Dave Van Horn gives key to Arkansas continuing to host regionals

The Arkansas baseball team earned the No. 5 national seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, affording it the right to host an NCAA Super Regional should it make it past the Regional round of action.

It’s a remarkable accomplishment, particularly when you consider the regularity with which the Razorbacks have achieved it.

This is the sixth time in the last seven years that the Hogs will be hosting opening-round activity in Fayetteville.

“A few things are involved there,” coach Dave Van Horn said. “Obviously we have good players that they care about winning and they take care of business. They find a way to show up every day mentally even if they’re not feeling great or whatever. They’re humans, it’s just the way it is.”

That attitude of always showing up paid off in a big way in 2024. Arkansas went an impressive 43-14 during the regular season, which included an equally impressive 20-10 mark in SEC play.

There were series sweeps and series victories over other SEC powers.

For Van Horn, it all comes down to preparation. His staff has helped prepare the players and they’ve taken well to that preparation. So Arkansas is rarely caught off guard. The Hogs don’t have many down days at the park.

“I think the coaches do a great job of preparing our guys mentally to play,” Van Horn said. “I think it’s a little bit of our culture that’s gone on for years as far as the way we do things here, what’s expected. It all adds up. You look around, there’s a handful of teams that have done it, but it’s hard to do and it’s hard to be consistent especially these days with kids being able to jump around and coaches jumping around.

“We’ve done a good job of keeping our staff together, and I think the players, they can see that the coaches all like each other and we get along, we hang out a little bit away from the ballpark. It just all adds up.”

Van Horn credited that culture with helping his players stay a little bit looser.

“The kids maybe are a little bit more comfortable early,” he said. “I think it’s helped us over the years.”

Arkansas will open the Fayetteville Regional on Friday against Southeast Missouri State in a game that begins at 3 p.m. ET.

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