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Dave Van Horn reveals keys to success for Arkansas so far during postseason

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•06/19/22•

Jonathan Wagner

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Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images.

The Arkansas Razorbacks did not end the regular season on a high note, losing six of their final ten games and then going 0-2 in the SEC Tournament at the end of May. In the eyes of Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn, though, that disappointing finish has been a big part of the fuel behind the Razorbacks’ run to Omaha for the College World Series.

“What I’ve seen from them is a team that was disappointed how the regular season ended,” Van Horn said on Saturday night. “And once we got into postseason play, I just felt like the team, they didn’t want to fail. And they took a step forward, got over all the negativity and just said, we’re going to fight you to the end and hopefully it will go our way.”

Arkansas was the No. 2 seed in the Stillwater Regional, and began postseason play with victories over Grand Canyon and Oklahoma State. While the Cowboys stole a game on Sunday during the regional, the Razorbacks eventually came out on top, advancing to the Chapel Hill Regional against North Carolina.

Arkansas wasted no time in Chapel Hill, winning two close games over UNC and sweeping the Tar Heels, advancing to the CWS in Omaha.

Van Horn was impressed with what he saw in the CWS opener for Arkansas

On Saturday, Arkansas began its journey in the College World Series. The Razorbacks battled against Stanford, and an offensive explosion paired with a dominating pitching performance led to a 17-2 victory for Van Horn and Arkansas.

When it comes to coaching the Arkansas players, Van Horn said that he mostly sits back and lets the players play, though he tries to offer some guidance in some situations.

“Offensively, I’ve seen us hit the ball in the middle of the ball a lot more, advance runners, move runners around, use the whole field,” added Van Horn. “We had a bunch of backside hits today, sac fly. I mean, we’re running a pretty good offense right now. And I don’t know.

“But as far as hands off, I just try to give them some advice on how to handle everything, whether it’s the Regional or the Super Regional or even up here.”

Next up for Van Horn and Arkansas is a matchup in the winners bracket against a familiar face. The Razorbacks face off against Ole Miss on Monday night.