Biggest Play of Season Exemplifies Van Horn's Success

Emotional moment against LSU gives Arkansas best shot at run to College World Series

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
May 27, 2023 11:07 AM EDT
Original:
May 27, 2023

In this story:

HOOVER, Ala. – It may have been the play of the season and it wasn't even executed by a member of the Arkansas roster.

Thursday afternoon, after watching Hagan Smith stifle one of college baseball's most dangerous line-ups for just over 70 pitches, Razorback coach Dave Van Horn rose up out of the dugout and began walking toward the mound. Not even two steps out, Smith, who had nine strikeouts in 3^2/3 innings of work, caught a glimpse of his skipper and immediately began shaking him off. While he's expressed love and admiration for his coach in the past, he had no desire to spend quality time with Van Horn on the mound because he knew it meant the Arkansas starter was coming out of a battle with No. 5 LSU.

Upon seeing the highly public display of disapproval, Van Horn shook off the shake off and quickly signaled to the bullpen to make sure his intent was perfectly clear. There wasn't going to be a discussion. The plan was established up front. Smith gets 70 pitches and that's it. After that, it's time to get No. 2 pitcher Hunter Hollan some work just in case things don't pan out, leaving only one more game, which was reserved for No. 3 pitcher Brady Tygart to stretch out his arm more following an injury.

Smith unmistakenly wore his emotions on his face when Van Horn arrived at the mound. He had the same look professional wrestlers use when pretending to do all they can to hold back hitting someone, only this look was real. Van Horn was in no danger of being hit, but there's no doubt as Smith bit down hard on his lower lip that he was having to keep a lot of anger shoved down just beneath the surface.

"We weren't going to throw Hagan more than 70 pitches whether it took three innings, five innings or whatever," Van Horn said. "You could see he wanted to stay in. He wasn't done. He deserved to get that last out if he could."

As Hollan jogged onto the field, Smith reluctantly gave way. Moments later he was shown in the dugout grabbing a snack while battling his thoughts and frustration. It's not easy to pull a competitor who is used to carrying the team against a high level opponent that is also a rival when he feels he has more to give, but Van Horn came in with a plan.

"We decided a couple of days ago that there was a possibility that we would go this way if we won Game 1 and got in the winner's bracket," Van Horn said. "If you lose, you're thinking about 'I've got to get some of my starters some work and get them ready for next weekend.' If you win you know you've got at least two more games. We just felt like if we had a chance to win the game, let's go ahead and bring Hunter in, and at the time we felt like we had a chance to win the game."

No one knows better than Van Horn that the Arkansas program is measured in national championships and nothing else, which is an interesting standard considering the Razorbacks have never won a national championship. Over a five year span, Arkansas is the best team in all of college baseball from a wins perspective. The Razorbacks have won 238 games over the last five full seasons.

Arkansas has been to the College World Series each of those years except one, a 50-win season that fell a game short in the super regionals against North Carolina State. The Razorbacks were a dropped pop fly away from a national championship in 2018 and a win over Ole Miss away from facing Oklahoma for the national championship last season.

These close calls are why Van Horn has a College World Series centric approach to the SEC Tournament no matter who it upsets, even his ace. That 50-win team in 2021 won the regular season and the tournament, but all anyone remembers or talks about is the disappointment in not making it to Omaha. Executives get paid a lot of money to make tough decisions and Van Horn made an executive decision.

"We don't want to tax anybody," Van Horn said. "We want to be ready to play next weekend. Ten weeks in a row in this league and then you come to this tournament, you've got to be careful ... It's just the way you take care of guys to get ready for regionals."

If Arkansas makes the College World Series again this year, that moment when Van Horn stared back at Smith from just outside the dugout and firmly shook off his pitcher's refusal to come out will have been a big part of the path. It's why the SEC's coach of the year was able to win the toughest conference in all of college baseball with a dugout full of broken and spare parts.
It's also why, as long as Van Horn is making the tough calls, Arkansas will always have a legitimate chance in Omaha.