Dave Van Horn vs Mike Bianco: Two SEC legends meet in historic matchup

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn and Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco have been at it together for a long time.

No one in the SEC has coached at the same school longer than Ole Miss’ Mike Bianco.

His closest competition? Arkansas head man Dave Van Horn.

Van Horn is technically tied with Vanderbilt’s Tim Corbin as both are in their 20th seasons at their respective schools. Bianco is in year No. 22 in Oxford. Monday night’s game between the Rebels and Razorbacks will the 72nd time Van Horn and Bianco have met.

None of the previous 71 have been as big. The winner will clinch a spot in the College World Series semifinals.

“We’ve had some wars with them, obviously, over the years,” Bianco said. “Some we’ve won and some we haven’t, but I think it comes down to they’re really good and we’ve been good. When you put two teams together that are good, usually they’re pretty good baseball games.”

Arkansas won the season series with Ole Miss, taking two of three in Fayetteville in late April and early May.

Bianco took the Rebels to the College World Series semifinals in 2014 while Van Horn last took the Hogs in 2018 when the Diamond Hogs made the national championship series.

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