Why Does Hoover Not “Mean More” To Arkansas?
If you were to poll the coaches and players nationwide, they would tell you that winning matters.
In the case of the Arkansas Razorback baseball program and some contingency within their fanbase, this seems to only matter during two occurrences during the season: the regular season and the NCAA Tournament. You may notice the failure to mention the SEC Conference Tournament in the list of times when winning is of the utmost importance.
We will analyze why the Hoover Met should “Just Mean More” for the Hogs, how this can assist their NCAA Tournament performance, and possibly, a trip to Omaha and hoisting the World Series Trophy.
Hoover Has Changed
Arkansas has 29 appearances in the SEC baseball tournament, which includes their most recent loss, 5-2 to Ole Miss, on the opening day of play for the Razorbacks. Many fans use statements such as “Hoover doesn’t matter”, “Omaha is what counts,” and other comments that undermine the yearly event. Under Dave Van Horn, the Hogs are 40-48 in the SEC Tournament, which includes a championship in the 2021 season.
With the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the conference, we saw the postseason bracket change to single-elimination. With this, the top four teams in the regular season would receive a double-bye. With the bye games, this tournament becomes a normal weekend for these clubs.
This is where the above comments that minimize Hoover become confusing. Since the 2021 title, including this season, Arkansas is 2-5 in the Alabama event. In a season where Arkansas is now looking at one game being played in nearly a month leading into the NCAA, this isn’t a good recipe for success.
In the loss to the Rebels, Arkansas struggled to produce runs in addition to an abysmal and uncharacteristic defensive performance in the opening inning. In the former format, this would be overlooked as it was a double-elimination style. In the current model, you would have expected Arkansas to play more inspired baseball. This season was a prime opportunity to prepare yourself for a deep run, and they fell flat for 9 innings.
We mentioned the recipe for success in the NCAA. We will now look at how poor performances seem to follow this club in this environment.
Omaha Is Hard
When you dissect the history of Arkansas baseball under DVH, you will find there is a lot of success. More importantly, is the overall success in the NCAA Tournament. In his tenure, the Razorbacks have gone to the Regional in 20 of 22 seasons, which is incredibly impressive. The Razorbacks have gone to Omaha on 7 occasions since 2003.
In the game of college baseball, it is hard to get to Omaha, Nebraska, and a chance to hoist the National Championship. Under Van Horn, Arkansas has been 7 times while fishing with three 7th place finishes {2004, 2015, 2019} and 3rd place {2009, 2012, 2022}, along with a National Runner-up finish in the magical 2018 season.
Since the last SEC Championship, Arkansas has struggled to make Omaha. In fact, the Hogs have only reached Nebraska once, in 2022, in this stretch. Since 2021, Arkansas has hosted one Super Regional, two Regionals, and traveled for one. With this, the Hogs fell in all Regional and Super Regional hosted and failed to get out of the Stillwater Super Regional after walking off North Carolina to make the next round.
With the Razorbacks a top 5 program, they will host a Regional and an opportunity for a Super Regional. How do they get back to being the ‘OmaHogs”?
Omaha At Last
Arkansas is one of a handful of programs that can win it all in Omaha. With the gauntlet that is the SEC, the Razorbacks have been tested weekend after weekend in both their non-conference and conference slates.
In an odd twist, we only see the #4 Vanderbilt Commodores remaining in the Hoover event as they will face the Rebels on Championship Sunday. Top-seeded teams of Texas and Arkansas fell in their opening contest, and LSU fell to Ole Miss on Saturday. While we understand why fans make the above statements, the momentum has to be in the program’s favor. In recent NCAA Tournaments, we have seen teams that are having incredible momentum entering the bracket, and, at times, this leads to a national title.
The number one gripe of fans of Arkansas Baseball is that “DVH hasn’t one the big one,” yet they accept the inadequate play prior to. Keeping a routine is pivotal for baseball player, and the Razorbacks have to regain composure before their opponents travel to Fayetteville coming up. In recent seasons, the hosting pleasure has been quite the nightmare for Arkansas as they have fallen in front of fans inside Baum-Walker Stadium.
In closing, the failure to hold Hoover in high regard has a direct correlation to the success in the NCAA for Arkansas. The stands will be full and the “Hog Calls” will be loud, but will the players be ready following another long break before play?
We will soon find out as the NCAA Tournament will be unveiled on Sunday and Monday. Will Arkansas survive its own Regional? It will come down to the momentum and the mantra of the conference for the Hogs.
Momentum in baseball, “Just Mean More”.
