Dave Van Horn is at his best at this time of the year.
Arkansas fans couldn’t be happier about that.
Van Horn, the Razorbacks baseball coach now in his 22nd second in Fayetteville, has led Arkansas to seven College World Series. If he were one of his players, he’d be batting just under .333. The march to an eighth such trip to Omaha, Nebraska, is officially in focus.
The calculus on the best route to take to TD Ameritrade, however, is where the curiosity lies. Arkansas starts the SEC Tournament – not totally meaningless for the Diamond Hogs, but, yeah, not much of a factor – with a guaranteed two games.
No team wants to go two-and-out and go home. Pride is too high for that, even if resting is in the best interest of the team. Arkansas will go first against either Alabama or South Carolina, depending which team wins the first-round game there. After that, it depends on how long the Diamond Hogs keep winning.
Arkansas will practice Monday and Tuesday down at Hoover High, not far from the Hoover Coliseum, where the tournament will take place. Don’t expect Van Horn, who has done this a time or two with success, to come out guns blazing all week long.
“We need to rest up a little bit, hydrate and eat,” Van Horn said. “I’m sure some guys lost some weight out here the last few days. Get ready for the run.”