FAYETTEVILLE -- Anyone previously advised to keep a copy of this column presumably had birdcages to line or fish to wrap.
Finally here is one to save to read.
Certainly not because of prose or inspiration. No pretense here even alleging such.
This is a keeper purely as a reminder to Arkansas Razorbacks baseball fans. A reminder for 2016 should Dave Van Horn's Hogs flop in February and muddle into March that all is not lost.
Van Horn's Hogs have started slowly, periodically, during his previous 12 Arkansas seasons. Yet every season at a minimum ended two games into NCAA regionals and mostly well beyond including three trips to Omaha for the College World Series.
This one, too, will end anywhere from a regional to Omaha.
Other than sarcastically, it's safe to say that nobody mentioned Omaha when Arkansas lost two of three at a February tournament in Mobile, Ala. and deeply muddled into March.
In one March nonconference stretch at Baum Stadium, Arkansas consecutively lost 15-5 and 6-2 to Gonzaga and 9-0 to Loyola Marymount. In the SEC the Hogs started 1-5.
Just look at them now. The Hogs were ranked No. 23 last week by Baseball America and bound to move higher this week, having won 19 of their past 23. They stand 29-18 overall and 14-10 in the SEC West. They won five consecutive SEC series by 2-1 counts and completed their first three-game SEC sweep on Saturday against Alabama in Hoover, Ala.
It is presumed those clamoring for Van Horn's head on talk show calls and message board posts in March are applauding an April and early May fueled by winning two of three at Ole Miss in late March.
Just proof again that betting against Van Horn and Dave Jorn will leave one forlorn in the long run.
Van Horn's record speaks for itself.
Jorn arms the evidence. The greatest pitching coach (1983-1988) during Hall of Fame Coach Norm DeBriyn's 1970-2002 Arkansas run, Jorn is Van Horn's only Arkansas pitching coach.
They know each other long and well. Along with longtime former hitting coach Doug Clark, Jorn and Van Horn assisted DeBriyn from 1985-1988 including College World Series teams in 1985 and 1987. Before that winter joining the New York Yankees organization, Jorn through 1988 fall ball prepped the staff pitching Arkansas to DeBriyn's last College World Series in 1989.
Jorn inevitably fixes things, no matter if a staff starts the season ravaged by injury and or reeling from the previous summer's pro draft. He has done so again.
Van Horn stated from the outset this is his best defensive team. Other than one horrific February inning against Maryland, they have proven it, fielding .979. They make plays ranging from the routine to exceptional.
Van Horn said they would hit better, too. They have, though even Van Horn couldn't have fully predicted sophomore center fielder Andrew Benintendi hitting .386 and stealing 20 bases while hitting 15 home runs, which leads the nation.
Quite a baseball season to remember, especially if the next one doesn't begin memorably.
Sports on 05/04/2015