Razorbacks have history of success on road
FAYETTEVILLE — Recent history for the University of Arkansas baseball team shows that struggling late in the season, going 0-2 at the SEC Tournament and being sent to an NCAA regional in Stillwater, Okla., doesn’t mean the Razorbacks can’t make a postseason run.
It’s history the No. 2-seeded Razorbacks (3818) hope to repeat when they open play against Grand Canyon (41-19) at noon Friday in the NCAA Stillwater Regional at Oklahoma State’s O’Brate Stadium.
Arkansas is playing in a regional on the road for the first time since 2015, when the Razorbacks also were the No. 2 seed in Stillwater.
The Razorbacks have a four-game losing streak, including being 0-2 at the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2012.
A 2-6 record for Arkansas in the last eight games against SEC opponents is reminiscent of the Razorbacks losing their last eight conference regular-season games in 2009.
Despite the less-thanideal circumstances going into the NCAA Tournament in 2009, 2012 and 2015, Arkansas advanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., in all three seasons.
“Baseball isn’t an easy game, and things don’t always go your way,” said Dave Jorn, the Razorbacks’ pitching coach from 2003-16. “But as long as you’re playing, you’ve got to regroup, you’ve got to bounce back and you’ve got to go back out there and compete and show some confidence in yourself.
“I think that’s what we did all those years [in 2009, 2012 and 2015]. Even though some things weren’t going our way, we were able to get the point across to the kids that, ‘Hey, this is season No. 3. You’ve got your preseason, then you’ve got your conference season, and now you’ve got your postseason.’
“‘You’re starting over. There isn’t any batting average. There isn’t any ERA. There aren’t any wins or losses. To get to Omaha, really, what do you have to do? You’ve got to win five games in a row.’ We just tried to keep it real simple.
“It’s difficult to get to Omaha, but when you break it down that you’ve got to win three in a row in a regional and win two
more in a super regional, and you're in Omaha, the players can relate to that.
“Anything can happen once regional play starts. Everybody is starting off even.”
Dave Van Horn, in his 20th season as Arkansas' coach, has led the Razorbacks to a regional for the 18th time with six College World Series appearances.
He also twice led Nebraska to the College World Series.
“Coach Van Horn understands people, has a good feel for them,” said Springdale High School Coach Tim Carver, who played shortstop for the Razorbacks from 2009-12 and was a student assistant for Arkansas in 2015. “He can just stand next to somebody and know what kind of day they're having, what they need to hear from him at that particular time.
“I think that had a lot to do with the success of our teams at Arkansas that people might not have expected to get to the College World Series.”
Tyler Spoon, a mortgage lender in Fayetteville, was a starting outfielder for the Razorbacks in 2015 when they beat Oral Roberts, Oklahoma State and St. John's to win the Stillwater Regional.
“It came down to timely hits and good pitching, and good defense especially,” Spoon said. “You can't give away any runs in a regional.
“You've got to jump out and win Game One. That's what the numbers show. If you don't win that first game, you're in a lot of trouble. So we've got to come out Friday and win Game One.”
Zack Cox, a third baseman who hit 13 home runs for the Razorbacks in 2009 and was an All-American in 2010 when he batted .429 to set a school record, said playing new teams in the postseason can be refreshing.
“I think to get out of the SEC grind — where you're not playing the same guys over and over again — can help,” said Cox, a first-round draft pick by the St. Louis Cardinals who lives in Bentonville and gives private hitting lessons at Legacy Sports Academy in Centerton.
“Seeing new teams and new faces in a regional, it just seems like fresh meat for you.
“Obviously, I'm biased, but I believe the SEC is the best conference. So when you realize, ‘Oh shoot, we're playing someone else,' nothing seems as difficult. You end up elevating your game a little bit.”
After Arkansas was eliminated at the SEC Tournament with a 7-5 loss to Florida last Friday, Van Horn said he gave the players the weekend off.
A little time away from baseball, Carver said, can work wonders for a team.
“When you get home from Hoover, you can kind of decompress and get your legs back under you,” Carver said. “The SEC season is a gauntlet. It can wear you down.
“So a little break really helps you refocus and catch your breath and then be ready to get back at it.”
Van Horn kept things positive on Monday when the NCAA Tournament's 64-team field was announced by congratulating the Razorbacks for making an NCAA regional.
Mississippi State, last year's national champion, isn't in the NCAA Tournament. Neither is North Carolina State, which beat Arkansas in a super regional at Baum-Walker Stadium last season.
“I'm glad we're in a regional,” Van Horn said. “When you look at some of teams that aren't, you know how hard it is to get there.
“We feel like we haven't played good down the stretch, as everyone knows. So we want to flip it. Sometimes maybe going on the road is a little less of a distraction.”
Arkansas junior second baseman Robert Moore, speaking Tuesday on his segment of the “Morning Mayhem” radio show on KABZ-FM, said the Razorbacks are ready to have postseason success.
“There's never an easy road to Omaha, but we definitely feel it's within reach,” Moore said. “I think we're confident.”
The website BetOnline.ag lists Arkansas tied for seventh among teams with the best odds to win the College World Series at 25-1. Tennessee is No. 1 at 5-2.
Kyle Peterson, ESPN's lead college baseball analyst, posted on his Twitter account that Arkansas is his top sleeper pick to advance to Omaha with Gonzaga a close second.
Arkansas beat Washington State and beat host Oklahoma twice to win the Norman (Okla.) Regional in 2009.
“When we went in to Norman we were supposed to be two and out, and we rolled through it,” Cox said. “We got hot and everybody picked their game up at the same time.”
Arkansas beat Sam Houston State twice and host Rice once in 2012 to win the Houston Regional.
“It all boils down to the togetherness of the guys,” Carver said.
“We had some things go wrong during the season, we went through some bad stretches, but we got back in a positive rhythm and things started going our way again.”
Jorn said Van Horn has plenty of experience dealing with the ups and downs of a baseball season.
“Dave knows how to handle what's going on right now, and I've got all the confidence and faith that he's going to be pushing the right buttons and these guys are going to be ready to play,” said Jorn, who lives in Bentonville and scouts for the Tampa Bay Rays.
“I don't see any reason whatsoever why Arkansas can't win this regional. It's a good ballpark for them. I've been there many times the last two years, and it's a very hitter-friendly ballpark.
“I think Dave is in a familiar position right now, where he's kind of the underdog. I think he can thrive on that a little bit and get the players to buy into that.”
Spoon said regional games have a far different feeling than any during the regular season.
“When you get in a regional, every pitch, every out, every at-bat just has that much more intensity,” Spoon said. “I think a lot of times it comes down to the team that can lock it in more throughout the game. Do all the small things, and experience has a lot to do with it.
“I think that's where Dave Van Horn's experience of being in these situations so many times, and not letting the moment get too big, is so important for Arkansas.
“I still feel good about this team. I feel like we can go out and beat any team on any day.”
Cox said he believes Arkansas will win the Stillwater Regional.
“I expect Coach Van Horn is going to have those boys ready and they're going to be very competitive,” Cox said. “Honestly, if we don't win the regional and make a huge run, I'm going to be surprised.”