“I know a place where baseball’s really real. At night all the faces light up, as the heroes take the field.” – lyrics from “Rebirtha” by Widespread Panic
We’re #1.
After spending the first half of the NCAA baseball season firmly ranked in the top five of any and every poll created, the Arkansas Razorbacks were rewarded for their quality, early-season form last week and ascended into the top spot of national rankings. That’s correct – the Hogs sit atop the latest and most legit NCAA poll out there, enjoying the view and basking in the spotlight of being top dogs.
The last Razorbacks squad to reach #1 in the polls was the track and field team (pick a year). And while they are still an elite program today, there were some seasons in the 1980s and ‘90s, when they totally dominated all three venues of the sport – indoor, outdoor and cross country. Coach John McDonnell’s teams were ranked #1 most of the time, and many years they captured multiple NCAA championships. Those teams were the closest thing to a dynasty that college sports has ever known. John Wooden and his 10 NCAA basketball titles pale in comparison to McDonnell’s run of 40 Nattys over 36 years.
The young Irishman arrived on campus as the cross country coach in 1972, quickly established a stable of quality distance runners, and proceeded to collect yearly cross country titles. He became head track and field coach in 1978, began recruiting sprinters and jumpers, and an empire was born. His power-packed teams would reign over the sport and go on to eventually rewrite much of the NCAA record book. You could always find his outfits ranked around that cherished #1 spot, amassing trophies and filling fingers fulla SEC and national championship rings.
It is told that when recruits would visit coach McDonnell’s office, he would pull out a cardboard box fulla such jewelry, shake a couple of ‘em out onto his desk and say, “If you come to school here, you’ll probably win a few of these.”
Since it is uncommon for an Arkansas athletic team to reach the zenith of its discipline and be ranked #1, notice must be taken. So this is me with my skirt and pom poms on, making a big deal out of it, since it must be celebrated thoroughly on those rare occasions when it does occur.
So kudos to coach Van Horn. The man is simply the best coach on the Hill – itemized and organized. Baseball comes with piles and pages of numbers and stats; and yet every year, DVH manages to filter through, paring ‘em down, until he figures out the magic formula and keys to successful SEC baseball. The man’s achieved everything he’s set his mind to, ‘cept for a College World Series title. Gotta wonder how much longer he’ll lead the Hogs to battle? Perhaps he’s waiting for one more opportunity to win it all, before hanging up his gilded spikes? If so, he certainly deserves that chance.
Meanwhile, the Razorbacks pitching staff continues to completely bemuse opposing hitters, striking out 254 of them in only 19 games of baseball. They literally put on a clinic, every time they take the Bump, striking out an average of just over 13 batters/game or almost 1.5/inning.
Van Horn and his top-ranked Razorbacks baseball team kicked off SEC play in fine fashion, routing the University of Missouri and sweeping the three-games series over St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Van Horn’s swatters flexed their muscles in a big way by launching several tape-measure taters outta the yard and providing plenty of run support. The star-studded pitching staff performed splendidly, once again, as they struck out 36 batters in three games and allowed only one Tiger to cross the plate all weekend.
The Razorbacks travel to Auburn this week for a three-game series against the War Eagles, starting on Thursday.
WPS!