some of negative stuff. Van Horn has more wiggle room with an awful lot more games to play.

From early in the season when a lot of the lunatic fringe was hitting the panic button in March, I cautioned Van Horn simply stays focused on June. Now he's getting players recovered from some injuries and others figuring it out.

It's all part of the plan for every year.